Coherent Identity Research Articles

Application of Transference Focused Psychotherapy in Borderline Personality Disorders

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a condition that is currently commonly found in daily psychiatric practice, and causes serious psychiatric disorders because it has an impact on the emergence of various other comorbid psychiatric disorders. The management of BPD is a challenge, because it is quite difficult and complex. Psychotherapy is an effective first-line therapy for BPD. Transference Focused Psychotherapy (TFP) is psychodynamic based psychotherapy that is specifically designed for BPD and is considered effective based on the specific psychopathology of BPD, namely the lack of identity integration. TFP focuses on the relationship between patient and therapist in sessions which have the aim of facilitating better behavioral control and increasing reflection and influencing regulation so as to produce identity integration that leads to a more coherent identity, better regulatory abilities, less self-destructive behavior. forming a more balanced and constant relationship, and increasing overall functioning.Keywords : Borderline Personality Disorder, Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, Transference Focused Psychotherapy.

The quiescent center and root regeneration.

Since its discovery by F.A.L Clowes, extensive research has been dedicated to identifying the functions of the quiescent center (QC). One of the earliest hypotheses was that it serves a key role in regeneration of the root meristem. Recent works provided support for this hypothesis and began to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon. There are two scenarios to consider when assessing the role of the QC in regeneration: one, when the damage leaves the QC intact; and the other, when the QC itself is destroyed. In the first scenario, multiple factors are recruited to activate QC cell division in order to replace damaged cells, but whether the QC has a role in the second scenario is less clear. Both using gene expression studies and following the cell division pattern have shown that the QC is assembled gradually, only to appear as a coherent identity late in regeneration. Similar late emergence of the QC was observed during the de novo formation of the lateral root meristem. These observations can lead to the conclusion that the QC has no role in regeneration. However, activities normally occurring in QC cells, such as local auxin biosynthesis, are still found during regeneration but occur in different cells in the regenerating meristem. Thus, we explore an alternative hypothesis, that following destruction of the QC, QC-related gene activity is temporarily distributed to other cells in the regenerating meristem, and only coalesce into a distinct cell identity when regeneration is complete.

Disordered eating through the lens of positive psychology: The role of embodiment, self-esteem and identity coherence

Applying a positive psychology perspective, this study aimed to identify potential intra-individual factors that might protect against the development of disordered eating in a community sample of young women and men (N = 510; 56 % women; Mage = 24.3). Based on existing literature, the study included the general resilience factors of self-esteem and identity coherence as well as two dimensions of positive embodiment (positive body connection and comfort, and agency and functionality). All factors were negatively correlated with disordered eating among women and men. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that positive embodiment, specifically positive body connection, was a significant predictor of lower degrees of disordered eating symptoms in both women and men, followed by self-esteem. The overall prediction model accounted for 42.6 % in the variation of disordered eating symptoms for women and 23.9 % for men. Prevention and treatment interventions promoting health factors that protect against the development of eating disorders are much needed. The present study informs such efforts by emphasizing the promotion of positive embodiment.

The Possibility of Multicultural Nationhood

ABSTRACT In this article, I explain and defend the concept of multicultural nationhood. Multicultural nationhood accounts for how a nation can have a cohesive identity despite being internally diverse. In Canada, the challenge of nation-building despite the country’s diversity has prompted reflection on how to conceive of the national identity. The two most influential theories of multiculturalism to come from Canada, those of Charles Taylor and Will Kymlicka, emerged through consideration of Canada’s diversity, particularly the place of Québécois, Indigenous peoples, and immigrants in society. I begin by synthesizing Taylor’s and Kymlicka’s theories. I then propose a new subjective definition of nation, wherein the character of a nation is determined by how its members conceive of themselves. Once these concepts are explained, they are combined in an account of multicultural nationhood. Multicultural nationhood involves the cultivation of a national identity wherein various cultural groups are recognized as constitutive of the nation.

