Basking in reflected glory (BIRGing) is a self-serving cognition whereby an individual associates himself with successful others such that another’s success becomes his own.[1]
The affiliation of another’s success is enough to stimulate self glory. The person engaging in BIRGing does not need to have been personally involved in the successful action with which he is affiliating himself. Examples of BIRGing include anything from sharing a home state with a past or present famous person, to religious affiliations, to sports teams. For example, when a fan of a football team wears the teams jersey and boasts after a win, this fan is engaging in BIRGing. A parent with a bumper sticker reading "My child is an honor student" is basking in the reflected glory of his child. While many people have anecdotal accounts of BIRGing, social psychologists seek to find experimental investigations into BIRGing. Within social psychology, BIRGing is thought to enhance self-esteem and to be a component of self-management.
