(c) peter weinreich, february 2008 1 cross-cultural to clinical psychology: the identity structure...

(c) Peter Weinreich, February 2008(c) Peter Weinreich, February 2008 11

Cross-Cultural to Clinical Psychology:

The Identity Structure Analysis conceptual framework

Peter Weinreich, Emeritus Professor of Peter Weinreich, Emeritus Professor of Psychology, University of UlsterPsychology, University of Ulster

Queen’s University Belfast, School Queen’s University Belfast, School of Psychology, Visiting Speaker’s of Psychology, Visiting Speaker’s SeminarSeminar

Friday 29 February 2008Friday 29 February 2008


What is ISA?

ISA’s substantive arena of discourse: Self and Identity

It is an open-ended conceptual framework of (a) psychological concepts and (b) process postulates that represents an integration of key theoretical formulations from the academic disciplines of Psychology, Sociology and Social Anthropology.


Key theoretical formulations

Psychodynamic approachPsychodynamic approach……identity over the lifespan through identity over the lifespan through identifications (Erikson, Marcia, Laing, Berne)identifications (Erikson, Marcia, Laing, Berne)

Symbolic InteractionismSymbolic Interactionism……identity through communication (Mead, identity through communication (Mead, Cooley, Sullivan, Stryker, Weigert, Goffman, Shotter & Gergen)Cooley, Sullivan, Stryker, Weigert, Goffman, Shotter & Gergen)

Self-Concept, Social Identity and Self-EsteemSelf-Concept, Social Identity and Self-Esteem……identity through identity through society (Rosenberg, Coopersmith, Harter, Tajfel, Turner, Hogg & society (Rosenberg, Coopersmith, Harter, Tajfel, Turner, Hogg & Abrams)Abrams)

Construal and Appraisal,Construal and Appraisal,……identity by way of idiosyncratic personal identity by way of idiosyncratic personal constructions (G.A.Kelly, Arnold, Lazarus, Schweder)constructions (G.A.Kelly, Arnold, Lazarus, Schweder)

Cognitive-affective consistency theoryCognitive-affective consistency theory……identity subject to identity subject to emotional and cognitive pressures (Heider, Osgood & Tannenbaum, emotional and cognitive pressures (Heider, Osgood & Tannenbaum, Rosenberg & Abelson, Festinger, Wickland & Brehm, Aronson)Rosenberg & Abelson, Festinger, Wickland & Brehm, Aronson)

Social Anthropology and Indigenous PsychologiesSocial Anthropology and Indigenous Psychologies…identity …identity located in cultural context located in cultural context ((Schweder, Pasternack, Ember & Ember, Schweder, Pasternack, Ember & Ember, Valsiner)Valsiner)

The fundamental issue of ‘agency’ : Rom Harré – the agentic The fundamental issue of ‘agency’ : Rom Harré – the agentic selfself


Key theoretical formulations

ReferenceReference

The theoretical perspectives that underpin ISA, The theoretical perspectives that underpin ISA, together with the definitions of psychological concepts together with the definitions of psychological concepts and statements of process postulates are to be found and statements of process postulates are to be found in: in:

Weinreich, P. (2003) Weinreich, P. (2003) Identity structure Analysis.Identity structure Analysis.

In Weinreich, P., & Saunderson, W. (Eds.) In Weinreich, P., & Saunderson, W. (Eds.) Analysing Analysing Identity: Cross-Cultural, Societal and Clinical Contexts. Identity: Cross-Cultural, Societal and Clinical Contexts. London: Routledge & Psychology Press. Chapter 1.London: Routledge & Psychology Press. Chapter 1.


Psychological concepts and process postulates

The following slides introduce ISA The following slides introduce ISA concepts and process postulates. concepts and process postulates. Formal definitions of concepts are to Formal definitions of concepts are to be found in Chapter 1 and formal be found in Chapter 1 and formal statements of process postulates are statements of process postulates are given in Chapter 1 and Coda of given in Chapter 1 and Coda of Analysing IdentityAnalysing Identity (Weinreich & (Weinreich & Saunderson, 2003)Saunderson, 2003)


Identity is defined as…

“… the totality of one's self-construal, in which how one construes oneself in the present expresses the continuity between how one construes oneself as one was in the past and how one construes oneself as one aspires to be in the future”.