The reflexive self; adapting to academic life in a time of social turmoil

ABSTRACT This autoethnographic study explores the lived-experiences and academic perceptions of a first-year non-Lebanese assistant professor working in a private English language university in Lebanon during a period of socioeconomic turmoil. The PI kept an autoethnographic journal throughout the Spring 2020 semester, and data from this journal is triangulated with information from local English language newspapers, documenting key events occurring in Lebanon during this turbulent period. The findings show how the PI found the Spring 2020 semester challenging, struggling to navigate multiple intersecting national crises in conjunction with the demands of transitioning from doctoral studies to academia and forming a coherent academic identity. The author concludes that academic journaling, and the resultant reflexive praxis, were beneficial, helping him to navigate the adverse conditions he faced during the Spring 2020 semester.

Embodying resistance: Understanding identity in a globalized digital future through the lens of mixed and multiracial Caribbeans

ABSTRACT Mixed and multiracial individuals embody an increasingly transnational world and develop identities that identify with and integrate multiple racial and ethnic groups. The current research explores how online platforms allow mixed and multiracial Caribbean people to promote understandings of identities on a globalized scale. Through a content analysis of public posts on Twitter and interviews with nine self-identified mixed and multiracial Caribbean people, three primary strategies emerged: (1) navigating racial rhetoric, (2) displaying a cohesive identity, and (3) negotiating discriminatory rhetoric. Findings are discussed as contributions to online critical race theory and insights into the experiences of the digital citizenship.

Are we one, or are we many? Diversity in organizational identities versus corporate identities

PurposeThe implications of multiple organizational identities for branding research have been scarcely considered. This paper aims to explore what sources of identity internal stakeholders use to construct organizational identities and corporate identities, and identify how diversity emerges in the perceived identities across various stakeholders.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical study includes 59 in-depth interviews with internal stakeholders in a business-to-business service company.FindingsEmployees may perceive identity diversity as a strategic benefit for the company, and employees may not identify with a uniform corporate identity. The corporate identity could become more identifiable for employees through managerial recognition of different dimensions of identity diversity, such as multiple professional and locational identities.Originality/valueThe study bridges insights between organizational identity and corporate identity and problematizes identity coherence and consistency as strategic principles for corporate branding by proposing an alternative approach guided by identity diversity. Additionally, the study discusses identity diversity-based approaches to internal branding and co-creation in branding.

A gentler structure to life: co-creation in branding a cultural route

The study explores how a cultural route supports the identity of a place. The study applies co-creative and identity-based place-branding theory and advances research on the significant role of culture when various actors identify with the brand of a place. Moreover, cultural sustainability is seen as a form of meta-narrative that frames the symbiosis of a place brand and its cultural values. Contributing to the previous research on branding a cultural route, this study discusses the value of a person (an architect) to the branding of a cultural route. The study also contributes to place-branding theory by linking the discourse on architectural heritage and branding an emerging cultural route. We used a single and critical case approach focusing on one of the sites representing a group of cities involved in the branding of the Alvar Aalto cultural route. Various qualitative research methods including interviews and publicly available material were utilized. The study presents empirical findings on branding an emergent cultural route. As a key theoretical contribution, the study shows how the culture and image of an individual site are expressed in the cohesive brand identity of that cultural route. Communication and co-creation are revealed to be prerequisites of efficient collaboration.

Finding the self through others: exploring fandom, identification, and self-concept clarity among U.S. adolescents

ABSTRACT The primary developmental task of adolescence (12–18 years old) is identity development. During this time, adolescents individuate from their parents and may instead use media models for social guidance. Previous research has analyzed the impact of media figures on adolescents’ socialization but few have explored the influence of non-fiction media figures on their self-concept. As such, the present study examined of the role of fanship and identification on adolescent self-concept clarity. From a survey of 251 adolescents (ages 13–18), results showed that adolescents’ fanship intensity was negatively associated with their self-concept clarity. Further, identification did not moderate this association, but identification demonstrated a negative association with self-concept clarity. IMPACT SUMMARY a. Prior State of Knowledge: Previous research shows that media fandom may impact peoples’ ideological beliefs and behaviors (e.g., gender roles, prosocial behavior, overcoming adversity). Moreover, research finds that fandom engagement may benefit marginalized communities. b. Novel Contributions: The current project contributes to the media entertainment and fan studies literatures with a novel exploration of fandom and fan identification in relation to adolescents’ self-concept clarity. Specifically, fanship intensity and identification were negatively associated with self-concept clarity. c. Practical Implications: Parents should be aware of their child’s fanship intensity surrounding their favorite non-fiction media figure because such engagement may negatively influence their self-concept, which might contribute to difficulties in establishing a cohesive identity.

