Symposium: Accessing the “political” in socio-historical context

Convenor: Peter Weinreich Peter Weinreich Emeritus Professor of Psychology, University of UlsterEmeritus Professor of Psychology, University of UlsterDirector, Identity Exploration Ltd, Director, Identity Exploration Ltd, www.identityexploration.comwww.identityexploration.com

Conference: Conference: Tearing Down the Walls: Rethinking the Political in Political Tearing Down the Walls: Rethinking the Political in Political PsychologyPsychology

Centre for Research in Political Psychology, Queen's University Belfast

Thursday 15 April 2010Thursday 15 April 2010

TrademarkTraining, research and evaluation

Illustrating the use of ISA for exploring the impact of anti-

racist and anti-sectarian work in Northern Ireland

Dr Fiona Bloomer

Trademark

• an ethically based not for profit organisation which works towards social change in which the principles of social justice, equality, and pluralism are actively pursued.

• an official partner of the ICTU

Trademark

• Academic and practitioner staff• Ireland – North and South• Core funding from Community Relations

Council• Generate funds from grants and

commissions

Trademark

• Extensive experience in engaging directly with issues of sectarianism, the conflict and dealing with the legacy of the past, as well as racism

• critical engagement - breaking through the denial, avoidance and politeness that often characterises this type of work.

• challenging the myths, stereotypes and ‘cultural blindness’ that often characterise ethnically exclusive peace and reconciliation activities.

Trademark

• Research conducted for the Police Ombudsman, Equality Commission, Children and Young Peoples Commission, Community Relations Council

• In-house research programme

Focus of This Paper

• Single identity work in a Loyalist estate on an interface in Belfast

• Similar work with nationalist community also carried out but will not be reported here

The Highfield Project

Community Leadership and Political Education Programme

• Participants -the Highfield Women’s Group. • The training programme - funded by Belfast City

Council’s Good Relations programme. • The research was funded through Trademark’s

own resources.

The Highfield Project

The training programme was designed to:• Promote and develop respect for diversity in

one’s own, other and shared cultures, beliefs and traditions.

• Develop opportunities which facilitate difficult conversations in a safe environment which challenge sectarianism and racism.

The Highfield Project

And to:• Enable groups and communities to effectively

understand the dynamics of inter group conflict.• Increase understanding and co-operation

between different cultural and ethno-nationalist community identities by building capacity and supporting networks of communication.

The Highfield Project

Accredited modules• Human Rights and Equality• Anti Sectarianism / Anti Racism

Non-accredited modules• Feminism and Women’s rights• History and Identity• 20th century Irish politics

The Highfield Project

• Delivered in workshop sessions• Guest speakers• Cross border study trips• Cross community engagement

The Highfield Project

• Highfield is an urban area close to Belfast city centre

• Largely Protestant/ Unionist Loyalist nature (PUL), surrounded by Catholic/ Nationalist/ Republican (CNR) West Belfast.

• It has close connections with the Shankill area nearby - Strongly PUL

The Highfield Project

• Area that witnessed significant conflict• Interfaces and flashpoints during the

parading season. • Intra community conflict has also occurred,

the most significant being the Shankill feud in 2000

The Highfield Project

Key Facts

Ward Parliamentary constituency

Northern I reland

Highfield West Belfast Resident population

5310 87610 1685267

Protestant and other Christian community background (% )

94.0 16.2 53.1

Average health card registrations from non-UK nationals (per 1,000 resident population) (2006 and 2007)

2

4 10

Adults aged 16 to 74 years with degree level or higher qualifications (% )

6.3 8.3 15.8

Post-primary school population (pupil residence) with Free School Meals Entitlement (% ) (2007)

27.7

39.3 18.2

Claimant Count - Long Term Unemployed (% ) (2007)

27.8 [-] 20.9

People with limiting long-term illness (% )

25.8 26.8 20.4

Households with access to a car or van % )

58.8 49.1 73.7

Datasets used: KS01 Usually Resident Population, KS07b Community Background (NISRA Census), Health Card Registrations Annual Averages 2007 (Central Services Agency). KS13 Qualifications and Students (NISRA Census), School Leavers Survey 2007, School Census Post Primary Free School Meals 2007 (Department of Education). Census 2001:KS09a Economic Activity (NISRA Census), Claimant Count Annual Averages 2007,Claimant Count Annual Averages LTU 2007, KS17 Cars or Vans (NISRA Census), Car Registrations 2005 (Department of Regional Development).

Research Approach

1. Workshop sessions with staff2. Focus groups with participants3. Develop and test identity instrument4. Participants completed instrument at start

of programme and again at end5. Semi-strucrured interviews conducted

with participants

Why ISA?• Its approach to identity development is interdisciplinary • The ISA framework is sensitive to each applicable

context• Its places importance on the history of communities and

biographical experiences • All concepts used are fully operationalised i.e. they are

clearly defined and are measurable• It considers the nature and range of identifications for

each respondent as an individual.

Why ISA?

• The study begins with the assumption that changes in identity are likely to occur  as a result of participation in a community development and political education project, and that these changes, whether positive or negative, can be determined through the application of ISA.

(Bloomer and Weinreich (2004) and Weinreich (2003)

ISA indices

• Positive and negative role models• Empathetic identification• Identification conflict• Core values

Results from 2 cases studies will be presented

Key Findings

• Idealistic-identification is the extent of one’s desire to become like an aspirational other, who represents qualities that have become incorporated into one’s ideal self-image.

