abstract: This study investigates the presence of a dual identity defendant, and how sharing an in-group can create a judgment bias. A sample of 256 participants was used to test whether there was a relationship between judgment punitiveness, perceptions of shared identity, hypocrisy and the social identities (religion and sexual orientation) of the participants and a defendant charges with a sexual offence. Results suggest that Christian participants selected more punitive outcomes for the defendant compared to non-Christian participants. Further, participants were more punitive when the defendant was gay compared to when the defendant was heterosexual. Also, when the defendant was straight there was a stronger feeling of similarity between the participants and defendant compared to when the defendant was gay, and non-Christian participants had a stronger feeling of closeness to the defendant compared to Christian participants. There was a significant interaction found, suggesting that when the defendant was Christian and gay he was seen as more hypocritical compared to when he was Christian and straight; there was no interaction when the defendant was not Christian. These findings should aid in future research and a better understanding of how dual identity defendants are perceived in the courtroom. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Psychology 2014

I vår undersökning ville vi belysa unga förtagenerations-invandrarkvinnors identitets förändring. Dessa unga kvinnor lever under inflytande av två kulturer där deras identitetstillhörighet till sitt ursprung oftast bestäms av ett essentialistiskt synsätt, vilket innebär att den definieras av ett gemensamt ursprung och en speciell kulturtillhörighet. Men kvinnorna i vår studie visar att deras identitet egentligen bygger mer på ett konstruktivistiskt synsätt där den kulturella identiteten inte bestäms av en gemensam tillhörighet utan att identiteten förändras och omskapas hela tiden beroende på den situation man befinner sig i. Vi har gjort ett urval där vi har valt aktiva och kvinnor som har ansträngt sig för att integreras i det svenska samhället och inte valt ”den traditionella hemmafrun”. Syftet med vår studie är att få kunskap och att undersöka hur dessa kvinnor uppfattar sig själva och hur samhället uppfattar deras identitet samt i vilket sammanhang deras identitet förändras. Vi har valt att utgå utifrån olika teoretiska utgångspunkter så som integration, identitet, kulturell identitet, dubbla identiteter, fördomar och tillhörighet och utanförskap som kommer att användas i vår analys av intervjuresultatet. Med en kvalitativ metod ville vi besvara forskningsfrågorna: Hur uppfattar kvinnorna själva sin egen identitet? Hur tror de att andra i omgivningen uppfattar deras identitet? Hur förändras identiteten i olika sammanhang? Känner kvinnorna sig integrerade i det svenska samhället eller exkluderade? Vilka fördelar, respektive nackdelar finns det med att ha dubbla identiteter eller en identitet? / Abstract "Welcome home again" – a study of immigrant women’s identity changes in the Swedish society. In our research, we intend to highlight the identity formations and changes of young immigrant women. These young women live under the influence of two cultures where their belonging to their “origin” is often determined by an essentialist approach, which indicates that it is defined by a common origin and a specific cultural belonging. Yet, the women in our study suggest that their identity is shaped according to a constructionist approach, where the cultural identity is not determined by a common belonging; instead, their identity tend to change as it is constantly reconstructed in accordance with their (social) condition. We have made a selection, where we have chosen active women that have worked hard to integrate in the Swedish society, rather than the "traditional housewife". The purpose of our study is to explore, and thus understand, how these women perceive themselves, how the society perceives their identity, and how their identity changes. We have decided to proceed from different theoretical starting-points, such as integration, identity, cultural identity, dual identities, prejudices, inclusion and exclusion, that will be applied in our analysis of the interviews. By applying a qualitative method, our intention is to answer the following research questions: How do these women perceive their own identity? How do people in their surroundings perceive their identity, according to the women themselves? How does the identity change in different contexts? Do the women feel integrated in the Swedish society or do they feel excluded? What are the advantages and disadvantages of having dual identities and a single identity? Key words: first-generation immigrants, integration, identity, cultural identity, dual identities, prejudices, inclusion and exclusion.

This thesis is centred on exploring the identity options and orientations of young British Indians, from Sikh and Hindu backgrounds, who are British born and living in the London area. Recent socio-political debates have assumed a lack of Britishness amongst these young people, an assumption that is rooted in the belief that high bonding capital within ethnic minorities has led to a lack of bridging capital. This thesis argues that such statements are an essentialisation of the reality of these young people. In fact, their sources of belonging are far more complex, and far less threatening than we may be led to believe. Through the utilisation of eighty in-depth interviews, this thesis presents the intricate social worlds of these young people and the range of orientations (positive and negative) they feel towards component parts of their social worlds, as well as examining the strength and permeability of boundaries that demarcate these social worlds. The final substantive chapter deals with Britishness, and uncovers and presents the different perceptions and understandings that these young people have about British national identity and the ways in which it is accommodated (or not) alongside other important sources of belonging. It is found that a multi-dimensional approach to identity and belonging is best suited to understand the diverse and highly individualistic trajectories of these young people and that 'diverse-dual identities' are the most common pattern of belonging in this particular empirical case. This thesis make a significant contribution to the existing theoretical frameworks on identity and assimilation as well as the current socio-political debates on Britishness and the cultural integration of ethnic minorities in Britain, by presenting data on an under-researched group, British Indians, and highlighting the range of experiences within this group and the sources of this diversity.