Negotiating Self: Navigating Feminist and Submissive Identities

ABSTRACT As women navigate the intersecting meanings of feminism and submission, some struggle to reconcile their feminist politics and submissive practice (e.g., belief in equality and desire to yield authority). Bondage/discipline, dominance/submission, and sadism/masochism (BDSM) has been examined through diverse feminist lenses, including radical feminism. However, scant empirical research focuses on the intersection of feminist and submissive identities. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand how women in the BDSM community who identify as feminist and submissive navigate their identity. Data were collected through interviews with 23 feminist and submissive women. Findings revealed these women shared experiences related to identity conflict, identity compartmentalization and identity coherence living as submissive feminists. Themes related to their struggles and navigation strategies are presented within the broader structure of identity configuration. This project advances discourse about feminism, sexuality, BDSM, and identity.

Abstract P880: Assessing Measures of Patients Health Perceptions of Stroke Survivors as a Potential Tool for Health Care Disparities Research

Introduction: Patient centered research in stroke health care disparities is needed. Due to a call for the development of theory-based interventions for the reduction of stroke through behavior change, there have been new studies looking at the perception of an individual’s risk of stroke to create prevention models from those results. Leventhal’s Common Sense Model of Self-Regulation posits that individuals form beliefs about their illness and treatment that determines how they cope and their health behaviors in the future. The Illness Perceptions Questionnaire-Revised (IPQ-R) and Brief Illness Perceptions Questionnaire (BIPQ) are validated measures of these illness beliefs. Methods: A literature review was conducted with the following search criteria: (“illness perception” OR “illness belief”) AND (“stroke” OR “TIA” OR “transient ischemic attack” OR “cerebrovascular event” OR “cerebrovascular accident” OR “CVA”). MEDLINE, WorldCat, PubMed, George Smathers Library, and Google Scholar Database were searched. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses were excluded. Results: The initial results had 452 articles and 21 were chosen for data analysis. These articles were grouped into four categories: IPQ-R, IPQ-R & Medication Adherence, BIPQ, and BIPQ & Medication Adherence. Patients were most concerned about having another stroke and their symptoms becoming chronic. Medication beliefs are a stronger predictor of treatment adherence. Lastly, patients with stronger illness identity, causal beliefs, negative consequences, and lower coherence leads to greater distress in patients and caregivers. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that patients overall have concerns about their treatments, chronicity of stroke symptoms, and recurrence, and these concerns may not be effectively addressed during the routine clinic care demonstrated by effects on treatment adherence and patient and caregiver distress. Thus, patient perceptions questionnaires may be in particular a useful tool for health care disparities research in stroke.

Towards a Reformulated Theory Underlying Schema Therapy: Position Paper of an International Workgroup

BackgroundA central construct in Schema Therapy (ST) is that of a schema mode, describing the current emotional-cognitive-behavioral state. Initially, 10 modes were described. Over time, with the world-wide increasing and broader application of ST to various disorders, additional schema modes were identified, mainly based on clinical impressions. Thus, the need for a new, theoretically based, cross-cultural taxonomy of modes emerged.MethodsAn international workgroup started from scratch to identify an extensive taxonomy of modes, based on (a) extending the theory underlying ST with new insights on needs, and (b) recent research on ST theory supporting that modes represent combinations of activated schemas and coping.ResultsWe propose to add two emotional needs to the original five core needs that theoretically underpin the development of early maladaptive schemas (EMSs), i.e., the need for Self-Coherence, and the need for Fairness, leading to three new EMSs, i.e. Lack of a Coherent Identity, Lack of a Meaningful World, and Unfairness. When rethinking the purpose behind the different ways of coping with EMS-activation, we came up with new labels for two of those: Resignation instead of Surrender, and Inversion instead of Overcompensation. By systematically combining EMSs and ways of coping we derived a set of schema modes that can be empirically tested.ConclusionsWith this project, we hope to contribute to the further development of ST and its application across the world.

