Handbook of Identity Theory and Research

929 Pages·2011·25.66 MB·English

by  Vivian L. Vignoles

Handbook of Identity Theory
and Research

· ·
Seth J. Schwartz Koen Luyckx
Vivian L. Vignoles
Editors
Handbook of Identity
Theory and Research
Volume1
Structures and Processes,
Chapters 1–18
Volume2
Domains and Categories,
Chapters 19–39, Epilogue
123
Editors
SethJ.Schwartz KoenLuyckx
DepartmentofEpidemiology DepartmentofPsychology
andPublicHealth CatholicUniversityofLeuven
LeonardM.MillerSchoolofMedicine Tiensestraat102
UniversityofMiami 3000Leuven
1425N.W.10thAvenue,Suite321 Belgium
Miami,Florida33136,USA [email protected]
[email protected]
VivianL.Vignoles
SchoolofPsychology
UniversityofSussex
Falmer,BrightonBN19QH
UK
[email protected]
Printedin2volumes
ISBN978-1-4419-7987-2 e-ISBN978-1-4419-7988-9
DOI10.1007/978-1-4419-7988-9
SpringerNewYorkDordrechtHeidelbergLondon
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2011921352
©SpringerScience+BusinessMedia,LLC2011
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Formymaternalgrandparents,LarryandAlvinaJoseph,
whoweresoimportant tomeasachild; andformywife,Lisa,
andmydaughters,AngelicaandAlexia,whoaresoimportant
tomenow.
SethJ.Schwartz
Formyparents,mywifeEls,andmychildrenGuustandFrida.
KoenLuyckx
ForClaudia,Luca,andMartaVignoles,withallmyloveand
gratitudefortheirpatiencewithmyidentitywork.
VivianL.Vignoles

