Speakers
Description
We all have multiple identities, and they shift naturally depending on the situations we encounter. In general, we are not conscious of these shifts, but in this session, we will examine how and why some individuals deliberately change their identities. In this presentation, we will focus on an intercultural training group (which uses the Contrast Culture Method) where role plays are an essential element of the training. The role plays involve two players where one role player responds in the way that comes naturally to them, while the other role player is an actor. This ‘actor’ role player behaves in a way that contrasts the behavior of the other. The goal is to make the culture and value differences stand out to the trainees who watch and respond to the role play. Many cultural differences can be highlighted, such as directness and indirectness, personal disclosure and nondisclosure, etc. Using this approach, the trainees can more easily understand the cultural differences involved.
Acting in public, in a way that is directly at odds with a person’s normal identity can cause feelings of anxiety and stress. In this session the ‘actor’ role players will share their experiences and any difficulties they faced in playing their roles. We will explore whether identity transformations are useful or not.