Finland’s population structure has changed rapidly, and the country is now home to an increasing number of people whose everyday lives intersect multiple cultural and linguistic worlds. A new qualitative study offers a comprehensive picture of how individuals living in these so‑called hybrid spaces experience language, identity, personality, and their basic psychological needs in contemporary Finland.
The publication Navigating Multiple Cultural and Societal Realities – Experiences of Identity and Belonging of Multilingual Adults in Finland presents the results of a study based on phenomenological interviews with eleven multilingual adults. The research examined how linguistic practices, social relationships, and experiences of belonging influence individuals’ well‑being.
– The study provides insights into the connection between language and well‑being. According to the results, proficiency in Finnish supports autonomy, competence, and societal participation, while the first‑acquired language functions as a ‘language of the soul’ that enables emotional authenticity and continuity of identity, says Lena Segler, Principal Lecturer at Diak, who conducted the research.
The study introduces a new model of the hybrid space, which helps to illustrate how language, identity, personality, and psychological needs intertwine in the lives of multilingual individuals.
– The research challenges traditional assimilation‑focused models and shows hybridity as a dynamic process in which individuals actively construct their identity, Segler explains.
Understanding promotes inclusion
In 2023, more than 571,000 people with a foreign background lived in Finland, and global mobility continues to bring new cultural structures into Finnish society.
– Finland’s demographic structure has changed significantly, and the country is no longer a culturally unified, monolithic space. We urgently need a deeper understanding of ‘hybrid spaces’ in order to successfully promote social cohesion, educational equality, and mental health in line with national inclusion strategies, Segler says.
The study’s findings indicate that social inclusion and the feeling of belonging play a crucial role in supporting the psychological well‑being of people living in hybrid spaces.
– Developing proficiency in Finnish and actively interacting with Finns significantly increases the experience of inclusion by opening doors to, for example, education and working life. A sense of belonging is also built through various communities such as family and hobby groups, which provide important psychological resources, Segler notes.
According to Segler, an attitudinal shift is also needed.
– In an increasingly diverse Finland, hybridity should be seen as a richness and a societal asset, rather than merely a challenge or deficit.
The publication offers educators and teacher‑training professionals tools to develop inclusive language practices and support students’ multilingual identities. For professionals in the social and health sector and for policymakers, it helps identify psychological needs related to multilingualism and address, for example, language‑related stress in services. The information can also support workplaces and organizations in advancing diversity and inclusion and in utilizing hybrid identities as an organizational asset.
Read the publication
Segler, L. (2026). Navigating Multiple Cultural and Societal Realities – Experiences of Identity and Belonging of Multilingual Adults in Finland. (Diak Tutkimus 8). Diaconia University of Applied Sciences. http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-493-463-3
