Identity Without Borders: Italian-Japanese Research Team Unveils the Possibility of Identifying with Different Ethnic Groups
28.10.2024
Is it possible that our sense of identity is more flexible than we imagine? A recent study—"The self can be associated with novel faces of in-group and out-group members: A cross-cultural study"—conducted by an Italian-Japanese research team coordinated by Mario Dalmaso, a professor in the Department of Developmental and Socialization Psychology at the University of Padua, has explored this question, investigating whether we can recognize a part of ourselves in the faces of unfamiliar people from different cultures.
In the course of the study, Japanese and Italian participants were initially asked to associate their identity with either a white or an Asian face. In other words, each participant had to identify themselves with one of the two presented faces, thus establishing an arbitrary and temporary connection between their own identity and the chosen face. Subsequently, participants completed a computer matching task, where they had to indicate whether the presented face corresponded to the one previously associated with themselves or with another person. Finally, they performed a test to measure implicit biases toward Asian and white individuals.
"The results revealed a surprising and fascinating aspect of our sense of identity: both Italians and Japanese showed a significant ability to identify with faces from other ethnic groups," explains Mario Dalmaso, the study's lead author. "Moreover, this ability to see oneself in others was not influenced by biases toward the other social group, suggesting that our self-perception is more adaptable than we think and can incorporate social elements with different characteristics. This phenomenon offers a deep insight into human psychology, highlighting how the flexibility of the self might be a key to understanding and embracing others."
In an increasingly multicultural world, the ability to identify with an unfamiliar person, especially when they belong to a different social group, could prove to be essential evidence for promoting more inclusive and supportive societies.
"This research opens new perspectives for future investigations on how this self-flexibility might help us overcome ethnic and cultural divides, fostering more open dialogue between diverse communities. Perhaps we will discover—or maybe we already know—that our identity is not a static entity but a dynamic ensemble, ready to evolve and enrich itself through interaction with what is different from us," concludes Dalmaso.
The research also involved Michele Vicovaro, a professor in the Department of General Psychology, and Akira Sarodo and Katsumi Watanabe from Waseda University in Tokyo.
