Identity Salience Research Articles

"Traditionalizing" Effect of Parenthood on First Time Mothers: Insights from a Longitudinal Study

Researchers have documented that transitioning to parenthood may have a "traditionalizing“ effect on the gendered division of housework and childcare. The goal of this research is to enhance an understanding of the factors that influence this change in behaviour and attitudes swaying it to the side of traditional gender roles. To achieve this objective, two waves of individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten women during pregnancy and four to six months postpartum. Although convenience sampling was employed for data collection, the research participants displayed variation in terms of marital status, educational level, number of children, breastfeeding practices, and other characteristics. An inductive thematic analysis was carried out, allowing for a cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis of the data. Results show that the research participants who declared a more traditionally gendered division of household labour prior to childbirth continued to be responsible for a greater share of housework duties after childbirth. While childcare tasks were mostly carried out by mothers, surprisingly, only two out of nine women expressed dissatisfaction regarding such a division of duties. Furthermore, by employing a novel approach to measuring attitudes towards gender roles and after they became parents, four research participants have altered their views on who should be the primary carer of an infant. The research findings suggest that the “traditionalizing“ effect may be observed in the attitudes of some women without necessarily being observed in the division of housework duties. The salience of the new identity as a mother is being discussed as a precursor for the “traditionalizing“ effect observed.

Mental illness and identity in adolescents with internalizing problems: A qualitative exploration of identity-relevant narratives.

Mental illness and identity are related, with issues in identity contributing to the development of psychopathology and vice versa. However, little work has examined how mental illness and identity can become interwoven (i.e., mental illness identity). Mental illness identity may be particularly important during adolescence, as this life phase is marked by the salience of identity and an increase in psychopathology. In the present study, we conducted a qualitative examination of the high point, low point, turning point, and psychopathology-related narratives of 69 Dutch adolescents (Mage = 16.5, 75.4% female, 15.9% male, 8.7% other). The participants were diagnosed with a mood, anxiety, and/or eating disorder, and the majority of them (82.6%) were in treatment at the time of the study. We found that adolescents' mental illness identity could take different forms and that these forms may be more adaptive or maladaptive depending on the context of each adolescent's life. Furthermore, mental illness identity was related to several factors within adolescents (e.g., sense of agency) and their environment (e.g., stigma). These findings contribute to our understanding of adolescent mental illness identity and may be used to improve the treatment of their internalizing problems. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Jewish Americans’ identity salience and effects on attitudes toward diversity

Although Jewish people in the US are often racialized (i.e., perceived by others) as White, Jewish Americans vary in the extent to which they consider themselves White, and in how strongly they identify with being Jewish. Based on prior findings that identifying with a White ethnic subgroup (e.g., Irish, Italian) can reduce prejudice toward racial and ethnic minorities, we predicted that strongly identified Jewish Americans would exhibit less intergroup bias than weakly identified Jewish Americans. For the present research, we recruited participants whose religious affiliation was Jewish but who self-identified as racially White. In a preregistered correlational study, Jewish identification was associated with lower bias, whereas White identification was associated with greater bias, toward Whites relative to racial/ethnic minorities. The relationship between Jewish identification and intergroup bias was accounted for by high Jewish identifiers’ perceptions that they could personally contribute to diversity in groups and organizations. Across three meta-analyzed experiments, participants whose religious minority (Jewish) identity was made salient exhibited less intergroup bias than did control participants, and in one preregistered experiment, perceived personal contributions to diversity mediated the effect of condition on intergroup bias. Implications for the forms of ethnic identity that predict more versus less intergroup bias in an increasingly multicultural society are discussed.

You can take a person out of the military, but you can't take the military out of the person: findings from a ten-year identity study on transition from military to civilian life.

This article takes its starting point in a longitudinal interview study that began in 2013 with the aim of investigating identity reconstruction during the transition from military to civilian life. Annual follow-up interviews were conducted for 3 years, after which there was a break for 7 years until 2023 when a new interview cycle was conducted. The article presents the findings from this interview round. The purpose of the study was to describe the ways in which military identity had impacted the selves and lives of the participants. An inductive approach was employed in the analysis and an abductive approach used in the interpretative phase. The results showed, among other things, that a military identity, containing a particularly strong work ethic, had grown salient over the years. This military identity salience amplified the perception of a contrasting civilian work ethic, which generated moral frustration and even conflict. It was seen as imperative to maintain consistency between a military work ethic and the identity standard as a civilian employee rather than to modify the behavior to another standard, i.e., a civilian standard. These results were counterintuitive given the earlier interview cycles. A military work ethic was generally a powerful asset but could have negative health outcomes, manifesting as burnout. The results reflect the challenges in operating multiple identities tailored to contrasting moral regimes. Future longitudinal qualitative and quantitative research approaches to self-identity work among former service members are warranted.

