Does social identity matter in software engineering? Assessing the case of research software engineers

Social identity is a key construct that refers to the part of an individual’s identity that derives from their group membership(s). In this study, we explore social identity in members of the professional community of Research Software Engineers (RSEs), which is relatively new and still evolving. Using a mixed-methods approach, we combined computational linguistic analysis and inferential statistics to examine over 28,000 social media posts, 1,700 blogs, and survey responses from 381 professional RSEs. Analysis of online discourse reveals growing markers of social identification and declining markers of identity struggle over time. Results of the survey show that stronger identification as an RSE predicts greater autonomy, resilience, and positive professional outcomes. These findings highlight the emergence of a collective RSE identity and demonstrate its role in shaping professional wellbeing. The study contributes an interdisciplinary perspective by integrating social psychology and software engineering to show how a professional identity evolves and why it matters.