Defining who you are by what you're not: Organizational disidentification and the national rifle association

Through two exploratory studies, we develop and test an introductory framew ork of "organizational disidentification." Our first study explores the con cept of organizational disidentification through a qualitative investigatio n of cognitive relationships with the National Rifle Association (NRA). Fin dings suggest that organizational disidentification is a self-perception ba sed on: (1) a cognitive separation between one's identity and the organizat ion's identity, and (2) a negative relational categorization of oneself and the organization (e.g., categorizations such as "rivals" or "enemies"). Or ganizational disidentification appears to be motivated by individuals' desi res to both affirm positive distinctiveness and avoid negative distinctiven ess by distancing themselves from incongruent values and negative stereotyp es attributed to an organization. Our findings also suggest that organizati onal disidentification can lead individuals to take action (either voluntee r work or voicing their opinion) as a result of their perceived separation from the organization's identity. Results of our second study-a large-scale survey of public attitudes about the NRA-provide support for this framewor k.