The Meaning of Self-in-Role: A Modified Measure of Role-Identity

Abstract

The Burke-Tully technique for the measurement of role-identity offers a theoretically sophisticated quantitative measure of self-in-role. Since its development it has been used to explain a wide range of behaviors from a symbolic interactionist perspective. Three general problem areas, however, challenge its reliability and validity: (1) the identification of counteridentities, (2) the use of adjectives to assess meaning, and (3) cumbersome and lengthy implementation and construction procedures. In this study a modified measure of self-in-role is developed that avoids these three areas. An empirical application of the modified measure demonstrates relatively strong construct validity and a predictive power equal to that of the Burke-Tully technique. The self has long been a central concept in the social sciences. This is especially true in sociology because the self and related ideas of role and identity have been used to establish a link between the individual and the social structure. The importance of the concept of self is articulated in a rich theoretical tradition that begins with the work of James (1890), Cooley (1902), and Mead (1934) and extends to the more recent work of Blumer (1969), Goffman (1959), Turner (1976), Rosenberg (1979), and Stryker (1980), among others (cf. Gecas 1982). Yet, while the concept has undergone extensive theoretical development and elaboration over the years, parallel advances in measurement have not kept pace. Sociologists attempting to measure the self for use in empirical analyses have generally adopted one of two strategies (Burke & Tully 1977). The most common approach has been to focus on global self-esteem - a general