Birging

BIRGing is a self identity concept meaning "basking in reflected glory." It suggests that individuals bolster their self-esteem and self-worth by identifying with another group or individual's success. It is usually used in regards to sports team fans but can also apply to the pride of sharing a hometown or home state with a famous person and religious groups. Note the name is basking in REFLECTED glory - this success is not their own, the individual did not help or earn it themselves. BIRGing is a concept related to social identity theory - when someone pairs themself with others' success they get a rise in self-esteem. Examples of this include sports fans who wear team colors and clothing after a big win even those who have not supported the team in years - once a huge success is achieved they want to identify with the team. A related concept to this is CORFing which is "cutting off reflected failure." When a team loses, individuals distance themselves so their self-identity and self-esteem are not damaged. For instance, research has shown that when a team wins a fan is more likely to say "we won" but when their team loses they are more likely to say "they lost."