Dialogical Approaches to Self and Identity

Dialogical approaches reconceive the self not as a bounded entity but as a dynamic, multi-voiced process emerging through interaction with others and with one’s own internal perspectives. Drawing on the Bakhtinian notion of polyphony, Mead’s social-psychological insight into the “I” and the “me,” and Hermans’ dialogical self theory with its system of I-positions, this framework emphasises that identity is continually shaped by external dialogue and internal co-presence of multiple I-positions. Rather than presupposing a unitary subject, dialogical models describe selfhood as a network of relational positions, each offering different values, voices and stances. Cultural contexts, narrative practices and aesthetic experiences further enrich this network, enabling individuals to negotiate unity and difference in everyday life. Applications span therapeutic settings—where internal dialogues can be mobilised to foster self-reflection and agency—to organisational studies—where competing frames reveal how professionals co-construct collective decisions. Globally, dialogical approaches offer a lens for understanding identity formation in multilingual, multicultural and digital environments, highlighting how shifting power relations, recognition of alterity and practices of listening and response co-constitute the ongoing process of self-becoming.

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Dialogical Approaches to Self and Identity publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in dialogical approaches to self and identity across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Dialogical self: A conceptualisation of self as a dynamic repertoire of internal and external voices or positions that interact in dialogue with one another.

I-position: A specific viewpoint or voice within the dialogical self, representing a distinct perspective on the world or the self.

Polyphony: The coexistence of multiple, independent voices or perspectives within a single narrative or self-system.

Frame analysis: A method for examining how individuals adopt and shift between interpretive lenses or situational contexts in social interaction.

Otherness: The relational quality that emerges between self and other, highlighting how identity is defined through contrasts and mutual recognition.

References

1. Self as an Aesthetic Effect. Frontiers in Psychology (2019).
2. Dialogical selves in action: Movements within and between frames in work meetings. Theory & Psychology (2020).
3. Challenges for conceptualising otherness. Possibility Studies & Society (2024).