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Many organizations seek to embed their employees by fostering strong bonds between the employees and their work. Although this typically helps organizations retain employees, identity theory suggests that job embeddedness may amplify strain that results from impediments to employee's perceived role fulfillment and self-identity. We propose that embedded employees have high work identity salience that may be threatened when managers put their own interests before that of the organization or other employees (i.e., perception of organizational politics). Using data from a sample of 382 South Korean employees who provided data over 1 year, we found that embedded employees, when faced with organizational politics, reported more job search behavior, and in turn, a greater likelihood of turnover behavior. However, this finding did not extend to a nonrole-inhibiting stressor (i.e., workload), such that it seems unlikely this finding applies broadly across stressors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many theories of motivation recognize a person's identity adds value to the prediction of behavior; albeit indirectly, through constructs such as social norms, self-efficacy, perceived behavioral control, and values. Recently, behavioral research has more directly assessed the influence of identity on behavior; however, it is unclear whether such research aligns with the theoretical establishments of identity. This review investigated the identity theory alignment of existing behavior research by systematically searching, screening, and reviewing identity-behavior relevant papers, across three behavioral psychology databases. Twenty-three papers meet the inclusion criteria for review (original research with a primary focus on identity and behavior, within healthy adult population), and data relating to identity-behavior theoretical viewpoints, research methods, and study findings were extracted and synthesized to provide a scoping overview of current research. Most reviewed papers presented identity as a loosely defined construct; commonly operationalized as social identity, omitting the theorized multiplicity of social and self-identities. Overall outcomes suggested that identity influences behavior indirectly through intention strength, rather than directly as a post-intention mechanism. While existing research has been crucial in illuminating potential influences of identity on behavior, there is a need to strengthen current understandings and theoretical alignments within future research relating to identity and behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identity is among of the most common explanations for political outcomes. Despite this, studies of politics often fail to clearly conceptualize or define identity, leading to tremendous variation in the use and application of the concept, much of which is at odds with fundamental tenets of research on the topic. Decades of research in psychology, sociology, and political psychology inform a family of related theories referred to as "Social Identity Theory" (SIT) which demonstrates that identity requires three conditions in order to affect attitudes and behavior: cognitive classification, psychological attachment to the group, and a social context that causes a group identity to become salient. In this paper, we build on these conditions to develop a typology to help identify when and for whom identity should be politically consequential. Using national election data from 2012, 2016 and 2020 we show that failing to differentiate between these concepts, particularly what we call Descriptive and Substantive identity, can lead to mistaken inferences about the behavior of identity groups in politics. Applying insights from SIT also promises to help advance an improved understanding of questions of race, representation, and intersectionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the extensive research on the board of directors and its oversight role, the evidence on why board members behave in certain ways is inconclusive due to the limited literature on the socio-behavioral aspects. Identity theory and social identity theory assume that directors identify with multiple identities and social groups, and that the convergence or divergence of these different identifications determines how they behave in their board oversight roles. Therefore, the purpose of this scoping review is to identify and map the evidence available from this perspective, provide key findings and gaps. We found similar antecedents to identification to multiple identities and social groups among the board of directors are discussed. In particular, the three major antecedents are (1) self-categorization, (2) self-enhancements, and (3) out-group salience. These antecedents have been shown to enhance identifications and influence director behavior in relation to their board oversight roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the extensive research on the board of directors and its oversight role, the evidence on why board members behave in certain ways is inconclusive due to the limited literature on the socio-behavioral aspects. Identity theory and social identity theory assume that directors identify with multiple identities and social groups, and that the convergence or divergence of these different identifications determines how they behave in their board oversight roles. Therefore, the purpose of this scoping review is to identify and map the evidence available from this perspective, provide key findings and gaps. We found similar antecedents to identification to multiple identities and social groups among the board of directors are discussed. In particular, the three major antecedents are (1) self-categorization, (2) self-enhancements, and (3) out-group salience. These antecedents have been shown to enhance identifications and influence director behavior in relation to their board oversight roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As individuals' relationships with information technology (IT) grow more complex and personal, our understanding of the problem of resistance to IT continues to evolve. Current approaches to resistance are based on perceived threats to work tasks and social structure. This work enhances our understanding of resistance by developing a definition and measure of the IT Identity Threat, a new construct that integrates social, task-related, and personal factors of resistance. Grounded in identity theory, the IT Identity Threat offers a parsimonious means to explain and predict IT resistance behaviors. Using data from two independent studies conducted among students and faculty at a large university in the Southeastern United States, we validate an operational measure of IT Identity Threat as a second-order construct and demonstrate that it successfully predicts resistance to IT. Our findings provide support for the IT Identity Threat construct as a simple mechanism to study resistance to IT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhancing owner participation and realizing the long-term management of old residential communities is conducive to the sustainable development of human settlements. "Owner identity" is the premise that the individual has a comanagement right to the community, but little research has studied owner participation in old residential community management from the perspective of identity. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to establish a systematic conceptual model based on the identity perspective that systematically abstracts and explains the process of whether and how owner involvement occurs and transforms. This paper, which adopts the method of theory-driven case study with identity and social identity theories as the reference theories, conducts a single case study of the M community in Xi'an, China. The results show that the intention of owners to participate in the management of the community depends on their identity salience; the behavioral norms of participation are internalized identity standards and in-group prototypes, and the behavioral practice is a combination of interactive identity verification and a positive distinctiveness process. This paper proposes five promotional countermeasures, including exploring public issues and organizing intergroup contact, to provide practical guidance for grassroots governments, property management companies and other comanagement subjects in guiding owner participation. This study contributes both to academic research and to policy decision-making by using the systemic and identity perspective to understand the mechanism of owner participation in old residential community management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identity-based crimes are understood as crimes rooted in the perceived identity of either the perpetrator or the victim. While some research reports a relationship between the production of cyberhate and group identity, no empirical tests to date assess the strength of the identity related to the crime. We explore the relationship between American identity and the production of hate in an online setting. We draw on data from a nationally representative survey (n = 896) to examine how various dimensions of American national identity relate to the odds of producing hate in the cyber-world. Framed in modern theories of identity, we use a five-item measurement of American identity – prominence, salience, private self-regard, public self-regard, and verification—to provide a detailed exploration of how a respondent's self-views of their American identity and understanding of how others view that identity relate to their likelihood of producing hateful online material. Using descriptive statistics and regression analyses, we find higher levels of salience and public self-regard, as well as socio-demographics such as age, ethnicity, conservativism, and living in a large city, are associated with an increased odds of producing hate. Conversely, education and living in the South are inversely related to the production of hate. The findings suggest that understanding the nuances of "what it means to be American" is an important first step toward more fully grasping the phenomenon of cyberhate. Our findings contribute to the growing body of empirical work on online extremism by demonstrating how identity affects behavior, particularly in this polarizing time when what it means to "be American" is frequently questioned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A remarkable progress has been made in integrating emotions into studies of various aspects of social life, but sociological theories of emotions, which center on group membership and meaning-making, have not been applied to the study of political attitudes and behavior. In order to demonstrate the utility of integrating sociological theories of emotions into the analysis of large-scale political phenomena, this study revisits the rally-round-the-flag effect (i.e., sudden increases in public support for national leaders during war or security crisis). The article claims that rallies are driven by emotional reactions to leaders' rhetoric promising to restore the nation's collective honor and status through military action. Analysis of survey data collected during and between two rally periods (2001–2003) in the United States supports this argument vis-à-vis competing theories of attitude formation that ignore the role of emotions or apply a non-sociological framework that detaches emotions from collective identities and meaning-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While it is well known that SME owner–managers' sustainability values and attitudes impact their company's sustainability activities, they often face profit-driven institutional orders. In a qualitative study, we investigate which identities are critical for their engagement in sustainability and how these identities interrelate with their institutional environment. We applied a qualitative design with narratives from 29 owner–managers of hospitality businesses who belong to a New Zealand-based sustainability network. Our study revealed no single overarching sustainability identity; instead, six identities could be identified as sustainability-related and be linked to different institutional orders. By analyzing the interplay between the identities and the institutional environment, we also found mechanisms on how SME owner–managers impact on their business' sustainability. We revealed that an adequate institutional environment can foster the development of sustainability-related identities, which in turn can lead to cultural evolution towards more sustainability. By integrating identity theory with organizational institutionalism, we contribute to theoretical development and to further sustainability research at individual and institutional level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As HIV is widely acknowledged as a stigmatized chronic condition which impacts the self, it is important to study the experiences of people living with HIV in relation to their selves and identities. According to extant literature on HIV and identity, the incorporation of an HIV identity is essential to adapting to the diagnosis. However, most of the participants in this study reject HIV as an identity. Using qualitative in-depth interviews, this paper explores the experiences of twelve heterosexual Chinese men living with HIV in Singapore. This paper is anchored