What's in a Name? Just the Essence of One's Professional Identity

Abstract

We address the issue of organizational psychology and the tipping point of professional identity by framing our comments around the recent failed attempt to change the name from the current Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP). From the discussions on the SIOP Web site, it is clear that the professional identity and name change issues are intertwined. By applying an identity lens to the recent name change process, we develop a fifth identity scenario, identity refinement. Furthermore, we propose that because the name change is a vital aspect of the identity crystallization, rather than being merely a matter to be voted on, it should be framed as a major change initiative, and adopting a structuration theory approach (Giddens, 1984; Hotho, 2008) in this regard would be most beneficial.