Identity Construction in Emerging Occupations: How Muslim Chaplains Bricolage Occupational Identity

Abstract

Focusing on the experiences of Muslim Campus Chaplains, I build a model of how members of emerging occupations construct an occupational identity. In established occupations, individuals form an occupational identity through years of extensive training, standardized education, licensing/credentialing and informal socialization into the occupation. Members of emerging occupations do not have this luxury and are generally thrust into the occupation without holding a strong occupational identity. I show that identity bricolage is a process where members of emerging occupations construct an occupational identity with the identity resources they have readily available. They can do this through identity narrowing or identity expansion. Identity narrowing refers to members of emerging occupations defining their occupational identity exclusively on the basis of an identity that they already hold. This could be a lingering occupational identity, a coveted personal identity or even their desired self. Identity expansion refers to members of an emerging occupation constructing an occupational identity by drawing upon the identities of important stakeholders around them as a result of which they also experience self-expansion. Students are the main stakeholder for Muslim Chaplain and they draw upon the multiple identities of their students to construct a syncretic occupational identity. This also impacts their own identities grow and has implications for the Muslim Chaplains well-being at work. Occupational identity helps guide occupational members behavior in organizations and a strong occupational identity is a predictor for occupational success. Understanding how members of emerging occupations construct their occupational identity is crucial to appreciate how they may become successful in their occupations. Members of emerging occupations are increasingly important to organizations and their success so this could have implications for organizations as well. I conclude this work by discussing implications for theory and practice.