by identity concepts from identity theory to examine the impact of HIV on self and identities and how various identities are reworked in the face of a stigmatized chronic medical condition. Thematic analysis shows varying impact of HIV on self, the role of normative identities and the location of HIV in their lives. The findings shed light on the importance of normative identities and the manner in which participants locate HIV in their lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of decreased demand for whole blood and increased demand for plasma‐derived products, donors in Australia are increasingly being asked to convert from whole‐blood to plasmapheresis donations. Plasmapheresis is a different type of donation to whole blood as the process takes longer and can be engaged in more frequently. What is unknown is whether whole‐blood donors view donating plasma as consistent with their donor identity and how they respond to the possibility of donating more frequently. To explore this, we undertook semistructured telephone interviews with 26 whole‐blood donors who had recently made their first plasma donation. Findings indicated that whereas donating plasma was viewed as a bigger ask than donating whole blood, the former was viewed as consistent with their identity as a donor because both behaviours were seen to benefit others and self and were located within the same institutional context. Donating plasma was an opportunity for donors to enhance their self‐concept as an altruistic giver. When contemplating their future donation behaviour, donors considered how their donor identity would fit alongside other salient roles. These findings have implications for how institutions can position their request of existing donors to give a different gift. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identity theory (IT) and social identity theory (SIT) are eminent research programs from sociology and psychology, respectively. We test collective identity as a point of convergence between the two programs. Collective identity is a subtheory of SIT that pertains to activist identification. Collective identity maps closely onto identity theory's group/social identity, which refers to identification with socially situated identity categories. We propose conceptualizing collective identity as a type of group/social identity, integrating activist collectives into the identity theory model. We test this conceptualization by applying identity theory hypotheses to the "vegan" identity, which is both a social category and part of an active social movement. Data come from comments on two viral YouTube videos about veganism. One video negates prevailing meanings of the vegan identity. A response video brings shared vegan identity meanings back into focus. Identity theory predicts that nonverifying identity feedback elicits negative emotion and active behavioral response, while identity verification elicits positive emotion and an attenuated behavioral response. We test these tenets using sentiment analysis and word counts for comments across the two videos. Results show support for identity theory hypotheses as applied to a collective social identity. We supplement results with qualitative analysis of video comments. The findings position collective identity as a bridge between IT and SIT, demonstrate innovative digital methods, and provide theoretical scaffolding for mobilization research in light of emergent technologies and diverse modes of activist participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research questionExisting team identification research uses various definitions, conceptualisations, and theoretical frameworks. In this paper, we provide a theoretical analysis of previous research using the two dominant theoretical approaches: identity theory and the social identity approach. Our primary purpose is to provide a theoretical framework for the on-going study of ‘team’ identification in sport management research. FindingsScholars have used identity theory (role) and the social identity approach (group) in their quest to understand team identification, however, limited attention has been paid to the differences between the two frameworks. We focus on two aspects of role and group identification that epitomise divergence in terms of analytical focus and explanations for behaviour: the basis for identification and salience. ImplicationsThe manuscript concludes with three recommendations for future research. First, with the aim of making future research more specific, we recommend the use of fan (spectator) identification in studies using identity theory and team identification (organisation/brand) in studies exploring the influence of group identity. Second, we outline definitions for role (fan) and group (team) identification in sport research. Finally, we reflect on the measurement of team identification. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Multifunctional rural landscapes are often characterised by contrasting values, land uses and land management practices of rural property owners. It seems these trends are, in part, an expression of rural landholder's identification as farmers. Existing typologies of rural landholders seldom take into account occupational identity. Research discussed in this paper addresses that gap. The objective was to apply the collective occupational identity construct to address the challenges of profiling rural landholders and test its effectiveness at distinguishing between different types of landholders. A 12-item scale was used to explore the extent rural landholders in south-eastern Australia held an agricultural producer identity. Cluster analysis resulted in the creation of four clusters of rural landholders with distinctive characteristics, suggesting the approach can provide researchers with a theoretically sound construct and practitioners with a useful tool as they attempt to better understand and engage rural landholders in sustainable agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Although companies receive a staggering amount of ideas from consumers, only a small fraction of the ideas are actually usable, with as many as 98% being rejected. This research examines the influence of firms' responses to consumer-generated ideas on consumers' self-perceptions of face and their tendency to return in the future with more ideas. Specifically, we examine the impact of firm response to consumers' rejected ideas. The results show that consumers respond to a rejected idea with an increased of face threat, leading to a decrease in future idea sharing. However, the presence of face enhancement reduces these negative effects. Recognizing managers' dilemma, we identify three buffering responses that may drive perceptions