Prosocial Identity Research Articles

Social entrepreneurs' opportunity recognition in response to wicked problems: the role of identity

Wicked problems such as persistent poverty, climate change and biodiversity loss are some of the greatest challenges that humankind faces, because they span national boundaries, are prone to contestation and are highly complex. Social entrepreneurs can address these problems and fuel change, but to do so, they need to recognize entrepreneurial opportunities. The relationship between the recognition of a problem and the recognition of a related opportunity has been conceptualised as a linear one, which does not do justice to the complexity of the process. Therefore, we investigate the process whereby problem recognition is transformed into opportunity recognition. We use an identity-based perspective to uncover how social entrepreneurs recognize opportunities in relation to wicked problems. We use an abductive, qualitative approach, and analyse interviews with 26 social entrepreneurs. Our findings show that the opportunity recognition process for wicked problems consists of four stages: (1) the recognition of a wicked problem, (2) the reinforcement of a prosocial identity, (3) the translation of a wicked to a specific problem, and, (4) the connection of the specific problem to an identity. We contribute to the entrepreneurship literature by unpacking the opportunity recognition process of social entrepreneurs in relation to wicked problems.

Making desistance real: Implementing a desistance focused approach in a community rehabilitation company (CRC)

Desistance is now a key focus for probation practice in the United Kingdom. However, how to implement desistance in the workplace has remained challenging, particularly in the absence of practice guidance. This article presents the experience of ‘making desistance real’ in the context of Community Rehabilitation Companies. ‘Identity shift’ is presented as a core component of the desistance approach adopted, and practice designed to support services users to transition to a pro-social identity and their ‘best life’ is presented. The article examines changes in assessment processes and tools, outlines desistance informed interventions, and the engagement of practitioners in delivering desistance.

소년원생의 정체성 변화(identity change)가 출원 후 범죄중단 과정에 미치는 영향

Recent researches have examined the role of identity, cognitive transformation, and redemption script in the desistance from crime as the process of decreasing offending over time. Developmental and Life-course theories suggest useful three categories by using longitudinal designs to point out factors that place individuals at risk for crime: theories of continuity, theories of continuity or change, and theories of continuity and change. This article explores the identity theories in continuity and change category that juvenile criminal desistance is caused by a change from deviant identity to pro-social identity. Using data of delinquents who was sentenced from juvenile courts in South Korea, I analyzed how pro-social identity change over time, whether this change affect negative or positive cognition and behavior after release from training schools, and what are predictors to change their identity. The analyses of latent growth model reveal that pro-social identity increase over time and significant predictors of this change are age, type of protective disposition, attachment to parents, support of training school staffs. Most of all, the results support identity theories of desistance that through identity changes, while seduction of criminal conduct is decreasing over time, social support to help them and job aspiration for future are increasing over time. These results have implications for desistance theories from crime as well as desistance programs in juvenile correctional practices.

Formerly Detained Adolescents' Narratives: On the Interplay between Quality of Life and Desistance.

In recent years, a growing trend to consider strengths and protective factors in studies on desistance from crime has emerged. The present study explores three formerly detained adolescents' narratives, aiming to tease out how Quality of Life (QoL) and desistance interact in pathways towards a "better life." The narratives suggest that the journey towards a better life is highly individual, and may unfold via multiple pathways characterized by an ambivalent relationship between QoL and desistance. Alongside the importance of individual aspects and social support, societal barriers and opportunities play a significant role in creating new chances to re-build a life and prosocial identities. This reflects earlier findings that desistance is not an individual responsibility. It is essential to support young people to overcome societal barriers that impede participation in society and living a good life. This research adds to growing evidence of strengths-based approaches to rehabilitation, such as the Good Lives Model (GLM).

Self-identity and persistent offending: a quantitative test of identity theory of desistance

Compared to a vast body of research examining the crime-inhibitory roles of structural forces such as stable employment, family support and neighborhood environment, relatively fewer research efforts have been devoted to explore the role of human agency in the process of desistance. This study quantitatively tests the propositions of identity theory of desistance, a relatively new theory on crime desistance that focuses on the role of offender self-identity. Using longitudinal data from a 20 years’ follow-up study of serious adult offenders, we examine whether a pro-social identity has a direct crime-inhibitory effect. Meanwhile, we test the heterogenous effects of employment and reentry programs that are conditioned on offender self-identity. Findings provide empirical support for the propositions of ITD. Respondents who experienced sanctions in the past were able to start a desistance process by constructing a pro-social identity. Their pro-social identities not only directly inhibited recidivism but also moderated the effect of employment and reentry programs. The findings enrich our understanding of offenders’ identity transformation and desistance.

Helping While Competing? The Complex Effects of Competitive Climates on the Prosocial Identity and Performance Relationship

AbstractIntegrating notions of coopetition with social information processing theory, we build and test a theoretical model that explains the paradox that arises when prosocial identifying employees work in competitive climates. Sampling 406 subordinates nested within 91 supervisors over two time‐points, we show that the relationship between prosocial identity and interpersonal helping is stronger when competitive climate is low rather than high. We also find that competitive team climate positively relates to instrumental helping motives (i.e., helping others to gain something in return). In addition, instrumental helping motives significantly moderate the linkage between interpersonal helping and job performance as well as the indirect effect of prosocial identity on job performance via interpersonal helping such that the main and indirect effects became weaker as instrumental helping motives increased. Overall, our findings reveal new insights into how prosocial identifiers incorporate information from social cues to strike a balance between cooperation and competition.

Interpersonal Interaction Between Prisoners and Officers in Prisons: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis Exploring Prison Officer Wellbeing

This paper examined the perceptions of convicted sex offenders and their interactions with law enforcement over time. Specifically, we focused on how formal interactions influenced stigma management and self-identity transformation. For decades, scholars have proposed that identities and behaviors often result from interactions with others. Sex offender registration and notification laws force interactions between registrants and police agents for years, if not a lifetime. Given that desistance from sex offending is dependent on prosocial identity transformation, we analyzed interviews with 63 registrants to uncover how interactions with police promote or inhibit identity transformation over time. Our findings suggested interactions with police can influence the internalization of a “sex offender” label, can reaffirm non-offender role identities, but mostly have little to no effect on personal identity transformation over time.

Forced Interactions with Sheriff Deputies Over Time and Their Influence on Stigma and Self Identities among Individuals Convicted of Sex Crimes

This paper examined the perceptions of convicted sex offenders and their interactions with law enforcement over time. Specifically, we focused on how formal interactions influenced stigma management and self-identity transformation. For decades, scholars have proposed that identities and behaviors often result from interactions with others. Sex offender registration and notification laws force interactions between registrants and police agents for years, if not a lifetime. Given that desistance from sex offending is dependent on prosocial identity transformation, we analyzed interviews with 63 registrants to uncover how interactions with police promote or inhibit identity transformation over time. Our findings suggested interactions with police can influence the internalization of a “sex offender” label, can reaffirm non-offender role identities, but mostly have little to no effect on personal identity transformation over time.

The Micro-Foundations of Sustainable Entrepreneurship: the Role of Individuals’ Pro-Social Identity and organizational pro-social identity

The Micro-Foundations of Sustainable Entrepreneurship: the Role of Individuals’ Pro-Social Identity and organizational pro-social identity

Narratives of Gang Disengagement Among Former Gang Members in South Africa

Understanding gang disengagement is important for the development of effective interventions. This research sought to examine how former South African gang members understand their gang disengagement. Two rounds of life history interviews were conducted with 12 former gang members. Thematic narrative analysis was used to analyze the interview data. Findings revealed that personal agency was key to the participants’ disengagement, which included forming a purposive intention to change, committing to and maintaining this change, despite challenges faced, and taking personal responsibility for their pasts. It also involved actively drawing on protective resources—such as meaningful and practical support from loved ones—and prosocial identities available to them within their environments, thus illustrating how the disengagement process is an interaction between inner and outer resources. Therefore, it is imperative that gang-related interventions ensure that individuals have access to the kinds of resources that will support their disengagement.

Child first, offender second – A progressive model for education in custody

Disengagement and poor educational attainment in education are firmly established risk factors for juvenile crime, leading policymakers to identify educational provision in and after custody as a key pathway for effective reentry (resettlement). However, although there is emerging evidence that children’s educational progress can reduce recidivism, persistent issues have dogged the delivery of education in custody across the Western world. We identify these issues as rooted in fundamental weaknesses of the risk paradigm that defines the relationship between custodial education and juvenile justice outcomes, in particular reflecting the absence of a cogent theory of change. We propose an alternative ‘Child First’ conceptual framework for custodial education that draws on the ‘Positive Youth Justice’ approach in contemporary youth justice and adopts the development of children’s pro-social identity as its theory of change and key purpose. We explore for the first-time what overarching principles such an approach might entail and test the appropriateness of its theory of change by using it to reinterpret existing good practice messages for custodial education.Therefore, we propose a thoroughgoing evaluation of custodial education practice through such a ‘Child First’ lens.

Supporting Children’s Resettlement (‘Reentry’) After Custody: Beyond the Risk Paradigm

In response to policy concerns in England and Wales and internationally, a considerable knowledge base has identified factors statistically associated with reduced recidivism for children leaving custodial institutions. However, despite resulting guidance on how to support resettlement (‘reentry’), practice and outcomes remain disappointing. We argue that this failure reflects weaknesses in the dominant ‘risk paradigm’, which lacks a theory of change and undermines children’s agency. We conceptualise resettlement as a pro-social identity shift. A new practice model reinterprets existing risk-based messages accordingly, and crucially adds principles to guide a child’s desistance journey. However, successful implementation may require the model to inform culture change more broadly across youth justice.

‘Without the Right Support Network I'd Probably Be Either Dead or in the Prison System’: The Role of Support in Helping Offenders on their Journey to Desistance

AbstractReforms designed to enhance the delivery of flexible and holistic support to offenders were introduced in 2013, with a clear focus on addressing ‘broader life management issues’ to enable behaviour change. Data are drawn from total of 117 semi‐structured interviews undertaken with 57 offenders as part of the Welfare Conditionality: Sanctions support and behaviour change project. The article specifically highlights the significance of long‐term support in successfully helping offenders to change their behaviour. It emphasises the importance of long‐term engagement, together with strengths‐based approaches in helping offenders to progress personal development and create a new prosocial identity whereby they can become invested in society.

Narrative Identity Development and Desistance from Illegal Behavior among Substance-Using Female Offenders: Implications for Narrative Therapy and Creating Opportunity

According to narrative identity theory, to desist from breaking the law, offenders must fashion a prosocial identity through a process of redemption by “making good” of past negative events. To improve understanding of women offenders’ redemption, analyses were conducted of the life stories and the identity change those stories revealed for 118 U.S. women with histories of multiple criminal convictions. Women most often described redemption from illegal activity and substance misuse, distress and trauma, and the challenges of giving birth and parenting. They rarely described redemption in educational and employment settings. The numbers and types of accounts of redemption did not explain desistance. However, qualitative analyses showed important differences in the redemption accounts of women who did and did not desist. Persisters’ stories of redemption tended to lack coherence and revealed tendencies to minimize both the negative effects of illegal behavior and the connection of illegal behavior to identities. Desisters’ accounts emphasized women’s strong motivations to change and their efforts to distance their current from their prior selves, steer internal change, and identify valuable prosocial qualities in themselves. Promising treatment interventions include support for women’s development of coherent life stories and autonomy support to increase motivation to change. Findings also suggest the need for policy change to increase both employment opportunities for women offenders and programs that provide employment and education that promote prosocial identity development.

Generational differences in relationship between prosocial identity fit and affective commitment

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the generational differences in the relationship between Person–Organization (P-O) fit of prosocial identity and affective commitment.Design/methodology/approachA moderated polynomial regression was used to examine the generational differences in the relationship between P-O fit of prosocial identity and affective commitment.FindingsOrganizational prosocial identity was found to be strongly correlated to affective commitment of employees. Generational differences existed among the employees in affective commitment and perception of organizational prosocial identity with Gen Y employees showing lower affective commitment and lower perception of organizational prosocial identity than older employees. P-O fit of prosocial identity had a significant relationship with affective commitment only for Gen Y employees. Gen Y employees had highest affective commitment when both individual and organizational prosocial identity were high vs when both were low.Research limitations/implicationsThis study extends the research on P-O fit by examining the fit of a new dimension – prosocial identity. Further, by examining differences in this relationship for members of each generation, this paper also extends the research on generational theory.Practical implicationsThe results of this study provide important input to managers who seek to increase the affective commitment of the “job hopping” Gen Y employees. The P-O fit of prosocial identity may present an important way of improving affective commitment for this generation of employees.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first to examine P-O fit of prosocial identity in India. It is also one of the first to examine this relationship in the context of a multigenerational workforce.

