Dual Identity

Abstract

The concept of dual identity originates in the identity family of theories. Identity, more specifically collective identity, became an important concept in the social movement literature during the last decade of the twentieth century. Cohen and Melucci were among the first to emphasize the significance of collective identity formation in social movements, and the concept gained importance in the years after. Coming from a social psychological perspective, Simon and his colleagues proposed the existence of an identity pathway to collective action in addition to the instrumental pathway. These authors reasoned that people do not participate in social movements for instrumental reasons only, but also to fulfill identity needs. Meanwhile, social psychologists had begun to explore the role of group identification in movement participation and concluded that the more one identifies with the group that is involved in a protest activity, the more likely one is to take part in that activity. Applied in the context of identity theories of social movement participation the concept of dual identity introduces a dynamic element in that it recognizes that individuals hold multiple identities at the same time that do not necessarily work in the same direction.