of face enhancement and thus buffer the negative repercussions of face threat from rejecting consumer ideas: (1) considering consumers' past experiences (success/failure) with submitting ideas, (2) creating a unique group identity, and (3) offering an excuse. We also show the impact of a public versus private firm acknowledgment of consumer ideas on both consumers' perceptions of face and future idea sharing behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose of the Study To clarify the construct of social usefulness by merging several influential theoretical perspectives on the findings of a qualitative investigation of late life prosociality. Design and Methods In-depth interviews with 20 older adults probed the meaning and psychological significance of the socially useful relationships they maintained with people and organizations. Results Based on identity theory, the thematic analysis yielded nine classes and more than 100 distinct properties of social usefulness. Self-determination theory was employed to organize and interpret the findings in relation to older adults’ needs for relatedness, autonomy, and competence. Implications Also addressed are the study’s implications for multidimensional measurement of social usefulness in future epidemiological and psychosocial studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research into explanatory models of disease and illness typically explores people's conceptual understanding, and emphasizes differences between patient and provider models. However, the explanatory models framework of etiology, time and mode of onset of symptoms, pathophysiology, course of sickness, and treatment is built on categories characteristic of biomedical understanding. It is unclear how well these map onto people's lived experience of illness, and to the extent they do, how they translate. Scholars have previously studied the experience of people living with HIV through the lenses of stigma and identity theory. Here, through in-depth qualitative interviews with 32 people living with HIV in the northeast United States, we explored the experience and meanings of living with HIV more broadly using the explanatory models framework. We found that identity reformation is a major challenge for most people following the HIV diagnosis, and can be understood as a central component of the concept of course of illness. Salient etiological explanations are not biological, but rather social, such as betrayal, or living in a specific cultural milieu, and often self-evaluative. Given that symptoms can now largely be avoided through adherence to treatment, they are most frequently described in terms of observation of others who have not been adherent, or the resolution of symptoms following treatment. The category of pathophysiology is not ordinarily very relevant to the illness experience, as few respondents have any understanding of the mechanism of pathogenesis in HIV, nor much interest in it. Treatment has various personal meanings, both positive and negative, often profound. For people to engage successfully in treatment and live successfully with HIV, mechanistic explanation is of little significance. Rather, positive psychological integration of health promoting behaviors is of central importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We complement the work of Gagné et al. by discussing how an extended time dimension shapes organizational behaviour in family firms. Using insights from family dynamics, identity theory, and social identity theory, we show how early formative experiences in the family can influence commitment, conflict, and motivation in family firms. Then we examine how a family's intention to pass on the firm to later generations can impact leadership, human-resources practices, and corporate cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identity and the global are indissociately linked, while globalization is a continuous process that cannot be stopped and identity will never seize to be understood and interpreted in relation to the context in which the individual is placed. Once the territorial borders have become open, once people work in multinational companies, education promotes multiculturality, the interweaving of the two paradigms - identity and globalization - seems iminent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While identity researchers are utilizing a variety of methods, the potential advantages of combinations of qualitative and quantitative methods remain largely unexploited. This article discusses the interplay of methods, theoretical content and meta-theoretical assumptions in identity research and calls for the use of mixed methods. The article applies a symbolic interactionist perspective and discusses what aspects of identification different methodological approaches provide insight into. It is discussed how different methodologies imply different assumptions about identity, particularly regarding the stability of identities, the constitution of identities and the conception of meaning. The influential quantitative Burke–Tully approach is brought into focus and compared to different qualitative approaches, particularly narrative interviews. A quantitative self-report measure neglects the narrative, performative and embodied quality of identification. However, the quantitative approach of Burke and Tully enables the systematic, standardized comparison of individuals making it possible to examine patterns of identification in large populations. Since different methods enable the study of different aspects of identity, while remaining blind to other aspects, mixed methods may contribute to more complete insights into identity processes. Importantly, mixed methods may be used to examine patterns available to the outside observer and the lifeworld of the individual actor and thus to both explain and understand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The grandparent-as-parent role is a growing social issue both within Australia and internationally. This paper explores the experience of grief as reported by grandparents who are raising their grandchildren. The data presented are part of a larger qualitative study that investigated the lived experience of 34 grandparents who have taken on the full-time care of grandchildren when their own children have been unable to parent them. In-depth interviews conducted with the grandparent participants and analysed through a three-layer narrative analysis reveal the paradoxical dimension of grandparents' experience as they navigate the complex issues that characterise their predominantly unanticipated role. While all of the grandparents referred to the benefits, satisfaction, and joy of taking on the parenting of grandchildren, their