Identity-Goal Threats

Abstract

We hypothesized that threatening self-aspects that pertain to an identity specified in a binding identity goal leads to distinct compensation (i.e., self-symbolizing), whereas threatening self-aspects not specified in a binding identity goal leads to general selfworth restoration. To test this hypothesis, participants with either weak or strong commitments to becoming lawyers were subjected to either a related or unrelated self-threat, and then given the opportunity to restore both the lawyer identity and general self-worth. Only participants strongly committed to become lawyers responded to a related self-threat by distinct compensation rather than general self-worth restoration. Apparently, strong commitments to an identity goal isolate this particular part of the self from the overall self.

Stress as Offense to Self: a Promising Approach Comes of Age

“…In sum, although the role of self-esteem is recognized in justice theories (Bies 2015;Greenberg 2010) and in ERI (Siegrist and Wahrendorf 2016), threats (and boosts) to selfesteem do not constitute a central focus of most prominent approaches in occupational health psychology. Self-esteem is mostly confined to being investigated as a predictor variable, an outcome variable, or a moderator variable (Ganster and Schaubroeck 1991;Keller et al 2015;Kuster et al 2013;Mäkikangas and Kinnunen 2003); sometimes as part of the broader core self-evaluation construct (Judge 2009); sometimes as a more focused, work-related construct (organization-based self-esteem; Pierce and Gardner 2004). Largely missing, however, is self-esteem as an exploratory construct that helps understand many stressful experiences and their impact.…”

An Experimental Study of Cultural Identity Goal Striving in German–Turkish Biculturals

“…Individuals experiencing incompleteness may compensatorily choose alternative symbols that serve the same identity goal (Gollwitzer et al, 1999). Self-symbolizing is effective only when it pertains to the domain of the identity goal in question, and not on the global level of self-esteem restoration (Doerflinger et al, 2021; Gollwitzer et al, 2013; Steele, 1988). Thus, symbols must be relevant to the identity goal at hand to minimize the state of identity-incompleteness.…”

“…Those means serving only one goal are referred to as unifinal (Kruglanski et al, 2018), and unifinal self-symbolizing has been studied extensively in the past (e.g., Doerflinger et al, 2021; Gollwitzer et al., 2013; Longoni et al., 2014; Toma & Hancock, 2013). We chose to study only multifinal self-symbolizing in the current studies because, when two goals are active, this should particularly affect behavior that allows to realize both goals at the same time.…”

Appreciation by supervisors buffers the impact of work interruptions on well-being longitudinally.

“…To the extent that interruptions require additional effort and undermine resources, goal attainment is likely to be impaired in the long run, implying that one's self-image and reputation as a competent and dependable employee may suffer, which may in turn impair self-esteem, including self-esteem that relates to being a respected member of one's organization (organization-based self-esteem [OBSE]; Bowling, Eschleman, Wang, Kirkendall, & Alarcon, 2010;Pierce & Gardner, 2004) and induce an "identity threat" (Gollwitzer, Marquardt, Scherer, & Fujita, 2013;Thoits, 1991). For some tasks, even immediate goal attainment may be undermined when, for example, even small lapses in attention induce serious problems such as clinical errors (Elfering, Nützi, Koch, & Baur;Westbrook, Woods, Rob, Dunsmuir, & Day, 2010).…”