Navigating Expected Selves: The Roles of Cognitive Styles, Identity Motives, and Regulatory Focuses

Abstract

We develop theory to enhance our understanding of how individual differences in cognition (cognitive styles), self-regulatory orientation (promotion and prevention focus), and salient identity motives (authenticity, belonging, and self-expansion) influence employee engagement in differing types of identity work and play. These identity management approaches are triggered in response to everyday identity tensions and conflicts that occur between preferred selves and organizationally-expected selves at work. We conceptualize two major categories of identity work and play: conformity-oriented and resistance-oriented types. Conformity-oriented forms include aligning of preferred and organizationally-expected selves, and distancing, in which an individual superficially conforms to the organizationally-expected identity at work. Resistance-oriented forms are represented by integrating and defending, which ensure that at least some part of the preferred identity is maintained in the work context. Based on social cognitive conceptualizations of the self, we theorize that an analytic cognitive style activates the need for authenticity, whereas holistic cognition is more likely to activate belonging and self-expansion motives. These salient motives, in combination with promotion or prevention regulatory focus, lead individuals to engage in different forms of identity work and play as primary approaches to identity management at work. We discuss implications of our model and directions for future research.