Bridging Identities

Sociology and psychology are no strangers in the theoretical world of self and identity. Early works by William James (1890), a psychologist, and George Herbert Mead (1934), a sociologist, are often taken as a starting point by investigators in both fields. In more recent years, with the development of a number of identity theories in both fields, several investigators have directly addressed both the areas of overlap and the distinctions between sociologically based and psychologically based theories. In this paper, the authors point to three areas that seem to be of particular interest when one thinks about the ways in which sociological and psychological perspectives on identity converge. Although these topics vary in the degree to which they have attracted the interest of scholars in the two disciplines, and have been addressed with different emphases and interpretations, the authors believe that each topic holds promise for future research and development. The three topics that they have selected are (a) motivational bases for identity processes; (b) integration of the different bases of identity; and (c) multiplicity of identities.