narratives were deeply imbued with experiences of loss and grief. The discussion analyses this experience in relation to grief theory and posits that the complex and disenfranchised nature of grandparents' grief means it often goes unacknowledged, including in the policies, programs, and services developed to support grandparents-as-parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore purposive approaches to participant selection and to consider how deselecting qualified participants from research studies, particularly in studies of identity, may cause psychological harm. Design/methodology/approach - Within a framework of social identity theory, the paper reviews current approaches to participant selection in the purposive paradigm and uses examples from a case study to illustrate how research participants may be impacted by researcher decisions to include or deselect an individual from participation. Findings - Understanding the importance of belonging and validation on an individual's self-concept, threatening or challenging an individual's identity through the deselection process may present a tangible participant risk. Research limitations/implications - Though many methodologists cite the benefits of participating in narrative studies, if there is a tangible benefit in inclusion, there may conversely be a considerable harm in exclusion. Thusly, in cases of research exploring identity, particularly of marginalized populations, the researcher and ethics committee should examine the selection process itself as a potential participant risk. Originality/value - Though the ethics review seeks to ensure participant safety, it focusses on ongoing threats for the selected individuals, and does not generally consider psychological impacts of the selection process itself on would-be participants who are screened out of the pool. The paper examines the evaluative process of participant selection and posits that it must be scrutinized as a potential participant risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand the experience of grandparents who are raising their grandchildren in New South Wales, Australia. In-depth interviews were conducted with 34 grandparents and their narratives transcribed and studied using paradigmatic analysis to reveal common themes among the stories told. Identity theory further informed the discussion of these findings. Woven throughout the grandparent narratives is a story of paradox - of experience simultaneously made up of pain/pleasure, myth/reality, inclusion/exclusion, being deserving/undeserving, visible/invisible and voiced/silenced. The findings signal a significant role-identity conflict for grandparents who are parenting grandchildren. This study points to the need for policy and practice that more closely reflects the complexity of experience associated with the grandparent-as-parent role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Identity" has become a magic word in the disciplines of social sciences and humanities, in which, due to the impact of globalization, scholars examine the concept from different perspectives, including personal, intergroup, cultural, critical, and postcolonial approaches. Unfortunately, the plethora of research seems to further obscure and enigmatize the meaning and nature of identity, and worse, advocates of the importance of establishing, authenticating, or negotiating one's own identity seems to encourage people to tightly hold their own identity. Like a cocoon, this can weave a stronghold, preventing a person from penetrating into the identity of others. Facing this dilemma on the research of identity, this paper offers a critical overview of this line of study and proposes a different view on the nature of the self and identity from the Asian cultural perspective, specifically from the Taoist view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The past several decades have witnessed the rapid globalization of consumption markets and widespread diffusion of information and communication technologies. However, the use of technology by consumers is not a foregone conclusion. We investigate the role of global self-identity on the orientation toward technology readiness and usage. Relying on a social-identity model of motivation as our theoretical framework, we propose a model which incorporates global self-identity (i.e., cosmopolitanism/parochialism and global/local identification) and self-regulation (i.e., promotion and prevention focus) in predicting technology readiness and usage in a self-service technology context. The proposed model is tested in two different cultures, the U.S. and China, and is contrasted with two theoretically-competing models as well. Results provide support for the hypothesized model, and a number of limitations, implications, and directions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent critiques of the identity literature have bemoaned the lack of clarity in conceptualizations of identity. R. W. Connell's (1987) theory of practice and Dorothy Smith's (/987, pp. 88–9 7) notion of ‘the everyday as problematic’ provide the foundation for articulating the construct of identity practices. Identity practices refer to the routine actions and ways of thinking, as well as the representations of those acts and thoughts, that enable people to claim collective identities. Although identity practices mark group membership, they also signal marginality to or exclusion from other groups. This paper explores the importance of understanding identity practices at micro levels of interaction as well as macro-level structures and dominant culture narratives. The specific empirical focus-on German Jewish immigrants who fled Nazi Germany and arrived in the United States by 1945—enables an interrogation of the meanings associated with national identity practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we examine the effects of the structure of a network, the dominance identity of the actors, and the actors' ability to reward or punish on the use of punishment and the development of social bonds in a network. As expected, we find that peripheral rather than central actors in a network use punishment more, as do those with a high dominance identity. We also find that persons use punishment to increase or decrease their perceived level of dominance when their dominance identity is not verified. However, the patterns of interaction that develop in the network are an interactive function of network position, actor's dominance identity, and punishment use. We discuss how the social psychological drive to control one's identity interacts with social structural factors in the network to create different cultures of dyadic interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]