The process of appraisal…

People People appraiseappraise the circumstances in the circumstances in which they are involved in order to which they are involved in order to bring meaningbring meaning to the circumstance … to the circumstance …against the greater background of how against the greater background of how they appraise they appraise selfself in relation to their in relation to their social world.social world.



During appraisals of the social world people use constructs to construe and evaluate other agents and events during which they interact. They form cognitions about these agents and experience emotional tones with respect to them.

Such cognitions and affects may be compatible or incompatible, as when a good friend joyfully supports a valued objective, or an admired person engages in a despicable event, respectively.



Compatibilities between cognitions and affects Compatibilities between cognitions and affects secure and stabilise self’s evaluative secure and stabilise self’s evaluative connotations of one’s constructs, whereas connotations of one’s constructs, whereas incompatibilities undermine and destabilise incompatibilities undermine and destabilise them.them.

Core evaluative dimensions of identityCore evaluative dimensions of identity are are ones whereby constructs are used with high ones whereby constructs are used with high cognitive-affective compatibility.cognitive-affective compatibility.

Dimensions under stressDimensions under stress are designated by are designated by constructs associated with much cognitive-constructs associated with much cognitive-affective incompatibility.affective incompatibility.


The processes of identification…

People identify with elements of significant others who have influence over their personal well-being, either for good or ill.



They form aspirational identifications with others when they wish to

emulate their prized features or

dissociate from their unpalatable aspects.


Aspirational identification in two aspects…

They form idealistic-identifications with others when they wish to emulate their prized features.

They form contra-identifications with others when they wish to dissociate from their unpalatable aspects.



a different mode in the here and now a different mode in the here and now ……

People People empathetically identifyempathetically identify with others with others when they when they recogniserecognise in the others features in the others features of themselves, whether of themselves, whether good or bad.good or bad.

… … a person’s empathetic identification a person’s empathetic identification with another modulates according to with another modulates according to situations, contexts and mood statessituations, contexts and mood states


Conflicted identifications…

When self empathetically identifies with another person while simultaneously contra-identifying with that person, self’s identification with the other is conflicted.

I.e., Self is as the other in several respects, while wishing to dissociate from some of the characteristics of the other - “to be as the other, while not wishing to be”

… Since people’s empathetic identification with others modulate according to situations, contexts and mood states, so will their conflicted identifications alter accordingly


Identity diffusion …

People’s conflicted identifications with others may be dispersed across several persons.

A state of high identity diffusion is manifest when self’s conflicted identifications with others are both substantial and dispersed across many others.

… extent of identity diffusion may also modulate according to situations, contexts and mood states.


Identity Structure Analysis is Identity Structure Analysis is operationalised through…operationalised through…

……the ‘ipseus’ computer software …the ‘ipseus’ computer software … … … in these modes …in these modes …

Idiographic Idiographic – – for individual analysesfor individual analyses

Phase Phase – – for longitudinal analysesfor longitudinal analyses

NomotheticNomothetic – – for group analysesfor group analyses

Nomothetic-phaseNomothetic-phase – – for group longitudinal for group longitudinal

analysesanalyses


How is the ISA conceptual framework practised?

Psychological definitions

Algorithms

Computer software

Analysis and interpretation


Customised identity instrument

2 2 lists:

– Entities – people, groups, emblems, images, events, abstractions, material objects, etc

– Constructs – discourses about experiences and expectations, beliefs and values, attributes, etc


Customised identity instrument

E.g., Entities – my best friend; my Member of

Parliament Construct – discourse about ‘trust’

9 point scale: …can be trusted …can’t be trusted

4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4 Would you place your best friend at the same

place on the scale as your Member of Parliament?


The operationalisation of Identity Structure Analysis

Reference

The isomorphic translations of ISA psychological concepts into algorithms for the practical operationalisation of the corresponding parameters of identity are given in:

Weinreich, P. (2003) Identity exploration: Theory into practice

In Weinreich, P., & Saunderson, W. (Eds.) Analysing Identity: Clinical, Societal and Cross-Cultural Applications. London: Routledge & Psychology Press. Chapter 2.


STUDY: The developmental primacy of primordialist over situationalist thinking about ethnic/national identity

Rationale and Theory:

Many researchers have commented on the tenacity of peoples’ sense of nationality or ethnicity, which, when felt to be challenged, is often accompanied by violent emotions that can have deadly consequences.

