The situational Samaritan: How group reputation threat shapes reparatory behavior

Abstract

Consumers often act to correct the wrongdoings of people close to them, such as family members or friends. The current research demonstrates that consumers may also engage in a variety of reparatory behaviors—from a simple apology to gift-giving and tipping—to counter the misdeeds of in-group strangers when their behavior threatens the reputation of their shared group identity. Across eight preregistered experiments, the present research demonstrates that when an in-group member commits a wrongdoing in the presence of out-group observers, fellow in-group members experience a threat to the group's reputation. This reputational threat evokes feelings of embarrassment and a motivation to distance the group identity from the transgressor, prompting reparatory behaviors such as apologizing, gift-giving, or tipping. These effects emerge across a range of social identities, including ethnicity, nationality, university affiliation, and sports team fandom. Importantly, this tendency is attenuated when other in-group members have already taken action to restore the group's image. These findings reveal a powerful form of identity-driven consumer behavior, highlighting how concerns about group reputation can drive individuals to act, even for the misdeeds of in-group strangers.