Abstract

The aim of the present study was to determine for whom the salience of multiple self-identities would result in dissonance (i.e., the psychological discomfort associated with the awareness of inconsistencies within the self; Aronson, 1992; Festinger, 1957). It was hypothesized that the sequential activation of couple and ethnic group identities would result in dissonance for intergroup daters (whose partners differed in race or ethnicity), but not intragroup daters (whose partners shared the same race and ethnicity). Furthermore, only intergroup daters would either repress (i.e., reduce the accessibility of) or trivialize (i.e., reduce the importance of) one or both of these identities in order to negotiate these inconsistencies within the self. One-hundred and twenty-three undergraduate students in heterosexual dating relationships participated in this study. During session one, participants provided ratings of the closeness and importance of others (i.e., partner, ethnic group, family, best friend, average Canadian) to the self. At session two, couple and ethnic group identities were sequentially activated by asking participants how close, how much they identified, and how descriptive each of these identities were of the self. The presentation of these identities was counterbalanced. When couple identity had been activated first, intergroup daters reduced the accessibility of their subsequently activated ethnic group identity. Yet when ethnic group identity had been activated first, both intragroup and intergroup daters increased the accessibility of their subsequently activated couple identity. The implications of these findings for the self and interpersonal relationships are discussed.