Abstract

This paper remarks the use of literary texts as tools for research and teaching social psychology, mainly within a social representations perspective. We propose an archive research on identity within The late Mattia Pascal by Luigi Pirandello. Through a thematic analysis supported by AtlasTi, insights from Pirandello’s work, such as the idea of «double» and «multiple», appear to anticipate issues later becoming salient in contemporary theories on identity. We suggest that literary texts become privileged instruments not only to investigate meaning-making, but also to understand trajectories of change, anticipating their use in scientific theories and in common sense.