How Satisfaction Lead to Volunteer Role Identity? Revisiting Identity Salience applied to Volunteer Research.

Many studies have considered satisfaction as a necessary precursor for developing volunteer role identity (VRI). However, the mechanism involved in that relationship and whether diverse types of satisfaction from volunteering literature are part of this relationship remain unclear. We propose that satisfaction may promote the development of VRI by augmenting the identity saliency of the volunteer role. To address identity salience, we adopt a dual-concept approach, measuring the identity importance and identity invocation of the volunteer role. To investigate the hypothesis, we performed multiple general lineal mediation models employing identity importance and identity invocation as simultaneous mediators of the satisfaction-VRI relationship. A sample of 227 volunteers from different organizations completed an online questionnaire remotely. The results indicate that task satisfaction and motivational satisfaction, but not organizational satisfaction, significantly predict volunteer role identity-both directly and indirectly through the mediating roles of identity importance and identity invocation. Future work may continue investigating the paths through which satisfaction and other factors may promote volunteer role identity.

Gender identity, salience of information, and tacit coordination: Gender differences in response to strategic uncertainty

We use a lab experiment to explore whether gender composition and gender identity salience influence team coordination. Identity in the experiment is induced using gender-specific and neutral avatars. In contrast with many previous studies, we do not find the presence of in-group favoritism, irrespective of whether gender identity or random avatars define the group. In addition, behavior remains unchanged when the gender of the counterpart is revealed. However, females are found to cooperate significantly more when gender information is disclosed, implying an elevation in the salience of gender identity induces the females to choose based on social expectations. This research adds to the discourse on gender dynamics in decision-making and suggests that gender identity plays a role in economic choices, innovating traditional views on diversity in teamwork. Our research sheds light on the intricate dynamics of gender composition in team settings, particularly under conditions of risk and uncertainty. These findings have the potential to inform both organizational practices and public policy, thereby contributing to a more equitable and efficient labor market.

Teaching Equitable Couples Counseling: Using Role-Plays and Reflecting Teams in an Online Classroom

We adapted previous descriptions on couples counseling experiential learning practices to an online classroom in counselor education. Specifically, we utilized two doctoral teaching assistants in a quarter-long couple role-play scenario and incorporated reflecting and co-counseling teams. The adapted strategies included attention to sociocultural aspects that addressed working with a queer couple among other salient identities. We offer the strengths and challenges of the approach and discuss implications for marriage, couple, and family counselor educators.

Competing Visions at the EU’s Edge: Liberal vs. Conservative-Christian Notions of Europe in the Ukrainian–Hungarian Borderland

ABSTRACT Across Europe there is a plurality of competing visions on what Europe means, each appealing to identity and bringing along potential (geo)political implications. Identification with such visions are particularly worth investigating along the EU external boundary, some sections of which divide ethno-linguistic and religious communities. This paper is based on interviews with 23 elites in the Ukrainian–Hungarian borderland conducted some weeks before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Ukrainian responses were marked by an overridingly positive view on Europe, while those of the Hungarians on both sides of the border were overall clearly more skeptical, with attitudes strongly overlapping with current hegemonic discourses on the EU in Hungary. The paper points to the salience of ethnic identities and the resonance of narratives in Budapest and Kyiv among these borderland communities. It also draws out tensions between the benefits of EU membership and a Hungarian national identity increasingly framed in opposition to the Union.

Malleable national collective memories among Black and White Americans.

How do groups remember their shared past? Are there individual differences within a group? How easy is it to change collective memories? The present article addresses these questions by focusing on differences within national subgroups, exploring how national collective memories might differ for Black and White Americans, how individual differences and external influences might moderate or alter any differences, and the temporal extent of any changes that might occur due to external influences. Across four studies, participants were asked to identify the five "most important" events in U.S. history and then asked about their political ideology and racial and national identification, though not in every study. Although individual differences emerged, Black and White participants differed in the types of events they identified as important in U.S. history, with Black participants identifying more race-relevant events than White participants and White participants identifying more traditional founding events than Black participants. As to changes in collective memory, in response to a minimal identity salience manipulation, the murder of George Floyd, and July 4th celebrations, national collective memories evidenced malleability only after the murder of George Floyd. In this instance, the mention of race-relevant events increased, even as the frequency of mention of traditional founding events remained stable. The observed increase in race-relevant events was temporary, however. Findings are discussed in relation to contemporary discussions on collective memory, especially with respect to group differences, individual differences within groups, and mnemonic inertia. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Doing Gender, Undoing Race: Token Processes For Women With Multiple Subordinate Identities