Preface
Thereisastorybehindthisbook.Iwilltellitfromafirst-personperspective,
because it starts – and ends – with a promise I made to my mentor many
yearsago.Thestoryhelpstoplacethebookintocontext,aswellastodetail
thesequenceof“happyaccidents”thatoccurredalongthewayandhelpedto
bringthebookthroughtocompletion.
The story starts back in 1995, when I was a graduate student under the
tutelage of the late Dr. Richard (Dick) Dunham, Professor of Psychology at
FloridaStateUniversity.Dicktoldmeonedaythathehadanideathathewas
reallyexcitedabout,andhejustcouldn’twaittotellmewhatitwas.Wewere
riding in his car with the convertible top down on a warm spring day when
hesaid,“Let’swriteabook–agrandbookaboutidentity!”Ilookedathim
inamazement, andthenweshookhandsandIpromisedhimthatwewould
worktogethertocreatethebook.
For a couple of years, we talked about the book, and all the people we
wanted to write chapters. We even held a retreat with some prospective co-
editors, but Dick’s declining health – and my move to Miami to pursue my
doctoraldegreeatFloridaInternationalUniversity–madeitvirtuallyimpos-
sibletopullthebooktogether.Dickretiredinthesummerof1998andmoved
to San Diego, California, and his health continued to worsen until his death
inApril2002.
For years after Dick retired, I put the book out of my mind. I finished
mydoctoraldegree,gotmarried,startedmyfirstassistantprofessorship,and
becameafather.Then,inthesummerof2007,Ihadane-mailconversation
with someone working in a completely different subfield of identity from
theoneIwasworkingin.Throughthisexchange,Idiscoveredhowvastand
fragmentedtheidentityliteratureis.Consequently,theexchangereawakened
thebookandthepromiseImadetoDickDunham.
Afewmonthslater,inlateDecember2007,Ihadaflashofinspiration.It
wastimetoputtogethera“grandbook”ofidentitythatwouldbringtogether
the various “identity literatures” in one place for the very first time. I ran
home,satdownatmycomputer,andputtogetheratableofcontents.Icame
up witha listof about 15 chapters and a “wish list”of authors for them. At
this point, however, I had no idea who would be willing to publish such a
book.
Meanwhile, my Belgian colleague Koen Luyckx, with whom I had been
collaboratingforabout3years,hadgraciouslyinvitedmetoco-chairasym-
posium that he had put together for the biennial meeting of the Society for
vii
viii Preface
Research on Adolescence, which would be held in Chicago in early March
2008.OnFebruary28,2008,Ireceivedane-mailfromJudyJones,asenior
book editor at Springer, saying that she had spotted our symposium in the
conference program book and wanted to explore whether a book could be
created out of the presentations in our symposium. Sure, I’ll meet with her,
Ithought.I’llseewhatshethinksofthe“grandbook”idea.
ImetJudyforlunchonMarch6,2008,andIbroughtmylaptopcomputer
with the table of contents that I had written in December. Before she could
startaskingmeaboutthesymposium,IopenedthecomputerandshowedJudy
thetableofcontents.Shethoughtforaminuteortwoandtheneruptedwith
enthusiasm.“Thisisagreatidea!”shetoldme.“Thisisdefinitelysomething
we’d be interested in publishing.” She told me that she would send me a
proposalform,andthatIshouldgetstartedidentifyingchapterauthors.“But
you’regoingtoneedhelp,”Judyadvised.“Thisprojectistoobigforyouto
dobyyourself.”
When I returned home from the conference, Judy e-mailed me the book
proposal form, and I completed it immediately. I started thinking of anyone
andeveryoneIknewwhowasprominentinanysubfieldofidentity–people
who were colleagues as well as those whose work I had read and cited in
thepast.Isettoworke-mailingthesepeopleandinvitingthemtocontribute
chapters.Almosteveryonesaidyes.Thebookwasstartingtocometogether!
ItoccurredtomeshortlythereafterthatJudywouldneverhavecontacted
mehaditnotbeenforKoen’sgenerosityininvitingmetoco-chairhissym-
posium,soIdecidedtoinvitehimtoco-editthebookwithme.Koenwasan
emerging scholar inthe personal identity literature, and he had a number of
colleaguesandcontactsinEuropewhowereworkingonidentity.Hewould
be a valuable addition to the editorship. He took a few days to think about
it,andthenheagreed.Herecruitedsomeofhiscolleaguesandotherpeople
whoseworkheknewtowritechapters,andbythistimewewereuptoabout
25chapters.Butsomethingwasmissing.KoenandIknewalittleaboutthe
social-psychologicalsideofidentitytheoryandresearch,butweknewthatwe
didn’tknowenough.Weneededathirdco-editortocoverthoseareasofiden-
tityand,afterconsultingwithsomepeople,VivVignoleswasrecommended
asapotentialco-editor.
KoenandIputtogetherane-mailtoViv,explaininghowthebookproject
hadcomeaboutandwhatwewerelookingforinathirdco-editor.LikeKoen,
Vivtookafewdaystothinkaboutitandthen,afterexchangingafewe-mails,
Vivwasaboard,andoureditorialteamwascomplete.Asluckwouldhaveit,
not only was Viv well-versed in the social-psychological perspectives that
wehadsoughttocover,buthealsoarguedforincludingseveralperspectives
fromtheself-conceptliterature,andheintroducedKoenandmetosomesoci-
ologicalanddiscursiveperspectivesthatpreviouslywehadhardlybeenaware
of. We realized that the field of Identity Studies was even bigger (and more
disconnected)thanwehadthought!AndVivwastheperfectpersontocom-
plete our editorial team. Once more, things seemed to be moving into place
naturally,almostasthoughtheprocesswasbeingguidedbyaninvisiblehand.
Vivproceededtosuggestareorganizationofourtableofcontents,aswell
as a number of new chapters that should be included. The table of contents
Preface ix
quicklyincreasedfrom25chaptersto40.AsKoenandIhaddoneearlier,Viv
invited prominent scholars to write chapters, and the large majority of them
acceptedtheinvitation.Koen,Viv,andImarveledamongourselveshowthis
book was coming together, and that so many people, many of whom were
majornamesandleadersintheirrespectivefields,werewillingtocontribute
chapterstothisbookthatwewereediting.Eventhoughallthreeofuswere
still at a fairly junior level within the academic profession, chapter authors
appeared to sense that we were putting together something very timely and
important.ByJune,wehadcommitmentsforalmostallofthechaptersonthe
list.
Chaptersstartedcominginbytheearlyfallof2008,andweknewwehad
our work cut out for us. For each chapter, one of us was designated as the
editor,andanotherofusactedasareviewer.The“editor”wasresponsiblefor
securingoneormoreoutsidereviewersforthechapter,suchthateachchapter
wouldbereviewedbyatleasttwopeople.Insomecases,thesereviewerswere
authorsofotherchapters.Oneofourgoalswastointegrateandbuildbridges
amongthesevariousperspectives,sohavingcontributorsrevieweachother’s
chapters seemed like a logical way to facilitate this. In other cases, people
who were outside the book – many of whom we did not know personally,
and from many different academic disciplines – contributed their time and
expertisetoimprovethechapters.Wethankandappreciateeveryoneofthem
forthetimeandexpertisethattheycontributedtothebook.
OneofDick’soriginalobjectivesforthebook,andonethatweemphasized
strongly,wastheneedtofacilitateintegrationamongthevariousperspectives
on identity. As we discuss in much more detail in the introductory chapter,
manyofthesubfieldsofidentityoperatealmostinisolation,suchthatoften
theyarehardlyawareofoneanother’sexistence.Oneofthepurposesofthis
“grandbook,”then,wastobuildbridgesamongareasoftheIdentityStudies
literature that otherwise would have remained separate and unconnected. In
ourin-textcommentsoneachofthechapters,Koen,Viv,andIsuggestedkey
placeswhereotherchapters–especiallychaptersfromalternativeschoolsof
thought–couldbecross-referenced.Chapterauthorsweregenerallygrateful
forthesesuggestions,andmanyofthemaskedustosendthemcopiesofthe
chapterswewereaskingthemtocross-reference.Evenwithinthewritingand
editingprocess,ourgoaltofacilitateintegrationwithintheidentityliterature
wasbeginningtobeaccomplished.
OurdeadlinetosubmitthebooktoSpringerwastheendofAugust2010.
Koen,Viv,andIcontinuedreviewingandre-reviewingchaptersuntilthevery
endofthatmonth.Thelastchapterwasaccepted onthemorningofAugust
31st,andwesubmittedthecompletedmanuscripttoSpringerat11:54pmUS
Easterntimethatnight–exactly6minbeforethedeadline.DickDunham’s
dreamhadbecomeareality.The“grandbook”onidentityhadbeenfinished.
I have many people to thank for helping to make this book a reality. I
amextremelygratefultoKoenandVivforco-editingthisbookwithmeand
forbelieving inthepromiseoffacilitatingintegration among themany sub-
fieldsofidentity.JudywaspropheticwhensheadvisedmethatIcouldnever
havedonethisalone.Evenwiththreeofusworkingtogether,ittookahuge
amount of work to bring this project to completion. I could not have asked