When good brand communities go bad: an empirical investigation of oppositional behavior

Abstract

This paper conceptualizes and empirically tests a model that examines oppositional behavior toward extracurricular activities (EAs) by integrating two separate streams of literature: higher education and sociology. Drawing on an empirical survey of 353 undergraduate students who hold leadership positions in EAs, this model was tested using structural equation modelling. The results suggest that identification with EAs influences the dislike of both other EAs and their members. Moreover, EA leaders who dislike other EAs and their members are more likely to engage in oppositional behavior – specifically, trash-talking other EAs. The results offer managerial implications as they shed light on a previously under-investigated phenomenon in the educational industry. The oppositional behavior construct and the resulting polarization of the student body may hold the potential to degrade the quality of students’ out-of-class experiences.