Co-authoring desistance narratives: Analysing interactions in groupwork for addressing sexual offending

Research and theory suggest that desistance narratives and pro-social identities are key to the process of desistance from crime. However, little research has examined how desistance narratives and related identities are produced in contexts other than research interviews or how core correctional skills intersect with the development of these narratives or identities. This study applies discourse analysis and conversation analysis to transcripts of 12 video-recordings of groupwork sessions for addressing sexual offending, examining how desistance narratives and identities are produced, and how practitioner skills and conversational styles intersect with their production. The analysis illustrates how criminal justice practitioners help to co-author desistance narratives through subtle and explicit aspects of interaction, although certain orientations to risk may limit this potential.

Influence of Perceived Socially Responsible Human Resource Management on Task Performance and Social Performance

While previous research has already revealed the positive influence of socially responsible human resource management (SRHRM) on organizations, little is known about whether employees’ perceived SRHRM can lead to a win–win situation between organization and society. We address this void by examining whether employees’ perceived SRHRM can contribute to organizational performance (operationalized as task performance and organizational citizenship behavior, OCB), and social performance (operationalized as volunteering). Using a sample of 314 employee–supervisor dyads from three large manufacturing enterprises in Southeast China, we found that perceived SRHRM could increase employees’ OCB and volunteering, but not task performance, through both cognitive (i.e., prosocial identity) and affective (i.e., affective empathy) paths. Furthermore, perceived SRHRM was more positively related to prosocial identity and affective empathy when distributive justice was high. We finally discuss the implications of our findings for both theory and practice.

Social responsibility and civic engagement as factors in the formation of safe prosocial behaviour

The article deals with the phenomena of social responsibility and civic activity, acting as factors of safe prosocial behaviour. Various approaches of the studied phenomena are presented. The results of empirical research of social responsibility, civic activity and prosocial identity among students are presented. Correlation analysis using Pearson correlation revealed a strong direct correlation between the content of prosocial identity and social responsibility, prosocial content of identity and citizenship, respondents' citizenship and social responsibility, as well as inverse correlation between social isolation of individual and social responsibility. Students are dominated by moderate levels of social responsibility and civic engagement, as well as low levels of social exclusion.

Prosocial Identities and Youth Violence

Objective: Despite a recent surge of interest in the important role that identity change plays in the desistance process, much of the empirical work has been qualitative and conducted with small samples, usually of serious adult offenders. Drawing on a nationally representative sample of adolescents in South Korea, this study explores how the development of their prosocial identity is related to their own social bond and network and collectively how this process relates to a downward trend in violent behavior. Method: Negative binomial random effects models were estimated to assess the within-individual effects of the proposed predictor and mediators on the outcome variable. Then, longitudinal path analyses were conducted to explore the overall and specific mediation processes. Conclusion: First, there is an inverse relationship between prosocial identity and violent behavior across time. Second, our own identity of self might not be entirely a social construction based on others’ appraisals but is intimately connected to the actions that we intentionally take. Third, positive effects of a prosocial identity on subsequent violence are mediated primarily by the avoidance of association with delinquent peers. Theoretical implications and limitations are discussed.

CREDENTIALING DECISIONS AND CRIMINAL RECORDS: A NARRATIVE APPROACH*

AbstractDecision makers such as employers and state occupational licensing officials are often encouraged or required to incorporate evidence of rehabilitation into hiring decisions when applicants have criminal records. Current policy movements at the local, state, and federal levels may increase the use of such individualized assessments. Yet little is known about which types of information these decision makers use, how they evaluate evidence, and how they ultimately make determinations. We examine a sample of 50 unarmed security guard licensing decisions in New York State using content analysis. We find that administrative law judges rely on a narrative framework to document whether applicants currently have a prosocial identity and merit licensure. Judges typically describe one of two prosocial identity narratives for successful applicants: The applicant demonstrates achieving meaningful change, or his or her criminal record represents an aberration. Two factors seem vital to these assessments: applicants’ postconviction trustworthiness, as demonstrated through good conduct or inferred through positive appraisals, and credible testimony. In narrative explanations, personal responsibility and adult milestones are often discussed, reflecting a judicial nod to the notion of a “transition to adulthood.” The results hold implications for scholars and policy makers examining employment barriers, stigma remediation, and collateral sanctions for individuals with criminal records.