I wonder - does it really benefit individuals to identify themselves with Anonymous? Do successful attacks carry more weight when identified w the group? And if caught, does it come with harsher penalties, less harsh, or the same?

It's a benefit only in terms of publicity. In the same way if someone killed someone with a knife and left a "Jack the Ripper was here" note would get a lot more sensationalistic press than no note.

Anonymous was a household brand name during Obama as they were exposing a lot of what he was doing behind the scenes, like drone strikes on innocent civilians and illegally targeting Americans overseas without due process. It was in the news constantly with their videos at a time when most people still watched TV.

It's (guerrilla) force projection.

You never know whether Anonymous is one angry teenager or an entire nation-state, so it behooves you to not piss "them" off.

Why would an individual identity themselves as being part of a group called Anonymous? That's not the point.

Then what's the point of an "Anonymous" Twitter account?