Through interviews with 29 Asian American women tech workers, this article demonstrates how cultural frameworks around race and gender shape identity salience and construct a token process for workers with multiple subordinate identities. This approach to tokenism better accounts for multiple systems of inequality affecting workers and demonstrate how certain identities are prioritized—and others neglected—through institutional interventions and cultural ideologies. It also provides an additional lens through which to interpret the emphasis on gender inequality within the high-tech industry: Whereas gender inequality is generally considered a critical step in achieving an equitable work environment, I consider how it is intentionally leveraged within organizations to divert from interventions toward establishing racial equality. Results suggest serious barriers preventing the high-tech industry from reckoning with racial inequality for Asian American women workers; more broadly, they hint at how other racial groups with white-adjacent privileges are similarly exploited to uphold the high-tech industry’s white racial project.

Chronic and contextual identity salience: Assessing dual-dimensional salience with the Identity Salience Questionnaire (ISQ)

ABSTRACT Identity Salience is a common construct within social identity research. However, researchers note that it is poorly defined and inconsistently operationalized. We posit that identity salience comprises two elements: chronic (perpetually thinking about the identity) and contextual (only thinking about the identity when prompted) salience. We present evidence for this claim through the development and validation of the dual-dimensional Identity Salience Questionnaire (ISQ). Studies 1-2 (Ns=414; 1,069) provide exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic evidence of the ISQ among LGBTIQA+ participants. Study 2 also provides evidence of measurement invariance, convergent, predictive, and discriminant validity, and internal reliability. Study 3 (N=318) indicates strong test-retest reliability. Study 4 (N=107 social psychologists) confirms the ISQ’s content validity. Future research for the ISQ is discussed.

The rise of and demand for identity‐oriented media coverage

AbstractWhile some assert that social identities have become more salient in American media coverage, existing evidence is largely anecdotal. An increased emphasis on social identities has important political implications, including for polarization and representation. We first document the rising salience of different social identities using natural language processing tools to analyze all tweets from 19 media outlets (2008–2021) alongside 553,078 URLs shared on Facebook. We then examine one potential mechanism: Outlets may highlight meaningful social identities—race/ethnicity, gender, religion, or partisanship—to attract readers through various social and psychological pathways. We find that identity cues are associated with increases in some forms of engagement on social media. To probe causality, we analyze 3,828 randomized headline experiments conducted via Upworthy. Headlines mentioning racial/ethnic identities generated more engagement than headlines that did not, with suggestive evidence for other identities. Identity‐oriented media coverage is growing and rooted partly in audience demand.

Does Collectivism Make a Difference? A Comparative Test of Common Ingroup Strategies to Reduce Affective Polarization

Abstract Common national identity appeals have been identified as one of the most promising strategies to reduce affective political polarization. However, research on this is concentrated in highly individualistic Western democracies. Because much of the global population lives in more collectivist societies, it is important to conduct comparative tests to see if common national identity appeals operate similarly when considering the increasingly global problem of polarization. In this study, we investigate how the individualism–collectivism dimension of culture interacts with national identity salience as a polarization reduction strategy. Survey experiments were conducted in South Korea and the US. We find that priming national identity increases national pride much more in collectivist societies, but that the depolarizing effect of our national identity prime was only indirect and limited.

Music and political identity salience in Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election

ABSTRACT This article addresses the nexus between musical taste and political identity salience, and how (if at all) that informs citizens’ own perception and performance of national (cultural) identity in Nigeria. It specifically interrogates the extent to which Nigerians signalled political affiliations and identities in the sonic and textual references of selected 2023 presidential election campaign songs. Following a synthesis of the discourse on political and cultural identity, Nigerian musical arts and culture, and with specific analytical reference to three preselected election campaign songs, we demonstrate that, beyond party ideology, campaign promises, money, and literacy level, Nigeria’s voting public activate and perform political identity salience when messages and objects of cultural and socio-political value align and are communicated in song.

Ethnic Media and the Mobilization of Identity

This paper studies the relationship between ethnic media, which produce content in a minority language, and the success of ethnic parties. I argue that, by embedding cultural traits in entertainment products, media outlets can shape the salience of group identity, which helps parties’ mobilization efforts. I test this argument in the case of the Basque Country where, in the late phase of the Franco regime, an independent radio station operated by local clergy promoted the revival of regional language. Using contemporary, archival, and survey data, I show that exposure to ethnic radio increased support for new radical independentist parties and that the effect is driven by formerly Spanish-speaking municipalities with low historical support for Basque nationalism. I also show that radio increased bilingualism in subsequent generations and contributed to the bundling of ethnic identity revival and radical political ideology during the democratic transition.

Education, perceived discrimination, and identity voting: evidence from Brazil’s 2018 election

ABSTRACT Brazil’s electoral arena has long been characterized as devoid of identity politics. Recent analyses, however, have uncovered shifting racial subjectivities and effects of race and gender on electoral preferences. This paper leverages Brazil’s 2018 election to reassess conventional wisdom and test whether recent findings derived from racial groups extend to other subordinate social groups in this context, namely women and sexual minorities. I test two hypotheses: (1) that higher levels of education correlate with greater perceptions of group-based discrimination, and (2) that perceptions of group-based discrimination explain within-group variation in support for Bolsonaro. Analysis of national survey data show that education correlates with group consciousness among subordinate groups, and that these individuals are more likely to oppose the far-right populist candidate. This article provides a more complete understanding of the electoral salience of identity in the Brazilian context, and provides evidence that insights derived from one marginalized group can extend to others.

The effects of identity (subordinate vs. superordinate) salience on intergroup attitudes, anxiety, and contact intentions in North Cyprus.

The effects of identity (subordinate vs. superordinate) salience on intergroup attitudes, anxiety, and contact intentions in North Cyprus.

Youth's political identity and fertility desires

AbstractObjectiveThis study examines the association between political identity and young adults' fertility desires from 1989 to 2019.BackgroundUnderstanding the factors that shape fertility preferences is important because these preferences are the critical bridge between social forces and fertility. Identity is a theorized, but understudied, predictor of fertility desires. The increasing salience of political identity suggests that the association between political identity and fertility desires has strengthened over time.MethodData come from the 1989–2019 waves of Monitoring the Future, a nationally representative study of 12th graders (N = 67,557). Regression models examined how political identity (measured by Republican or Democrat preference) predicts the desired number of children, measured both continuously and categorically.ResultsRegardless of the period, Republicans desired more children than Democrats—a difference that grew over time, from 0.07 in 1989–1993 to 0.29 in 2014–2019. Differences in religiosity and attitudes toward gender and childbearing explained pre‐2004 partisan gaps. From 2004 and onward, these factors attenuated, but did not fully explain, Republican–Democrat gaps. In later periods, relative to Democrats, Republicans still wanted more children on average, had a higher probability of wanting four or more children in 2004–2013 and a lower probability of eschewing parenthood in 2014–2019.ConclusionPolitical identity has become increasingly salient for fertility desires, suggesting that identity might shape fertility intentions and future fertility behavior.

The effect of awe on tourists’ responsible behavioral intention in a mountainous religious tourism destination: evidence from China

In China, as the economy and technology advance, the diminishing awe toward nature and deities prompts investigation into its impact on tourists’ responsible behavioral intention at mountainous religious destinations. Previous research has often linked the positive effect of awe on prosocial behavior to the concept of the “small self”, a perspective that in recent years has faced criticism for its limitations. This study proposes that role identity salience provides a more persuasive explanatory mechanism. This concept is particularly relevant to the Chinese cultural context, which emphasizes interpersonal harmony. Besides, this study diverges from prior research focusing solely on environmental responsibility by examining a broader spectrum of responsible behavioral intentions, including both economic contributions to destination development and efforts to preserve its environment and culture. Data from Mount Emei in China were collected and analyzed to examine the hypotheses. The study reveals that awe and role identity salience sequentially mediate the impact of natural environment on intention for non-economically responsible behavior, as well as the impacts of religious atmosphere on intentions for both economically and non-economically responsible behavior.

Systematic Review of Cocaine-Treatment Interventions for Black Americans

Evidence-based drug-treatment studies that have shaped best practice in the United States demonstrate racial differences in effectiveness, with Black participants reporting worse outcomes compared with White participants. There are disproportionate cocaine-related overdose deaths affecting Black Americans, with limited information about interventions that serve them best. Culturally tailored treatment approaches, which incorporate participants’ salient identities and experiences, have shown effectiveness in meta-analyses. Thus, in this qualitative systematic review, we used Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines to identify both culturally universal and culturally tailored treatment-intervention studies that addressed cocaine outcomes among Black Americans. Four hundred two articles met initial criteria, 330 were reviewed by independent coders, and k = 30 treatment approaches are described in the article. Results indicate 72% of culturally tailored interventions were effective at reducing cocaine use compared with 47% of culturally universal interventions. Implications for provision and funding of effective cocaine-treatment interventions for Black Americans are critical to researchers, practitioners, and policymakers alike.