Much research demonstrates that ethnicity and ethnic identity are not fixed, but can be redefined over time and can be newly constructed.

However, some writers have been perplexed by the persistence of ethnicity in the absence of obvious gain, and by the affect that is associated with it.


Rationale and Theory

Two stances on ethnicity and ethnic identity have been clearly delineated (Glazer & Moynihan, 1975):

One emphasises the issue of ethnic persistence - a seemingly unchanging aspect of ethnicity, which persists down the generations – the concept of primordialism (Isaacs, 1975; Connor, 1978; Smith, 1981).

The other highlights the situational features of ethnic revivalism - when a dormant forgotten ethnicity is apparently manipulated for instrumental gain – the concept of situationalism (Epstein, 1978; Halsey, 1978; Okamura, 1981).


Rationale and TheoryRationale and Theory

What requires explaining:

The human propensity to think about ethnicity or nationality in primordialist terms, when historical evidence provides many counter examples of fluidity and change;

The relationship between primordialism and situationalism.



The propensity towards primordialist thinking is here explained as being the outcome of the socio-developmental psychology of the child’s early identifications with kith and kin.

Young children’s early identifications with others close to them, such as parents and kin, are assumed to be emotionally intense and unquestioned.



The child initially develops cognitions about the individual’s ties with social and material surroundings as being of the essence of human existence imbued with strong affect.

Such ties are experienced as being representative of those between kin and community within the locality - the soil - and having continuity in time down the generations, that is, they are interpreted as being ‘primordial’.



If, then, ‘nationality’ is understood as referring to the larger community in respect of such ties, then it too is experienced as being primordial.

However, on reflection and questioning of what is initially regarded as being the natural order of things, some people will develop more of a situationalist perspective.



Those people who begin to adopt a more situationalist perspective develop an understanding of the historical complexities of nationality through their reappraisal of their initially held primordialist perspective.

Nevertheless, given the developmental primacy of primordialist thinking - being only modulated by subsequent questionings - people will rarely hold to either wholly consistent situationalist beliefs or thoroughgoing primordialist ones. ones.


Definitions

Primordialism is defined as a sentiment, or affect laden set of beliefs and discourses, about a perceived essential continuity from group ancestry to progeny (perceived kith and kin), located symbolically in a specific territory or place (which may or may not be the current place of the people concerned) (Weinreich, 1998).


Definitions

Situationalism is defined as a set of beliefs or discourses about the instrumental and socially constructed nature of the group, in which interpretations and reinterpretations of history provide rationales justifying the legitimacy of a peoplehood (Weinreich, 1998).


9 theoretical postulates

Postulate 1: Primordialists’ and situationalists’ political identifications.

In circumstances where issues of nationality are highly salient, situationalists compared with primordialists will identify to a lesser extent with political groupings espousing intransigent conceptions of nationhood - the more intransigent the conception, the greater the difference.



Postulate 2: Diversified socio-cultural ethos, individual cosmopolitanism and situationalism

Broadly speaking, those historical, cultural

and personal circumstances that stimulate people to think of the complexities of nationhood - acknowledging fluidity and diversity - will generate a greater propensity towards situationalism.



Postulate 5: Situationalists’ enhanced developmental change in identity

Given their developing questioning stance on ‘nationality’, situationalists compared with primordialists will show greater perceived change in the ethnic or national aspect of their identities over time, and greater modulation in their empathetic identifications with others who represent primordialist or situationalist perspectives on ‘nationality’.



Postulate 9: Developmental primacy of and situationalists’ residual resonance with primordialist sentiments

Given the developmental primacy of primordialist thinking, situationalists will continue to residually express and respond to primordialist sentiments .


Method

Comparative cross-cultural study in Northern Ireland (students) and Slovakia (academics)

Ethnic/national groups: ‘Catholic-Irish’, ‘Protestant-British’, Slovaks

Customised ‘identity instruments’ Analyses facilitated by the IDEX software Subgroups: primordial v situational

criteria


Participants

107 students of Psychology at UUJ (mean age 23 years, range 18 to 43).

