Pulling Closer and Moving Apart

Interaction, Identity, and Influence in the U.S. Senate, 1973 to 2009

Datos Bibliográficos

ID4522693
AutoresChristopher C Liu (0000-0003-1039-3533, University of Toronto), B Srivastava (0000-0001-8793-0793, University of California, Berkeley), Sameer B Srivastava
Año2015
Volumen80
Número1
Páginas192-217
Fecha de publicación2015-02-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaAmerican Sociological Review (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0003-1224 • E-ISSN: 1939-8271
EditorialSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0003122414564182
OpenAlexW1995578715
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas24
Referencias citadas84

This article reconciles two seemingly incompatible expectations about interpersonal interaction and social influence. One theoretical perspective predicts that an increase in interaction between two actors will promote subsequent convergence in their attitudes and behaviors, whereas another view anticipates divergence. We examine the role of political identity in moderating the effects of interaction on influence. Our investigation takes place in the U.S. Senate-a setting in which actors forge political identities for public consumption based on the external constraints, normative obligations, and reputational concerns they face. We argue that interaction between senators who share the same political identity will promote convergence in their voting behavior, whereas interaction between actors with opposing political identities will lead to divergence. Moreover, we theorize that the consequences of political identity for interpersonal influence depend on the local interaction context. Political identity's effects on influence will be greater in more divided Senate committees than in less divided ones. We find support for these hypotheses in analyses of data, spanning over three decades, on voting behavior, interaction, and political identity in the Senate. These findings contribute to research on social influence; elite integration and political polarization; and identity theory

Convergence (economics · Economics · Elite · Identity (music · Identity politics · Interpersonal communication · Interpersonal influence · Normative · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Positive economics · Social group · Social identity theory · Sociology · Voting · Voting behavior · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Law · Psychology · Social and Cultural Dynamics · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology