Identity Conflict Research Articles

All Roads Lead to Rome. Investigating Antecedents and Outcomes of Leader-Follower Identity Conflict

Individuals’ perceptions of leader and follower roles as orthogonal or complimentary have important implications for the self-views as potential leaders and their chances to step up to leadership positions. In the current paper, we introduce the notion of leader-follower identity conflict and enhancement and examine possible antecedents and outcomes. Based on the results of two time-lagged studies (N = 160, and N= 214 nested in 60 teams, respectively), we focus on the role of authoritarian and benevolent leadership as potentially shaping employees’ views of leader and follower roles as conflicting or enhancing and further explore how perceived leader-follower identity conflict and enhancement affect individuals’ leader identity strength and promotability ratings. Our results show authoritarian leadership to increase perceived leader-follower identity conflict whereas benevolent leadership is found to increase leader-follower identity enhancement. We further find leader-follower identity conflict to be negatively related to leader identity strength and manager-rated promotability whereas enhancement had non-significant effects. We also examine two motivational strivings, i.e., status and accomplishment motivation, as potential moderators of the serial relationship between authoritarian and benevolent leadership, identity conflict and enhancement, leader identity strength and promotability. Our results show that the serial indirect effect of authoritarian leadership to promotability via leader-follower identity conflict and leader identity was stronger when status motivation was higher than lower. Our paper casts light on the antecedents and outcomes of leader-follower identity conflict and enhancement and highlights their importance for leadership development processes.

Understanding the Linkage Between Workplace Humor and Loneliness Among Newcomers

A vast body of literature emphasizes upon the essential role of workplace humor and links its different types with positive or negative impacts on employees’ performance. However, there is a limited understanding regarding how newcomers respond to the workplace humor and experience individualized changes in them. Building on the social identity theory, this article develops a unique process model and develops a linkage between workplace humor and loneliness among newcomers. Further, it identifies the underlying mechanisms and conditions which impacts the social identity changes of newcomers during this process. Based on the proposed mode, it is suggested that exposure to workplace humor is likely to lead to surface acting by newcomers during the initial days of their adjustment, particularly when the risk of social exclusion is high among them. On the one hand, consistent engagement in surface acting is likely to lead to positive emotions among those newcomers who will experience identity synergy. Thus, those individuals will embrace positive social identity changes over time. On the other hand, lack of alignment and the perceptions of identity conflict among some newcomers will trigger negative emotions in them, which will eventually lead to their rude behavior at the workplace; such individuals are likely to experience loneliness at the workplace. Overall, the proposed conceptual model presents a thorough relational process model of workplace humor, thus contributes a useful understanding of the deep and internalized change experiences of newcomers.

Digesting Tensions and Change

Digesting Tensions and Change

“I DON’T WANT TO BE CALLED ANAK AMAH”: THE IDENTITY CONUNDRUM OF BIRACIAL FILIPINO-MALAY BRUNEIANS

Using qualitative data collected from interviews with Filipino-Malay Bruneian biracial informants, this article examines the identity conundrum that is grounded in their individual liminal experiences. Growing up in a bicultural family in a conservative society, the Filipino-Malay Bruneian identity is a complex phenomenon as they negotiate their Muslim identity while preserving their Filipino culture. By narrating the shifting identity and boundary crossing among the Filipino-Malay Bruneian individuals, this article discusses the ways they respond to the dominant discourse in the Bruneian social and cultural contexts that perceive identity as singular, fixed, and essentialist. It unpacks the different dimensions of their life experiences, including their struggles with persistent racial and class stereotype of being “anak amah” (child of a maid). Finally, the article analyses how our informants negotiate identity conflicts in their everyday practices and provides nuanced insights into the complexity of the Filipino-Malay Bruneian identity.

Developmental changes and their impact on psychoanalytic technique with emerging adults

ABSTRACT By integrating psychodynamic and developmental perspectives, this contribution reflects on psychotherapy in emerging adults, who are ‘in between’ adolescent and adult patients regarding therapeutic technique. The high mobility of this patient group makes adjustments in the frame and in the indication necessary, and psychodynamic therapists need to reflect on the flexibility and stability of the therapeutic setting. Identity problems occur frequently, but a distinction must be made between intrapsychic identity conflicts that may hamper development, and structural deficits such as identity diffusion. Since autonomy from parents is another central topic, guilt of autonomy and conflicts of loyalty must also be dealt with, potentially including accompanying work with parents in case of parental separation anxiety. Too much support from the therapist may continue or repeatt a parental pattern. New media also play a role in therapy, and the processing of narcissistic phenomena including mourning that not everything is possible, is useful.

The Identity Work of Health-Conscious Sport Fans

Simultaneous to the sport industry’s economic surge, physical health has become an issue of growing societal concern. Fandom and health consciousness have concurrently emerged, yet scholars have not explored the social–psychological relationship between the two. To this end, we conducted semistructured, in-depth interviews with 17 self-identified health-conscious sport fans. We leverage identity theory to highlight these individuals’ “identity work.” Participants’ experiences were reflective of both identity conflict and identity integration. The outcome that manifested—conflict or integration—appeared to hinge on psychological and sociological variables. In sharing their stories, we contribute to a growing literature on role identity negotiation in sport fandom, in addition to providing insights on health-minded sport fans.

Relationship between personal and professional self-determination among high school students

Introduction. Many international organizations are increasingly raising the issue of developing state vocational guidance programs. An intensive study of the labor market, its changes and the evolution of skills needs is being carried out. An important aspect was the possibility of choosing a profession in accordance with the abilities and interests of not only everyone, but also taking into account the needs of society. Now it is not necessary to follow the principles of profitability or prestige of the profession. Now you can choose a business to your liking. The most significant group of the population in this area are schoolchildren who are just starting their career path. It became possible to choose a job due to one’s liking. So, a natural question arises about the features of students’ professional and personal self-awareness. The research aims to study the relationship between students’ professional self-determination and personal self-awareness. Materials and methods. The sample consisted of 60 students from the secondary school "Eureka-Development №96" and the Specialized educational and scientific center of the Southern Federal District, whose average age was 17 years. The respondents completed socio-demographic survey as well as psychological assessment of personal and professional identity. To assess personal self-awareness, the authors used Pantileeva’s self-attitude test, and to indicate the level of professional self-determination, we used A.A. Azbel - A.G. Gretsovas’ questionnaire of students’ self-determination. For data analysis, we used Spearman's Rank-Order Correlation and the Friedman test, processed in the software of RStudio and STATISTICA 13.3. Results. There was significant correlation between such variables as status of imposedon professional identity and openness (r = 0.37; p < 0.05), uncertain professional identity and internal conflict (r = 0.39; p < 0.05), moratorium and self-blame (r = -0.44; p < 0.05), also between formed status of professional identity and self-guidance (r = 0.3; p < 0.05). Results show that almost 40% of respondents are in a state of crisis in choosing a profession. At the same time only 20 % of students are ready to make a conscious and independent choice in their further professional development. Conclusion. High school students are in a difficult period when self-confidence, faith in the surmountability of obstacles collides with inner experiences for their qualities and actions. The study showed that for self-determination, schoolchildren need to see their gaps and shortcomings, but at the same time consider themselves the main source of personal development, a regulator of achievements and success and accept responsibility for their professional choices.

Herrman S. Saroni: Paths to Success as a Composer in New York, 1844–52

Herrman S. Saroni: Paths to Success as a Composer in New York, 1844–52

Why not? Explaining sympathizers' non‐participation: The example of Hong Kong's 2019 social movement

AbstractOver the last 2 decades, youth‐led protests have increased. However, whereas youth mobilization has been widely examined, why some youth participate while others remain on the sidelines has not been adequately explored and remains not well understood. In 2019, protests against an extradition bill amendment led to unprecedented mass demonstrations, riots, and electoral turnout in Hong Kong. Young people were among the largest and most engaged participant groups during the movement. Yet even though protest action became a part of daily life on campuses, some students who sympathized with the movement did not become active supporters. This analysis examined reasons for non‐participation using survey and interview data from undergraduate students. In particular, this study analyzed possible causes for the non‐conversion of sympathizers into participants and the erosion of protest participants. Differences among students were explored based on their origin. The findings showed that non‐participation was not merely a result of the ineffective mobilization of otherwise highly sympathetic individuals. Instead, perceived (in)effectiveness, identity conflicts, and barriers played an important role in individuals' decisions not to participate in protest action. The findings further our understanding of non‐participation and are discussed with respect to students' networked participation, the processual nature and individual agency in non‐participation, and the implications for culturally diverse societies.

I Am Not a ‘Hero’: U.S. Nurses’ Identity Overlaps and Conflict During COVID-19

ABSTRACT The current COVID-19 pandemic exemplifies a crisis that is redefining the meaning of communication for many. Metaphors like the “hero” trope are being used to represent our frontline employees, such as nurses who work directly with COVID-19 patients. However, we know very little about how these tropes influence the identities of these nurses and how it impacts their work. This article draws on social identity theory and key works related to role and identity conflict to look at nurses’ perceptions of the hero trope being used to define them during this crisis. The study involved 23 semi-structured interviews with nurses from the United States who were working with COVID-19 patients. Nurses described how, due to COVID-19—especially in light of the hero trope – multiple identities became salient during the pandemic. Many of the identity overlaps were minimized during this time as the trope modified the meaning of how some norms around these different sub-identities were understood. This also highlights the role of communication in shaping and modifying group identity norms during crises, thus suggesting an integration of SIT with the constructivist or even some level of poststructural perspective. As a consequence of the pandemic and the minimized overlaps between the identities, nurses felt more self-doubt or failure, which impacted their overall psychological well-being as well as their efficacy at work. Nurses used communication strategies such as providing reminders, separating myth from reality, and directly approaching their managers, to cope with the identity conflicts.

Girlhood in Verses

Few creative protagonists in girls’ coming-of-age fiction, especially those authored by women, have escaped the lure of poetry writing. And yet from introspective diarists to fervent letter-writers to passionate storytellers, what seems less visible in current scholarly conversation on girls’ literature are discussions surrounding girls as aspiring poets. My article considers representations of poetry writing in two landmark texts by women, Emily of New Moon (1923) by Lucy Maud Montgomery and The Poet X (2018) by Elizabeth Acevedo, paying special attention to how poetry writing serves particular purposes for the characters as they search for means of self-representation and self-expression to resist practices that undermine their voice. Despite being published in significantly different time periods, Montgomery’s and Acevedo’s works cross paths in terms of how they represent the power of poetry writing for adolescent girl protagonists: poetry operates as a means of negotiating conflicted identities or subjectivities, reconstructing their own notions of time, and performing their bodies. Whilst this article attempts to sketch a tentative case for the usefulness of poetry in girls’ texts then and now, it concludes with suggestions for future research that might shed more light on the continual appeal of poetry in narratives of girlhood.

“We are what we are”: Christian identity in conflict with powers and principalities

This article argues that Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s submission to the apartheid government’s Eloff Commission of Inquiry in 1982 is his most important, most thorough theological achievement. It was foundational for the work of the South African Council of Churches of which he was General Secretary. As such, its contribution to ecumenical theology and the work of ecumenical organizations globally remains invaluable. It also still stands as a singularly important testimony in the areas of political responsibility of churches, Christian organizations, and Christians individually. The issues Tutu raises in his submission, Christian identity, of obedience to God, justice, compassion, and solidarity are crucial matters as powerfully relevant today as they were at the time of the inquiry, and they are of universal import.

