“I lost myself”

International Graduate Students (IGS) may share their journey in the United States with their accompanying families. Families tend to be the student, their spouse, and children if they have any. Those individuals who travel with the student are sometimes referred to as dependents. As they go through acculturation, both students and dependents encounter the challenge of affirming or reinventing their identities. In this study, we used the communication theory of identity (CTI) to analyze the disparate experiences of both groups. In CTI four layers constitute the concept of identity. The layers are: a) The way individuals see themselves (personal), b) their communicative interaction through social roles (relational), c) their construction of messages (enactment), and d) their role within a group or social network (communal). Thus, CTI views identity as a communicative and relational phenomenon.

“I changed, I had to realize that I was wrong”: Identity gap management amidst evolving illness uncertainty

Doubt that a family member’s health issues are real, severe, or even possible entwines some of the most challenging aspects of medical, personal, and social uncertainty. Although several studies have examined doubt, this investigation focuses on how doubt evolves and foregrounds the identity implications of uncertainty. Guided by Communication Theory of Identity (CTI), the purpose of this study was to explore the identity gaps people experience as they navigate evolving doubt about a family member’s health and how they manage those identity gaps. We interviewed 33 individuals in the U.S. about a family member’s health issues that they doubted but began to believe. Our analysis uncovered three identity gaps among personal, relational, and enacted layers of identity: personal-enacted, relational-enacted, and personal-relational-enacted identity gaps. Participants managed identity gaps in two primary ways: (a) closing gaps by altering personal, relational, or enacted layers of their own identity; and (b) maintaining identity gaps by putting the locus of responsibility for identity change within their family member’s relational identities. This study offers theoretical implications for CTI as well as practical implications for individuals navigating doubt and evolving illness uncertainty in their family relationships.

Indigenous Experience as a Strategy to Develop Rural Tourism Identity

Rural tourism is often seen as a tourist attraction, where tourists make their visit only to catch a glimpse of the village’s potential. In contrast to this trend, the rural tourism of in Tanon sub village of in the Semarang regency (Central Java) attempts to offer more by developing its local strength as “Desa Menari” (lit. Dancing Village). It offers tour packages that invite tourists to experience a life in the village, interact with local communities, find happiness, and reinterpret life. The objective of this study is to find out how the local community uses indigenous experience as a strategy to develop rural tourism in the area. This study implemented the communication theory of identity (CTI) by applying qualitative method with a case study approach. After observation and in-depth interview were conducted to rural tourism community, this study found that rural tourism community actively introduces tourism based on local wisdom experiences through the conservation of tourism in Dusun Tanon, including the conservations of community arts, traditional games, and farmer. Indigenous experience as a village identity is constructed according to its purpose, i.e. spreading harmony, knitting inspiration, and reaping memory. This village identity includes personal identity, relational identity, and enacted identity that invite tourists to capture the process of self-meaning or journey into oneself as a psychological experience.

STEM Identities: A Communication Theory of Identity Approach

Education and psychology research has established STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) identities as an important factor in explaining student persistence in STEM fields. Few studies in social psychology of language or communication have investigated STEM identities, despite the fundamentally communicative nature of identity. Identity talk produced in semi-structured interviews with undergraduate engineering majors ( N = 16) at three U.S. universities was analyzed qualitatively using the Communication Theory of Identity (CTI) as a sensitizing framework. The analysis showed that these students’ STEM identities emphasized personal attributes such as work ethic and a desire to make a positive difference in the world as well as relationships with peers in engineering. A number of potential identity gaps which might present barriers to forming a STEM identity were also evident in the data. These results underscore the importance of a communicative (interactive and relational) perspective in understanding students’ development and expression of STEM identities.

Fragmenting Feminine-Athletic Identities: Identity Turning Points During Girls’ Transition into High School

This study employed a turning point analysis to document events that influence the development of athletic identities in female athletes transitioning into high school. All participants ( N = 28), between the ages of 14–15 years old, belonged to a competitive club soccer team located in the southwestern United States. Through an analysis of pre- and post-season interviews and bi-weekly video journal entries, data revealed several fragmenting turning point events related to participants’ athletic identity development. These fragmenting turning points paired with the communication theory of identity (CTI) framework highlighted three identity gaps: (a) athletic-relational, (b) athletic-communal, and (c) athletic-enacted. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed regarding turning points in relation to athletic identity development and gender disparities in sport participation.

Cultural Identity of Muslim Women in the Yukngaji Community, Indonesia

The rise of the hijrah movement trend has caused a shift in one's cultural identity. The phenomenon of hijrah, which was initially interpreted as a personal rite, has begun to shift into a communal movement. In essence, hijrah is a process of how a person improves himself towards the process of obedience and abandons God's prohibitions. The hijrah process is essentially related to the process of searching for one's identity. In a communication perspective, identity is not generated independently, but through a process of communication with others. Through The Communication Theory of Identity (CTI), this research wants to know how the shifting of identity of Muslim women is presented in layers. This research is a qualitative research with a case study approach that collects data through in-depth interview techniques and collects data about the YukNgaji Community. The results showed that the shift in the cultural identity of Muslim women in the YukNgaji Community is depicted through enactment identity, relational identity, and communal identity. The shift in cultural identity that occurs in Muslim women is basically a positive change. So that with this change, women can protect themselves in the future.

Black vs African American: Why are communication and clinical researchers not paying attention to what descendants of the African Diaspora want to be called, and why is that a problem?

Problem: Descendants of African Diaspora (DADs) in the U.S. experience greater health disparities than other racial or ethnic minority groups. Many factors play a role, including their lack of participation in clinical trials. By refusing to participate, DADs cannot benefit from medical research. The barriers to recruiting DADs is well discussed in literature, but we found no research suggesting that mislabeling participants could be creating another barrier. This essay delves into the history of labeling DADs to illuminate the existing tensions between the use of “Black” and “African American” and the impact they may have on recruitment. Processes: Communication Theory of Identity and Critical Race Theory shaped our analysis of this mislabeling issue and its possible implications. Both theories offer insight into how an individual shapes and is simultaneously shaped by communication. We reviewed, summarized, and coded literature in the academic and popular press to answer the research question: How can mislabeling DADs possibly deter them from participating in clinical trials? Findings: Within DADs, there are several subgroups with different cultural heritages that contribute to how people identify. Therefore, no “catch-all” label can be used to accurately describe DADs. Academic and popular press literature indicate that preferences exist amongst this group for how they wish to be identified. Researchers should realize that “Black” and “African American” are not perceived the same by many DADs and should refrain from using them interchangeably. Conclusion: Given the current Black Lives Matter movement, it is imperative that health communication scholars and health researchers consider how language shapes participation and research outcomes for DADs. More research is needed to determine if the use of “Black” and “African American” interchangeably creates another barrier to the recruitment of DADs. However, if possible, researchers should take time to note the preferences of their target populations prior to recruitment.