From the Disaster of the Century to the Solidarity of the Century: Earthquakes Facilitate Social Bonding in Türkiye

This study investigates predictors and consequences of identity fusion, a profound sense of unity with a group, towards Turkish citizens and Syrian refugees following the catastrophic earthquakes in Türkiye on February 6th, 2023. Surveys were administered in-person to 120 Turkish earthquake survivors in the most heavily impacted areas. Results revealed challenges in establishing relationships between emotional intensity, perceived sharedness, and identity fusion due to extreme emotional intensity during the earthquake. However, mean fusion levels significantly increased with perceived shared suffering, validating predictions. Identity fusion also predicted pro-group commitment, measured by volunteerism pledges of Turkish earthquake survivors. As expected, Turkish earthquake survivors exhibited higher pro-group commitment scores than their Syrian counterparts. The study contributes to understanding the complex dynamics of identity fusion in post-catastrophe contexts.