64 faculty at the Slovak Academy of Sciences (mean age 37 years, range 24 to 64)


Customised ‘identity instruments’

22 Entities, e.g., ‘me as I am now’ ‘me when I was about fifteen’ parents, national groups and political parties

18 Constructs, e.g., … are/is able to adapt to being of any nationality

(S) … consider/s nationality is given forever (P) … think/s that national identity can be a matter

of choice (S) … know/s that national identity resides in the very soil and essence of the land (P)


Evidence:

1. Meaningful and practically useful definitions of primordialism and situationalism:Differentiation of identification with ‘nationalist’ political parties (Postulate 1)

2. Primacy of primordialism; but with developmental progression in some people to situationalism from ‘15-year-old self’ to ‘adult self’ (Postulate 5)

3. Cultural, socio-historical and biographical contexts – the cultural ethos of ‘Ireland’ compared with that of ‘Britain’: Frequencies of primordialists and situationalists (Postulate 2)


Meaningful and practically useful definitions of primordialism and situationalism

Evidence

Differentiation of identification with ‘nationalist’ political parties.


Catholic Irish students’ identifications with, and evaluation of, the four political

parties

Ideal-identfn Contra-identfn

Evaluation of

PRIM SIT PRIM SIT PRIM SIT

Sinn Fein

0.58 0.33 ****

0.37 0.62**** 0.26 -

0.40****

SDLP 0.61 0.51 0.23 0.38** 0.31 0.07*

DUP 0.38 0.26** 0.53 0.67*** -0.13 -

0.48****

OUP 0.35 0.27 0.49 0.65*** -0.14 -0.38** **** p < 0.0001 *** p < 0.001 ** p < 0.01 * p <= 0.05


Protestant British students’ identifications with, and evaluation of, the four political

parties

Ideal-identfn Contra-identfn

Evaluation of


Sinn Fein

0.37 0.22** 0.59 0.69 -0.18 -0.55***

SDLP 0.48 0.31* 0.29 0.49**

0.19 -0.17**

DUP 0.46 0.29* 0.34 0.59** 0.20 -

0.32****

OUP 0.42 0.29* 0.35 0.56* 0.14 -0.23** **** p < 0.0001 *** p < 0.001 ** p < 0.01 * p <= 0.05


Primacy of Primacy of primordialismprimordialism; ; developmental progression in some developmental progression in some people of people of situationalismsituationalism::

Evidence

‘15-year-old self’ to ‘adult self’ (Ulster students mean age 23 yrs; Slovak academics mean age 37yrs)


Catholic Irish Students (Ulster)

Primordialists Situationalists

Past Current

% diff Past Current

% diff

Self-evaluation*

0.428 0.640 +14.8

0.359 0.608 +18.3

Identity diffusn

0.334 0.334 0.0 0.392 0.334 -17.4

*% difference for self-evaluation takes into account the scale range for evaluation, being –1.00 to +1.00



Past Current

% diff Past Current

% diff

Self-evaluation*

0.321 0.516 +14.8 0.375

0.645 +19.6

Identity diffusn

0.360 0.360 0.0 0.374

0.328 -12.3

Protestant British Students (Ulster)



Slovak Academics (mean age 37 yrs)


Past Current

% diff Past Current

% diff

Self-evaluation*

0.594 0.788 +12.2 0.288 0.735 +34.7

Identity diffusn

0.291 0.261 -10.0 0.406 0.310 -31.0



Cultural, socio-historical and biographical contexts

Evidence

Cultural ethos of ‘Ireland’ compared with ‘Britain’


Students’ identifications with, and evaluation of, the national groups

Catholic Irish students

Ideal-identfn Contra-identfn Evaluation of


Irish People 0.79 0.56**** 0.18 0.40**** 0.60 0.14****

British people

0.49 0.39* 0.44 0.49 0.05 -0.07

Protestant British students

Irish People 0.58 0.44* 0.37 0.46 0.18 -0.04*

British people

0.60 0.46 0.31 0.42 0.24 0.03


Cultural, socio-historical and biographical contexts

Evidence

Frequencies of primordialists and situationalists.


Ulster students

Primordialist

Situationalist

Unclass

Catholic Irish

29 (54.7%) 21 (39.6%)

3 (5.7%) 53 (100%)

Protestant British

12 (36.4%) 21 (63.6%)

0 33 (100%)

Mixed allegiances

5 (23.8%) 16 (76.2%) 0 21 (100%)

46 (43.0%) 58 (54.2%) 3 (2.8%) 107(100%)


Conclusions

The analytic power of the concepts of ‘primordialism’ and ‘situationalism’ is clearly established.

