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I already referred to Oxford dictionary but I found no meaning to give sense to "identity" (bold in text) in the following text (from a psychological book)

If practitioners are dealing with someone from a family that has been traumatised, they need to know the relevant details of the critical events that have affected their client. Identity to a group that has been traumatised affects both the personal identity of the person and their continuity. Trainees can learn how to gather such information sensitively. Working with shame and self-esteem are also relevant factors for this training.

Any suggestions on what 'identity' means here?

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  • sorry - without more context I draw a blank, & I'm native Br E.
    – DoneWithThis.
    Commented Dec 21, 2014 at 18:56
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    ouch. Was that from a native speaker? It might separate out better if you think of it as "Identity, to a group that has been traumatised, affects…" but it's still not great. "gather these such information" really hurts, though - that's not good English.
    – DoneWithThis.
    Commented Dec 21, 2014 at 19:10
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    I have no idea if the author was native, but the text obviously didn't look like a native one.
    – Mehdi Haghgoo
    Commented Dec 21, 2014 at 19:14
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    I struggle to extract the intended meaning even if I reduce it to only the basic elements… Identity [to group] affects 2 things, identity (again) & continuity (…of what?)
    – DoneWithThis.
    Commented Dec 21, 2014 at 19:18
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    "Identity of a group" makes more sense.
    – user3169
    Commented Dec 21, 2014 at 21:08

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"Identity to a group" is not a meaningful noun phrase. "Identity to a group that has been traumatised" sounds like it's supposed to be a general version of "[being part of] a family that has been traumatised". Maybe the author is referring to something like collective identity.

This correct sentence might be close to what the author meant:

Being part of a group that has been traumatised affects both the personal identity of the person and their continuity.

If we take the choice of "identity" seriously, maybe this version is better:

Identifying with a group that has been traumatised affects both the personal identity of the person and their continuity.

I general, I think this is a poorly-written sentence. It's too wordy and the rest of the grammar is questionable. Here's how I would write it, assuming my understanding is correct:

Being part of a traumatised group affects both a person's identity and their sense of continuity.

Or, if the person is no longer part of the group:

Having been part of a traumatised group affects both a person's identity and their sense of continuity.

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