Later-generation Descendants of Immigrants and Scholastic Effort

Later-generation descendants of immigrants generally negotiate their heritage and mainstream culture, and all the factors that affect the mediation play a crucial role. During early adolescence, the extent to which individuals may identify with the two cultures is largely determined by the attitudes of family towards integration and the attitudes of host countries in terms, for instance, of social rejection. We empirically assess the influence of heritage and dominant culture on teens’ scholastic effort and attitude towards school. The analysis relies on a sample of teens aged 14, born in the UK between 2000 and 2002; the data are drawn from the Millennium Cohort Study Sixth Sweep. The results show that ethnic background along with religion count and that the experience of social rejection has a negative influence. Overall, the evidence shows the possibility that all the factors that help the mediation between ethnic background and mainstream culture by promoting the development of a cohesive identity foster the motivation of scholastic effort.

Taylor Swift and the Work of Songwriting

In her 2016 speech accepting the Grammy Award for Album of the Year for 1989, Taylor Swift gave a message directed at any young women who were watching: ‘focus on the work’. Taking Swift’s emphasis on ‘the work’ as a guide, this article surveys Swift’s changing compositional techniques and her reception as a songwriter over the course of her career. Though one of the most-discussed figures in popular culture, there exists little analysis of the musical works that remain the fulcrum of Swift’s artistry and ‘artist-brand’. Gender and genre bias have clouded perception of Swift’s particular skills and techniques. To begin an analysis of the work of Taylor Swift, this article traces her stylistic development through a series of song case studies drawn from successive albums, her collaborations with co-writers and producers, and the 2016 hit by Calvin Harris and Rihanna that was co-written by Swift under a pseudonym, ‘This is What You Came For’. By listening closely to her recorded output, we can hear how a modern songwriter responds to commercial pressures to evolve while retaining a coherent musical identity—and how Swift’s respect for ‘the work’ might motivate her activism around issues of ownership and authorship in the music industry.

“I didn’t know if I even really existed. But I do”: music, dance, and the performance of male identity in Joker

ABSTRACT Like the Martin Scorsese films to which it is indebted – The King of Comedy (1982), Taxi Driver (1976) and Raging Bull (1980) – Joker (Phillips 2019) dramatises male identity as crisis-ridden and a matter of performance and emulation. Arguing for Joker as being concerned not just with masculinity but also whiteness, this discussion focuses on the role of music, dance, and ideologies of entertainment in the performative self-creation of Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), who seeks, in the manner of Rupert Pupkin, Travis Bickle, and Jake La Motta, a coherent identity lent the affirmation of an audience.

Development and initial validation of the Queer People of Color Identity Affirmation Scale.

Despite growing literature on sexual minority (SM; e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, asexual) people of Color (PoC), there is a dearth of research examining positive aspects of SM-PoC identity. This article presents the development and initial validation of the Queer People of Color Identity Affirmation Scale (QPIAS). First, items were developed through interviews with SM-PoC (N = 10) and then pilot-tested (N = 293). We then administered the scale to a second sample of SM-PoC (N = 703), which was randomly divided for exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. The final QPIAS consists of 12 items and 2 subscales: Identity-Based Growth and Identity Cohesion. Participant performance on the final QPIAS was compared to other constructs of identity and psychosocial wellbeing to assess convergent validity. As predicted, the QPIAS was significantly positively associated with resilience, empowerment, sexual identity affirmation, and ethnoracial identity affirmation, and negatively associated with depression and sexual and ethnoracial identity conflict. Results also suggest that this scale may be useful in predicting resilience and empowerment beyond existing measures of sexual and ethnoracial identity affirmation. Use of this scale may provide new information on factors contributing to wellbeing in this population and be a beneficial tool in multiculturally competent assessment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Identity-based brand differentiation : Brand Identity Prism application in South African banks

Background: Branding serves two (2) fundamental purposes - brand differentiation and identification. Firms need to differentiate their brands in the market while consumers identify brands to satisfy their needs. The basis of brand differentiation is the development of coherent brand identities. However, due to scant empirical information, extant brand identity models remain largely conceptual, hence their robustness is questionable. Purpose of study: The current study explored the applicability of the Brand Identity Prism (BIP) in selected South African banks. The study sought to construe brand identity dimensions that differentiate banks in the sector. Design/Methodology/Approach: An interpretivist qualitative research design was adopted. Accordingly, indepth interviews were conducted with banks’ marketing executives who are instrumental in brand strategy formulation, whereafter, banks’ brand identities, as contained on websites and in media releases, were analysed. Results/Findings: Findings revealed that the BIP’s physique, personality, and culture dimensions were used as bases for brand differentiation. Relationships were found important but did not serve differentiation purpose. Reflection and self-image were found to be inapplicable. Managerial implication: The study makes a unique contribution to brand management literature and practice in two ways; (i) it explored the applicability of an existing model in a new context (ii) and concurrently established the sources of brand differentiation in the South African banking sector.