Identity Politics and Conflict in Nigeria: A Criminological Focus on Oil and Oil Producing Communities in the Niger Delta

This study explored identity mobilization and conflict among oil producing communities in the Niger Delta in Nigeria with an analysis of conflict involving Eket and Ibeno people in Akwa Ibom State. Fashioned after the survey tradition, primary data were obtained from key informant interviews while published materials provided secondary data. Inspired by the social disorganization theory, findings show how increasing recognition of the accumulative potentials of oil engendered violent conflict between the two ethnic groups as they struggled for greater access to oil benefits. Youths carried out the violent clashes, while local elites fueled the conflict by providing political coverage and arms. Identity mobilization through discourses of autochthony and locality played a central role in the conflict, as each group was organized in order to enhance competitive efficiency. The conflict shows the centrality of oil in Nigeria's political economy, and how it shapes both national political discourse and the broad rhythms of accumulation, rent-seeking disposition and social conflict, including conflict among oil producing communities.

Interrogating Cosmopolitanism and The Stranger in Tendai Huchu’s The Maestro, The Magistrate & The Mathematician (2015)

This article analyses Tendai Huchu’s novel The Maestro, The Magistrate & The Mathematician (2015) in the light of cosmopolitan theory, drawing from Ulrich Beck’s conceptualisation of the cosmopolitan society and Vince Marotta’s notion of the figure of the cosmopolitan stranger. Urban space theory and Henri Lefebvre’s Rhythmanalysis is also discussed. This work focuses on the main characters in the novel in order to question the validity of some of the characteristics attributed to the cosmopolitan stranger, principally their ability to transcend standpoint epistemologies. It addresses the characters’ common struggle to re-evaluate their identity in the new neoliberal capitalist context of Edinburgh in which they find themselves, as well as their search for belonging in the new community and the creation of a new home. The article also explores the potential of walking the city as a mechanism to reconcile identity conflicts and respond to the anxiety that the city generates —connecting internal time, memories and the body with external time and space— and contrasts it with the experience of running. It is contended that the novel resists the imposition of a definite meaning, portraying the cosmopolitan strangers as nuanced individuals, while also exploring the possibility of failure of the cosmopolitan stranger.

Mentoring programme and the transition of beginning teachers: view of the insiders

ABSTRACT Transition is hardly a simple phase in any individual’s life, particularly from education to labour market. For professions such as teaching, the transition from being a student to a teacher is even ‘bumpier’ compared with other jobs unless it is cushioned by supports. The reason is beginning teachers are faced with numerous obstacles during this transition, including practice shock, identity conflicts, low self-efficacy, to name a few. Mentoring program henceforth is believed to assist novices in this critical professional turning point. The qualitative case study in this article was conducted to investigate how a mentoring program, seen as a reflective learning process in which the newly-qualified teachers are learners, facilitate the transition of two beginning teachers working in a higher education institution. The results yielded are changes in the teachers’ teaching beliefs, self-efficacy, teaching performance and professional development; and the socialisation process into the profession of the two participants, which is perceived to smooth their transition process.

Combattants and Baswahili: Beyond Ethno-regional Tensions among Congolese Immigrants of Cape Town, South Africa

This paper focuses on the combattants (French for “fighters”), a diaspora group from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and their activities in Cape Town, South Africa. While the combattants publicly identify as socio-political activists, for ordinary Congolese (especially eastern Congolese) they are simply a Congolese gang because of the violence that characterises their modus operandi. This research focuses on understanding the combattants’ antagonism toward eastern Congolese, especially in the last term of President Joseph Kabila in office. While acknowledging that the politics of the DRC largely shape the everyday lives of Congolese migrants in South Africa, this paper looks more into the role played by the host country—South Africa—in intra-Congolese migrants’ identity conflicts and the formation of gang-like groups such as the combattants. This paper stresses the links between the South African migration system that favours some Congolese ethno-regional groups (mainly those from the war zones—the eastern region/Kivu) over others (from the relatively peaceful western region that Kinshasa incarnates) and the hatred the combattants have towards eastern Congolese. Focusing roughly on the period between 2011 and 2018, the paper argues that feuds between the combattants (from western Congo) and eastern Congolese are also a struggle between the “winners” and the “losers” produced and reproduced through South African migration laws and policies.

