Department of Psychology, Utah State University.
Department of Psychology, Western Washington University.
Dev Psychol. 2017 Nov;53(11):2011-2022. doi: 10.1037/dev0000299.
Historically, identity researchers have placed greater emphasis on processes of identity development (how people develop their identities) and less on the content of identity (what the identity is). The relative neglect of identity content may reflect the lack of a comprehensive framework to guide research. In this article, we provide such a comprehensive framework for the study of the content of identity, including 4 levels of analysis. At the broadest level, we situate individual identity within historical, cultural, and political contexts, elaborating on identity development within the context of shifting cultural norms, values, and attitudes. Histories of prejudice and discrimination are relevant in shaping intersections among historically marginalized identities. Second, we examine social roles as unique and central contexts for identity development, such that relationship labels become integrated into a larger identity constellation. Third, domains of individual or personal identity content intersect to yield a sense of self in which various aspects are subjectively experienced as an integrated whole. We explore the negotiation of culturally marginalized and dominant identity labels, as well as idiosyncratic aspects of identities based on unique characteristics or group memberships. Finally, we argue that the content of identity is enacted at the level of everyday interactions, the "micro-level" of identity. The concepts of identity conflict, coherence, and compartmentalization are presented as strategies used to navigate identity content across these 4 levels. This framework serves as an organizing tool for the current literature, as well as for designing future studies on the identity development. (PsycINFO Database Record
从历史上看，身份研究人员更注重身份发展的过程（人们如何发展自己的身份），而较少关注身份的内容（身份是什么）。对身份内容的相对忽视可能反映了缺乏一个全面的框架来指导研究。在本文中，我们为身份内容的研究提供了这样一个全面的框架，包括 4 个分析层次。在最广泛的层面上，我们将个体身份置于历史、文化和政治背景中，详细阐述了在不断变化的文化规范、价值观和态度背景下的身份发展。偏见和歧视的历史在塑造历史上边缘化身份的交集方面具有重要意义。其次，我们研究了社会角色作为身份发展的独特和核心背景，使得关系标签被整合到更大的身份组合中。第三，个体或个人身份内容的领域相交，产生了一种自我意识，其中各个方面都被主观地体验为一个整体。我们探讨了对文化上边缘化和主流身份标签的协商，以及基于独特特征或群体成员身份的身份的特质方面。最后，我们认为身份的内容是在日常互动的层面上实施的，即身份的“微观层面”。身份冲突、连贯性和分隔性的概念被提出作为在这 4 个层次上驾驭身份内容的策略。这个框架既是当前文献的组织工具，也是设计未来身份发展研究的工具。
