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The Emergence of a Shared Identity

An Agent-Based Computer Simulation of Idea Diffusion

Department of Political Science, University at Albany (SUNY)

A. Maurits van der Veen

Department of International Affairs, University of Georgia

Liberal theorists and, more recently, constructivists have argued that a shared sense of identity will decrease threat perception and increase international cooperation. But what processes lead to the emergence (or collapse) of a shared sense of identity? Drawing on individual-level experiments of identity change and societal-level theories of idea diffusion from the constructivist literature, the authors develop an agent-based computer simulation of identity change. Four findings emerge from the analysis: (1) there is a curvilinear relationship between the complexity of agents'views and the emergence of shared identity, (2) highly unstable environments encourage the emergence of a shared identity, (3) the presence of leaders (i.e., agents with greater influence in the population) in the neighborhood decreases shared identity, and (4) the interaction of complexity, stability, and leadership produces extremely polarized societies.

Key Words: identity • agent-based modeling • constructivism • threat perception

Journal of Conflict Resolution, Vol. 49, No. 5, 686-712 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/0022002705279336


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