This paper initiates exploration of how self-perceptions of role and identity held by public diplomats may impact the practice of public diplomacy. It validates Q Methodology, a scientific method for the study of subjective perception, as a means of identifying, categorizing, and analyzing self-perceptions. Researchers surveyed American public diplomats regarding attributes that they ascribe to the role of diplomatic communicator, successfully identified and categorized such attributes, identified clusters of difference within the subject group, and correlated those differences to demographic factors. This paper focused on the results of one survey group. Future cross-sectional and longitudinal research will compare these perceptions to those of other groups, including across cultural and national boundaries.

本文开始探索公共外交官对角色和身份的自我认知如何影响公共外交实践。它验证了 Q 方法论，一种研究主观感知的科学方法，可作为识别、分类和分析自我感知的手段。研究人员调查了美国公共外交官关于他们赋予外交传播者角色的属性，成功地识别和分类这些属性，识别主题组内的差异集群，并将这些差异与人口因素相关联。本文重点介绍一个调查组的结果。未来的横断面和纵向研究会将这些看法与其他群体的看法进行比较，包括跨越文化和国界。