Identity and interdependence: for a social psychology of the European Union

Over the last fifteen years, the construction of the European Union has aroused a growing interest among social psychologists (Breakwell and Lyons 1996; Herrmann et al. 2004). A majority of this work examines the interconnections between European, national, and regional identities. The aim of this chapter is to highlight some trends, lessons, or limits of research conducted on this topic. Our goal is to bring to the fore the explanatory principles used by researchers rather than to cover this literature extensively.