Economic Aid, Marginalization, and Peacebuilding in Northern Ireland

Economic aid and peacebuilding efforts to transform the Northern Ireland conflict impact grassroots, civil society organizations (CSOs) and vulnerable people of concern. Brexit is an example of how democracies privilege white, cisgender, heterosexual, able-bodied voices, exclude marginalized voices from peacebuilding efforts, and maintain structural violence that exacerbates sectarian identity conflicts. A qualitative methodology was used to interview 120 participants who shared their experiences of grassroots peacebuilding efforts to transform the Northern Ireland conflict. Findings revealed that community audits are critical to inclusion of local needs, and helped to assess what escalates conflict, British job cuts create needs that overwhelm CSOs and youth who feel hopeless are attracted to sectarian paramilitary groups. They reject peace and trigger further conflict as a result.

The Role of διάνοια in Plotinus’ Philosophy

Abstract In this paper, I explore the centrality of διάνοια in Plotinus’ philosophy. Plotinus says that the real “we” is found to be the subject of διάνοια and “upwards.” This fundamental definition elicits several pressing questions. First, how is the subject of discursive reasoning related to the subject of appetitive and affective states? Second, how does the subject of discursive reasoning come to recognize its ultimate destiny as an undescended and disembodied intellect? Finally, why should we think that, as Plotinus says, there is “no falsity” in discursive thinking? The answers to these questions begins with Plotinus’ reflections on Plato’s Divided Line and the sharp distinction between διάνοια and δόξα. I argue that διάνοια is the embodied expression of disembodied νοῦς. It is the focus of our ambiguous and conflicted personal identity.

Minority Stress, Identity Conflict, and HIV-Related Outcomes Among Men Who Have Sex with Men, Transgender Women, and Gender Nonbinary People of Color.

Purpose: This study investigated conflict between sexual orientation and racial/ethnic identities as a mechanism linking minority stress to HIV-related outcomes among men who have sex with men (MSM), transgender women and gender nonbinary (TGN) people of color (POC). Methods: We tested longitudinal mediation models with sexual orientation microaggressions, internalized heterosexism (IH), and sexual orientation concealment at Time 1, and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use and number of condomless anal sex (CAS) partners at Time 3, mediated by identity conflict at Time 2. Participants were 337 MSM and TGN POC. Data were collected in Chicago, Illinois, from September 2018 to February 2021. Results: Indirect associations of IH and sexual orientation concealment, respectively, at Time 1 with CAS partners at Time 3 through identity conflict at Time 2 were significant. Mediation models with sexual orientation microaggressions as the predictor and PrEP use as the outcome were not significant. Conclusion: Minority stress may contribute to identity conflict and increase CAS by isolating MSM and TGN POC from sexual and gender minority communities, thus restricting access to safer sex resources, and by increasing psychological distress and decreasing self-care (e.g., condom use).

Legitimation of governments by renaming of everyday things and places: a comparison of the Pahlavi and Islamic Republic in Iran

ABSTRACT Political systems employ a variety of resources to acquire legitimacy and support from society. Any changes in the political system and sources of legitimacy can fundamentally alter the social world and the sign system, and even lay the foundations for identity conflict. Since the collapse of the Pahlavi dynasty and the establishment of the Islamic Republic government, Iran has experienced such a trend. Therefore, the Pahlavi dynasty and the Islamic Republic government can be considered the most important periods of civilization and identity conflict in contemporary Iran. The present study aims to apply semiotics to examine the naming process as one of the elements of the sign system in the legitimacy of the Pahlavi and the Islamic Republic of Iran governments. The findings show that the changes in the naming process during the Pahlavi and the Islamic Republic governments represent a shift in the source of legitimacy from ancient Iran to the Islamic period, which has been reflected in the names of individuals, places, coins, and commemorative medals. The change of political system has also intensified the identity and ideology conflicts in the sign systems of Iran.