“Hooked on Celebri[ɾ]y”

T-glottaling in Scotland has been studied as a salient linguistic variable, which has been found to index (in)formality, socio-economic class, and region, among other speaker and situational characteristics. Realisations of /t/ have also been studied in a musical context, where they have been found to be linked to genre and identity. This study examines Scottish singer-songwriter Nina Nesbitt, and her realisations of the intervocalic /t/ variable in both speech and song. She shows high rates of t-glottaling in speech, but within song, her realisations vary; the only significant predictor of /t/ realisations is song genre, where pop and pop folk songs favour [ɾ] realisations and acoustic songs favour the [t] realisation. T-glottaling is uncommon in all genres of her music. I argue that this variability is a strategy employed to create coherent musical identities that situate Nesbitt within the musical marketplaces in which she performs.

Language, Resistance and Multilingualism in Post-Colonial Zimbabwe: The Kalanga and their Struggle for Recognition

The article focuses on language policy in Zimbabwe and argues that both the colonial and post-colonial governments advocated a unitary language policy in which English and the two major indigenous languages – ChiShona and IsiNdebele – were adopted as national languages. For the post-colonial government, this language policy was influenced by prevailing ideas about linguistic unity as a prerequisite for economic development and the construction of a cohesive national identity. This approach led to the marginalisation of minor languages and their associated cultures in education and the wider public sphere. The article shows how one marginalised linguistic community, the Kalanga of south-western Zimbabwe, responded to the government’s exclusionary policies. It traces the resistance to such government policies and the promotion of the TjiKalanga language and culture by two organisations – the Kalanga Cultural Promotion Society, relaunched in 1980, and the Kalanga and Language and Cultural Development Association, founded in 2005. It also engages with the various activities and interventions carried out by the two groups, leading to the introduction of TjiKalanga in schools, among other achievements. Furthermore, the article argues that the rise and development of the two TjiKalanga language and cultural promotion organisations illustrate the pitfalls of centralising and unifying tendencies in both the colonial and post-colonial governments in Zimbabwe. It also demonstrates the agency and resistance of minority groups in relation to these flawed policies. By assessing the performance of the two organisations, the article views their activities as a form of cultural resistance to the hegemonic and exclusionist policies of post-independence Zimbabwean government. Cultural resistance is used as a conceptual approach through which the limits of the impact of hegemonic monolithic language policies on minority groups, such as the Kalanga in the post-colonial Zimbabwean context, are illustrated and illuminated.

Making Space for Emotions: Empathy, Contagion, and Legitimacy’s Double-Edged Sword

Legitimacy is critical to the formation and expansion of nascent fields because it lends credibility and recognizability to once overlooked actors and practices. At the same time, legitimacy can be a double-edged sword precisely because it facilitates field growth, attracting actors with discrepant practices that may lead to factionalization and undermine the coherence of the field’s collective identity. In this paper, we investigate how organizations can mitigate the downside of legitimation by eliciting emotions that align increasingly discrepant actors and celebrate an inclusive collective identity. We leverage fieldwork and computational text analysis to examine the relationship between legitimation, collective identity coherence, and emotions in the context of the Makers, a nascent field of do-it-yourself hobbyists and technology hackers. In our quantitative analysis we show that legitimation was associated with increased field heterogeneity, but that collective events countered the diluting effects of legitimation. In the qualitative analysis of our interview data we demonstrate that activities at these events—demonstrations and hands-on experiences—elicited emotional contagion and empathy among actors. These emotions reconciled tensions among increasingly heterogeneous actors and bolstered the coherence of the Maker collective identity. We conclude by discussing our contribution to research on legitimacy, collective identity, and field-configuring events.