Exploring the self, others, and the world: the interplay between experiences abroad in adolescence, identity processes, and ethnic prejudice

Study abroad experiences can be an important asset for individuals’ personal development and well-being. However, their impact on social identity domains and prejudice is still unexplored. The current research examined whether the ways in which youth retrospectively narrate their abroad experiences in adolescence were intertwined with their national and European identity processes and ethnic prejudice. A total of 117 Italian youth (Mage = 22.71, SD = 2.50; 53.8% females) who participated in a mobility program in adolescence completed an online questionnaire and a retrospective narrative interview. Agency and self-event connections in the narratives were directly linked to identity processes in national and European domains. European identity processes were associated with different levels of affective and cognitive prejudice. Across both identity domains, the number of self-event connections in the narratives was indirectly linked to lower affective prejudice via increased in-depth exploration. These findings highlight the importance of abroad experiences for consolidating self- and other-oriented views.