Investigating the Complexity of Cultural Identities in Globalizing Societies

Cultural identity has become increasingly important and complex within many contemporary globalized societies. Consequently, methodological development is needed to expand our conceptualization and measurement of (a) the formation and experiences of multiple nested cultural identities and (b) how such identities relate to psychosocial functioning. In the preregistered and experimental quantitative phase (Study 1), Danish participants ( n = 308) were divided into three subsamples completely at random and exposed to various priming regarding global events (i.e., COVID-19, war in Ukraine, or a control prompt not related to current events). Danish, European, and global cultural identities were all highly endorsed across our sample, and global identity was enhanced by priming related to the war in Ukraine as compared with the other two priming conditions. Danish cultural identity was positively associated with well-being (self-esteem and life satisfaction) both directly and indirectly through self-concept clarity, whereas European identity was negatively associated with self-concept clarity, and global identity was positively associated with self-esteem. In the qualitative phase (Study 2), with a selected subsample of the Study 1 sample ( n = 5), we conducted in-depth semistructured interviews to explore the experience of sociohistorically embedded cultural identities (i.e., shaped by a complex interplay of culture, language, and social practices) within the globalized context of Denmark. Results highlight ideographic understandings of cultural identities and how these identities are politically embedded and shaped through intercultural experiences and events. These results are discussed in terms of how multi-method approaches can enhance our understanding of contemporary complex cultural identities.