The Past, Present, and Future of an Identity Theory

Abstract

Among the many traditions of research on "identity," two somewhat different yet strongly related strands of identity theory have developed. The first, reflected in the work of Stryker and colleagues, focuses on the linkages of social structures with identities. The second, reflected in the work of Burke and colleagues, focuses on the internal process of self-verification. In the present paper we review each of these strands and then discuss ways in which the two relate to and complement one another Each provides a context for the other: the relation of social structures to identities influences the process of self-verification, while the process of self-verification creates and sustains social structures. The paper concludes with examples of potentially useful applications of identity theory to other arenas of social psychology, and with a discussion of challenges that identity theory must meet to provide a clear understanding of the relation between self and society.

Entrepreneurial Cognition

“…Entrepreneurial Identity Identity refers to the meanings that individuals attach to themselves (Gecas 1982) and is often understood as the answer to the question "Who am I?" (Stryker and Burke 2000). Answering this question allows people to fulfill a basic need to be distinct from others, which is important for psychological (Fromkin and Snyder 1980) and physical (Markus and Kitayama 1991) health.…”

“…4. In line with the social psychology literature, we use "identity" and "role identity" interchangeably (e.g., Burke 1991; Burke and Tully 1977;Stryker 1968;Stryker and Burke 2000).…”

“…These expectations are largely defined by the standards and traditions dictated by the overall social environment (Stryker and Burke 2000;Stryker and Statham 1985). Compared to non-family business, in family businesses, individuals often have to balance competing expectations regarding their behaviors for at least the family role and the entrepreneurial role.…”

“…Compared to non-family business, in family businesses, individuals often have to balance competing expectations regarding their behaviors for at least the family role and the entrepreneurial role. Because one's identity is characterized by expectations of behaviors for a socially attributed role (Stryker and Burke 2000), we define the family identity as the set of behavioral expectations associated with the family role . Psychologists and sociologists in general contend that the family role embodies expectations about behaviors related to nurturing (Giordano 2003), protection (Goldberg et al 1999), care giving (Lechner 1993), loyalty and commitment to the family (Knoester et al 2007), and perceptions of collective gain/loss (Berger and Janoff-Bulman 2006).…”

Identity experiences of black people in the Netherlands

“…student, parent, or lawyer) . Stryker and Burke (2000) postulate that the self derives meaning from the expectations associated with these roles . The third dimension, social identity, accounts for people's similarities to others and their group membership .…”