History

Identity Exploration Ltd was established in 2005 but is founded on an approach that has been developed and refined over twenty-five years.

Our core methodology, Identity Structure Analysis, was created and developed by Professor Peter Weinreich, now Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the University of Ulster. Originally graduating in with BSc Hons Physics, Prof. Weinreich's interest in Identity stemmed from his own biographical experiences. As the son of a German immigrant family who arrived in England in 1939, Peter Weinreich grew up in a post-war Britain coming to terms with its increasing diversity. Growing experiences with his British nationality (by birth in England) and British culture were contrasted with his own family background and led eventually to a deep interest in the identity processes in play at the individual and group levels.

Ultimately, this interest led Peter Weinreich to the world of Psychology and his thirty year career in this field has incorporated multiple research projects into the complexities of human identity. With a personal specialism in Race and Ethnicity, Prof. Weinreich is a leading member of the International Association of Cross-Cultural Psychologists and also a Chartered Member of the British Psychological Society.

The decision to commercialise ISA was taken in earnest in 2005 with the formation of a limited company and an injection of start-up capital. Early priorities included the creation of a dedicated software programme, Ipseus, which operationalises many aspects of the ISA framework. Alongside this, new applications for ISA were developed, in particular focusing on the World of Work and Organisational Development. A complete family of HR Assessments was developed, which includes several individual self reports and an advanced 360 appraisal tool. More recently, using additional group comparison features, we have brought to market an innovative tool for analysing Organisational Culture, marketed as 'Culture Check'.

The origins of ISA in cross-cultural applications also remain a priority area for us. Specialist projects are underway in Northern Ireland, England, the Middle East and Asia looking at the structure of different identities in these regions, many of which are associated with problematic relationships and violence. We have a specific interest in mechanisms to screen for fundamentalist orientations whether these be in the context of political, religious or social perspectives.

We also maintain close working relationships with academics and researchers around the world. The ISA methodology has been used as an investigative tool in 25 PhDs on diverse issues, ranging from the clinical to the cross-cultural, and is in use in research projects in Israel, Hong Kong, Ireland and the UK.