Key Findings

• Idealistic-identification magnitude ranges

Above 0.70 High (person/group is a positive role model)

0.50 to 0.70 moderate

Below 0.50 low

Key Findings

Paula – aged 55• Sibling – imprisoned for 13.5 years• Hated paramilitaries• Friends killed in Shankill bomb• Women looked after family, men drank• Open to BME community• Hopeful for the future

Key Findings

Diana• Area impacted by feuding• Husband shot dead, brother in law unfairly

imprisoned• Shankill bomb had impact on sectarianism• Bad experiences working with black person• Women play traditional roles• Not hopeful for the future

0.5

0.38

0.5

0.5

0.63

0.88

0.75

0.38

0.25

0.63

0.63

0.88

1

0.88

Gerry Adams

Ian Paisley

Republicans

Loyalists

Victims

Feminists

Black and minority ethnic people

Paula - Idealistic IdentificationTime 2 Time 1

0.11

0.56

0.22

0.44

0.56

0.22

0.11

0.38

0.25

0.63

0.38

0.75

0.63

0.38

Gerry Adams

Ian Paisley

Republicans

Loyalists

Victims

Feminists

Black and minority ethnic people

Diana - Idealistic IdentificationTime 2 Time 1

Key Findings

• Contra-identification with another is the similarity between the qualities one attributes to the other and those from which one would wish to dissociate.

0.5

0.63

0.5

0.5

0.38

0.13

0.25

0.63

0.75

0.38

0.38

0.13

0

0.13

Gerry Adams

Ian Paisley

Republicans

Loyalists

Victims

Feminists

Black and minority ethnic people

Paula - Contra IdentificationTime 2 Time 1

0.67

0.33

0.67

0.44

0.33

0.56

0.78

0.63

0.75

0.38

0.63

0.25

0.38

0.68

Gerry Adams

Ian Paisley

Republicans

Loyalists

Victims

Feminists

Black and minority ethnic people

Diana - Contra IdentificationTime 2 Time 1

Key Findings

• Empathetic identification is the extent of the similarities between the qualities one attributes to the other, weather ‘good’ or ‘bad’ and those of the one’s current self image.

Key Findings

• Empathetic-identification magnitude ranges

Above 0.70 High (see person/group as similar to themselves)

0.50 to 0.70 moderate Below 0.50 low

0.63

0.5

0.63

0.63

0.75

0.75

0.63

0.63

0.5

0.63

0.63

0.88

0.75

0.63

Gerry Adams

Ian Paisley

Republicans

Loyalists

Victims

Feminists

Black and minority ethnic people

Paula - Empathetic IdentificationTime 2 Time 1

0.25

0.38

0.25

0.5

0.63

0.25

0.13

0.63

0.5

0.63

0.38

0.5

0.88

0.63

Gerry Adams

Ian Paisley

Republicans

Loyalists

Victims

Feminists

Black and minority ethnic people

Diana - Empathetic IdentificationTime 2 Time 1

Key Findings

• Conflicted identification with the other is the extent to which one’s current empathetic identification overlaps with one’s contra-identification

Key Findings

• Conflicted-identification magnitude ranges

Above 0.35 High (see person/group as similar to

themselves but do not want to be like them)

0.20 to 0.34 moderate

Below 0.20 low

0.56

0.56

0.56

0.56

0.53

0.31

0.4

0.63

0.61

0.48

0.48

0.33

0

0.28

Gerry Adams

Ian Paisley

Republicans

Loyalists

Victims

Feminists

Black and minority ethnic people

Paula - Conflicted IdentificationTime 2 Time 1

0.41

0.35

0.41

0.47

0.46

0.37

0.31

0.63

0.61

0.48

0.48

0.35

0.57

0.63

Gerry Adams

Ian Paisley

Republicans

Loyalists

Victims

Feminists

Black and minority ethnic people

Diana - Conflicted IdentificationTime 2 Time 1

Key Findings

• Core values -the extent to which the statements chosen by the participant are used to judge the world around them. A high core value for instance indicates that the statement represents an issue which the participant uses consistently to judge the world around them.

Key Findings

Value Categorisation Interpretation Above 95 Rigid Values used in the most judgemental

fashion to appraise self and others, being generally also ones most resistant to change

50 to 95 Core evaluative dimension of identity

In this case the values are observed as being central to the respondent’s identity and are foremost when respondents evaluate self and others

20 to 49 Secondary evaluative dimension of identity

Used in a secondary manner when respondents evaluate self and others

-20 to +20 Conflicted, inconsistently or non evaluative dimension of identity

Conflicted dimensions of identity refer to areas of stress in a respondent’s identity or those that do play a significant role in an individual's construal of self and others but should be considered in comparative terms with the remaining dimensions.

Core values

19.47

18.81

58.8

100

56.89

63.91

85.46

100

MW making valuable contribution

MW taking all our jobs

Peace process brought positive changes

Irish language has a place in NI

Irish language is irrelevant

Women discriminated

Paula - Core ValuesTime 2 Time 1

64.21

83.16

92.63

83.16

2.58

34.88

27.96

49.54

MW making valuable contribution

MW taking all our jobs

Peace process has not delivered

Irish language has a place in NI

Irish language is irrelevant

Women discriminated

Women have same chances as men

Diana - Core ValuesTime 2 Time 1

Summary of Findings

• Open minded about issues related to feminism

• Change in how identification BME communities

• Change in her identification with community leaders

Summary of Findings

• ISA was able to provide a quantitative assessment of each participant’s starting point and end point

• ISA was able to identify small changes• ISA allowed trainers to target particular

issues• ISA can be used as an evaluation tool