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APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL REVIEW, 2013, 62 (4), 619–639 doi: 10.1111/j.1464-0597.2012.00498.x
The Dynamics of Sociospatial Identity: Comparing Adolescents and Young Adults in Two French Regions Marie-Line Félonneau* and Lyda Lannegrand-Willems Université Bordeaux Segalen, France
Maja Becker Université de Toulouse, France
Aymeric Parant Université Bordeaux Segalen, France The issue of identity spatialisation lies at the interface between classic theories of social identity in social psychology and the environmental psychology approach in terms of sociospatial identity. This study of adolescents and young adults aimed to identify the influence of belonging to a place on selfconstruction according to place of residence in France. Two regions were compared: (a) the French Basque region, where there is high cultural specificity; and (b) Bordeaux region, which is less culture-specific. Data were collected from 229 adolescents and young adults from these two regions. The feeling of belonging to a region, sociospatial identity, and social identity were estimated using self-report questionnaires. Results demonstrate the existence of several forms of sociospatial identity. Basques tended to overinvest on the regional level—especially when they spoke the Basque language (Euskara)—whereas the sociospatial identity of Bordeaux inhabitants was multi-level. Furthermore, the expression of sociospatial identity was age-dependent. These findings help to define, measure, and interpret the processes and dynamics of identity associated with belonging to different territories.
INTRODUCTION In recent decades, the concept of identity has become a central theme in the social and human sciences, probably because the identity of the postmodern individual is not clearly defined, or is even threatened (Ehrenberg, 1995) by the socio-cultural upheavals of our times. This paper looks into the spatial component of the construction of self, i.e. how belonging to a territory or * Address for correspondence: Marie-Line Félonneau, Laboratoire de Psychologie EA4139, Université Victor Segalen—Bordeaux 2, 3ter place de la Victoire, 33 076 Bordeaux Cedex, France. Email: marie-line.felonneau@u-bordeaux2.fr © 2012 The Authors. Applied Psychology: An International Review © 2012 International Association of Applied Psychology.