1. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 2008 1 Cross-Cultural to Clinical Psychology: The Identity Structure Analysis conceptual framework Peter Weinreich, Emeritus Professor of Psychology, University of Ulster Queen’s University Belfast, School of Psychology, Visiting Speaker’s Seminar Friday 29 February 2008

2. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 20082 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.

3. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 20083 Key theoretical formulations  Psychodynamic approach…identity over the lifespan through identifications (Erikson, Marcia, Laing, Berne)  Symbolic Interactionism…identity through communication (Mead, Cooley, Sullivan, Stryker, Weigert, Goffman, Shotter & Gergen)  Self-Concept, Social Identity and Self-Esteem…identity through society (Rosenberg, Coopersmith, Harter, Tajfel, Turner, Hogg & Abrams)  Construal and Appraisal,…identity by way of idiosyncratic personal constructions (G.A.Kelly, Arnold, Lazarus, Schweder)  Cognitive-affective consistency theory…identity subject to emotional and cognitive pressures (Heider, Osgood & Tannenbaum, Rosenberg & Abelson, Festinger, Wickland & Brehm, Aronson)  Social Anthropology and Indigenous Psychologies…identity located in cultural context (Schweder, Pasternack, Ember & Ember, Valsiner)  The fundamental issue of ‘agency’ : Rom Harré – the agentic self

4. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 20084 Key theoretical formulations Reference The theoretical perspectives that underpin ISA, together with the definitions of psychological concepts and statements of process postulates are to be found in: Weinreich, P. (2003) Identity structure Analysis. In Weinreich, P., & Saunderson, W. (Eds.) Analysing Identity: Cross-Cultural, Societal and Clinical Contexts. London: Routledge & Psychology Press. Chapter 1.

5. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 20085 Psychological concepts and process postulates The following slides introduce ISA concepts and process postulates. Formal definitions of concepts are to be found in Chapter 1 and formal statements of process postulates are given in Chapter 1 and Coda of Analysing Identity (Weinreich & Saunderson, 2003) The following slides introduce ISA concepts and process postulates. Formal definitions of concepts are to be found in Chapter 1 and formal statements of process postulates are given in Chapter 1 and Coda of Analysing Identity (Weinreich & Saunderson, 2003)

6. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 20086 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”.

7. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 20087 The process of appraisal…  People appraise the circumstances in which they are involved in order to bring meaning to the circumstance …against the greater background of how they appraise self in relation to their social world.

8. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 20088 The process of appraisal…   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.

9. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 20089 The process of appraisal…  Compatibilities between cognitions and affects secure and stabilise self’s evaluative connotations of one’s constructs, whereas incompatibilities undermine and destabilise them.  Core evaluative dimensions of identity are ones whereby constructs are used with high cognitive- affective compatibility.  Dimensions under stress are designated by constructs associated with much cognitive- affective incompatibility.

10. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200810 The processes of identification…   People identify with elements of significant others who have influence over their personal well-being, either for good or ill.

11. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200811 The processes of identification…   They form aspirational identifications with others when they wish to   emulate their prized features or   dissociate from their unpalatable aspects.

12. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200812 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.

13. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200813 The processes of identification…  a different mode in the here and now …  People empathetically identify with others when they recognise in the others features of themselves, whether good or bad.  … a person’s empathetic identification with another modulates according to situations, contexts and mood states

14. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200814 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

15. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200815 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.

16. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200816 Identity Structure Analysis is operationalised through…  … the ‘ipseus’ computer software …  … in these modes …  Idiographic – for individual analyses  Phase – for longitudinal analyses  Nomothetic – for group analyses  Nomothetic-phase – for group longitudinal analyses

17. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200817 How is the ISA conceptual framework practised?   Psychological definitions   Algorithms   Computer software   Analysis and interpretation

18. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200818 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

19. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200819 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?

20. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200820 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.

21. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200821 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.

22. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200822 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).

23. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200823 Rationale 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.

24. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200824 Rationale and Theory 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.

25. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200825 Rationale and Theory 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’.

26. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200826 Rationale and Theory 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.

27. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200827 Rationale and Theory 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. ones. 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.

28. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200828 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).

29. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200829 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).

30. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200830 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.

31. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200831 9 theoretical postulates 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.

32. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200832 9 theoretical postulates 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’.

33. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200833 9 theoretical postulates 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.

34. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200834 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

35. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200835 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)

36. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200836 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)

37. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200837 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)

38. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200838 Meaningful and practically useful definitions of primordialism and situationalism Evidence Differentiation of identification with ‘nationalist’ political parties.

39. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200839 Catholic Irish students’ identifications with, and evaluation of, the four political parties Ideal-identfnContra-identfnEvaluation of PRIM SIT Sinn Fein 0.580.33 **** 0.370.62**** 0.26-0.40**** SDLP 0.610.51 0.230.38** 0.31 0.07* DUP 0.380.26**0.530.67***-0.13-0.48**** OUP 0.350.270.490.65*** -0.14-0.38** **** p < 0.0001 *** p < 0.001 ** p < 0.01 * p <= 0.05

40. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200840 Protestant British students’ identifications with, and evaluation of, the four political parties Ideal-identfnContra-identfnEvaluation of PRIM SIT Sinn Fein 0.370.22**0.590.69 -0.18 -0.55*** SDLP 0.480.31*0.290.49** 0.19 -0.17** DUP 0.460.29*0.340.59** 0.20 -0.32**** OUP 0.420.29*0.350.56* 0.14 -0.23** **** p < 0.0001 *** p < 0.001 ** p < 0.01 * p <= 0.05

41. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200841 Primacy of primordialism; developmental progression in some people of situationalism: Evidence ‘15-year-old self’ to ‘adult self’ (Ulster students mean age 23 yrs; Slovak academics mean age 37yrs)

42. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200842 Catholic Irish Students (Ulster) PrimordialistsSituationalists PastCurrent% diffPastCurrent% diff Self-evaluation * 0.4280.640+14.80.3590.608+18.3 Identity diffusn0.334 0.00.3920.334-17.4 *% difference for self-evaluation takes into account the scale range for evaluation, being –1.00 to +1.00

43. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200843 PrimordialistsSituationalists PastCurrent% diffPastCurrent% diff Self-evaluation * 0.3210.516+14.80.3750.645+19.6 Identity diffusn0.360 0.00.3740.328-12.3 Protestant British Students (Ulster) *% difference for self-evaluation takes into account the scale range for evaluation, being –1.00 to +1.00

44. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200844 Slovak Academics (mean age 37 yrs) PrimordialistsSituationalists PastCurrent% diffPastCurrent% diff Self-evaluation * 0.5940.788+12.20.2880.735+34.7 Identity diffusn0.2910.261-10.00.4060.310-31.0 *% difference for self-evaluation takes into account the scale range for evaluation, being –1.00 to +1.00

45. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200845 Cultural, socio-historical and biographical contexts Evidence Cultural ethos of ‘Ireland’ compared with ‘Britain’

46. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200846 Students’ identifications with, and evaluation of, the national groups Catholic Irish students Ideal-identfnContra-identfnEvaluation of PRIM SIT Irish People0.79 0.56****0.18 0.40****0.60 0.14**** British people0.49 0.39*0.44 0.490.05 -0.07 Protestant British students Irish People0.580.44*0.370.460.18 -0.04* British people0.600.460.310.420.24 0.03

47. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200847 Cultural, socio-historical and biographical contexts Evidence Frequencies of primordialists and situationalists.

48. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200848 Ulster students PrimordialistSituationalistUnclass Catholic Irish29 (54.7%)21 (39.6%)3 (5.7%)53 (100%) Protestant British 12 (36.4%)21 (63.6%)033 (100%) Mixed allegiances 5 (23.8%)16 (76.2%)021 (100%) 46 (43.0%)58 (54.2%)3 (2.8%)107 (100%)

49. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200849 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.

50. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200850 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

51. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200851 STUDY: STUDY: Identity, Depression & Anxiety (Alison McKenna)   Joiner, Coyne, & Blalock, 1999:3 By 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.”

52. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200852 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…”

53. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200853 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.

54. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200854 Case study “Amit”: diagnostic results   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.

55. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200855 “Amit”: diagnostics of anxiety- depression co-morbidity  Being depressed is to realise that self in unable to effectively pursue one’s aspirations that require engagement with the social world.  However, re-engagement with the social world is to reinstate problematic conflicted identifications, that is, high identity diffusion accompanied by greater anxiety.  A vicious cycle ensues whereby social withdrawal that relieves anxiety results in depression, and efforts to come out of depression require social re-engagement that generates anxiety: … depression is traded off against anxiety, and vice versa …

56. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200856 “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.

57. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200857 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.

58. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200858 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.

59. (c) Peter Weinreich, February 200859 Resources See: www.analysingidentity.org and www.sycadex.com