The evidence supports the explanation of highly emotional grounding of primordial sentiments about ethnicity/nationality in the developmental processes of early identification with kith and kin, a community perceived to stretch over generations – i.e., the primacy of primordial thinking about ethnicity/ nationality.


Conclusions

Some individuals will develop in time situationalist orientations to ethnicity/nationality as a result of ‘cosmopolitan’ experiences arising from mixed allegiances, a cultural ethos of enquiry into diversity, and a personal curiosity about the origins of people and nations. Obtrusion of primordial sentiments remains evident even in ideologically committed situationalists

For further details, see Weinreich, Bacova & Rougier, (2003) in Analysing Identity: Cross-Cultural, Societal and Clinical Contexts. Chapter 3


STUDY: STUDY: Identity, Depression &

Anxiety (Alison McKenna)

Joiner, Coyne, & Blalock, 1999:3By ignoring “the intricacies of depressed persons’ involvement with other people” one may “attribute to depressed persons characteristics they do not possess” and “leave significant aspects of their experience unexplained.”


Depression & Anxiety

Prolonged, unresolved periods of anxiety often precede depressive episodes (Wolpe, 1971; Bittner et al, 2004).

Sloman, Farvolden, Gilbert, & Price, 2006:98“…[they] have complex and important co-regulating influences on each other that may explain [their] high comorbidity…”


Postulates Examined

Participants’ biographical experiences within their social milieu are likely to be reflected by ISA through their modulation of identity indices with significant others.

The psychological processes underlying comorbidity of depression and anxiety will be elucidated through examination of participants’ identifications with others across depressed and anxious selves.


Case study “Amit”: diagnostic Case study “Amit”: diagnostic resultsresults

Anxiety was associated with his high identity diffusion that accompanied his engagement with the social world that entailed problematic conflicted identifications with others.

Depression accompanied his social withdrawal, that is, diminution of his empathetic identification with others, which diminished his identity diffusion through resolution of his conflicted identifications with others.


“Amit”: diagnostics of anxiety-depression co-morbidity

Being depressed is to realise that self in unable to Being depressed is to realise that self in unable to effectively pursue one’s aspirations that require effectively pursue one’s aspirations that require engagement with the social world.engagement with the social world.

However, re-engagement with the social world is to However, re-engagement with the social world is to reinstate problematic conflicted identifications, that reinstate problematic conflicted identifications, that is, high identity diffusion accompanied by greater is, high identity diffusion accompanied by greater anxiety.anxiety.

A vicious cycle ensues whereby social withdrawal that A vicious cycle ensues whereby social withdrawal that relieves anxiety results in depression, and efforts to relieves anxiety results in depression, and efforts to come out of depression require social re-engagement come out of depression require social re-engagement that generates anxiety: … that generates anxiety: … depression is traded off depression is traded off against anxiety, and vice versa …against anxiety, and vice versa …


“Amit”: further diagnostics and etiological factors

He had endured numerous prejudicial attacks.

Nevertheless, he held strong aspirations towards positive social relationships (SP=99.69).

Depression likened to loss – related to loss of relationships he aspired to implement due to prejudicial encounters.

He idealized his “well” self states (too full of himself), thus inducing the retaliations of others and amplifying their prejudicial appraisals of him.


Conclusions

In this study, comorbidity of anxiety and depression is established as being an inter-dependent viscous cycle, whereby efforts to reduce anxiety associated with high identity diffusion by disengaging with the social world results in depression, and efforts to climb out of depression by re-engaging with the social world results in greater identity diffusion and accompanying anxiety.


Conclusions

ISA used for clinical studies is able to elucidate both diagnostic and etiological aspects of psychological distress

For further details see McKenna in Weinreich, P., & Mulholland, C (Eds.) (in preparation), Psychological Distress and Identity Processes. London: Routledge & Psychology Press.


Resources

See: www.analysingidentity.org

and

www.sycadex.com

(c) peter weinreich, february 2008 1 cross-cultural to clinical psychology: the identity structure...

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c peter weinreich

social identity

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