Identity Work Research Articles

The concept of personality and national identity in contemporary Kazakh prose

Colonialism has had a profoundly negative impact on national consciousness. Although the Republic of Kazakhstan has gained independence, it has not yet fully overcome the adverse effects of colonialism on its national consciousness. A portion of the Kazakh people has been Russified. Meanwhile, the younger generation, raised in their native language, either lacks a deep understanding of or is gradually forgetting the foundations of national identity that date back to ancient times. During the Soviet era, communist ideology prevented the population from truly knowing their history, traditions, and beliefs. In this context, literature plays a crucial role in reviving national memory. This article examines the concept of personality in literary works and the uniqueness of national identity based on the works of several contemporary authors. The introduction provides an overview of researchers’ conclusions related to the concept of personality. The ancient origins of national identity—sacred elements, rituals, shamanism, and the mystical connections between humans, nature, and animals—as depicted in literary works are analyzed within the dynamics of the present day, alongside the fates of the characters. The desecration of sacred elements is not merely ignorance but a sign of the erasure of national memory; rituals are not just words but embody sacred concepts accumulated from centuries of the people’s experience, which are reflected in the works. Accordingly, the research article analyzes and provides examples from several literary works. In compiling conclusions about the concept of personality, the study utilized descriptive, biographical, and socio-psychological methods to describe national identity in literary works and its ancient manifestations, as well as the depiction of sacred elements and rituals.

Normative identity work: exploring Erich Fromm’s perspective on self and society

This article explores the potential of normative identity work to foster humanistic transformation, drawing from Erich Fromm’s social theory. By engaging with Fromm’s insights into the interplay between individuals and societal structures, the analysis demonstrates how identity work – understood as an ongoing process of self-construction within social contexts – can confront what Fromm terms the ‘pathology of normalcy’. Central to the discussion are Fromm’s reflections on identity and its relationship to the human needs for rootedness, relatedness and the construction of a frame of orientation. The article integrates Fromm’s views on identity with contemporary identity research, illustrating the tensions between conforming to societal expectations and the pursuit of self-realisation. It introduces the ‘normative ABC of identity work’, a model structured around three key dimensions: agency, belonging and coherence. This model offers a lens to examine the various ways societal forces shape identity work, influencing individuals in directions that may either align with societal norms or open pathways towards humanistic growth and transformation. In the conclusion, the article emphasises the relationship between identity work and Fromm’s concept of social character, highlighting how social character can reflect and reinforce societal patterns while also pointing to the transformative potential embedded in humanistic values. This synthesis provides a critical framework for understanding how identity work can both sustain and challenge existing social norms and power structures.

Reflections beyond the thesis—exploring wellbeing, emotional work and research identity following a PhD

This paper reflects on the experience of my PhD in Interactive Textiles for wellbeing and intends to provide ways for other PhDs to reflect and understand their PhD beyond the data. I provide context for my research, methodology and approach; Research through Design and a Person Centred Approach. Reflecting using the Gibbs Cycle I explore the emotional work required to conduct my studies, particularly within Dementia Friendly Communities. Alongside this I explain how my background and previous experience contributed to my overall approach and identity as a researcher. My key learnings from my experience form an action plan, offering ways for future researchers to; Reflect on and manage wellbeing; Reflect as a researcher working on challenging and emotional topics; Reflect on how researcher identity can influence research approaches. In addition, this paper provides training and networking suggestions.

Ideal Workers, Supporting Actors, or Thrill Seekers? How Coworker Demands Influence Ambulance Volunteers’ Experiences of Freedom and Meaningful Work

AbstractFor nonprofit organizations (NPOs) struggling to attract adequate numbers of volunteers, examining what makes nonprofit engagement meaningful is essential because disenchanted volunteers can simply quit. Yet, the assumption that freedom is a core aspect of the volunteer experience and of meaningful work may not hold true in high-stakes environments where volunteers must demonstrate high levels of commitment and expertise. This study aims to analyze how freedom plays out in high-stakes volunteering and its impact on meaningful work. Drawing on interviews with volunteer and paid ambulance crew working in nine stations in Aotearoa New Zealand, the study explores how “super-volunteers” talk about freedom in the context of their on-road work and how coworkers communicatively attempt to influence volunteers’ freedom. Three volunteer profiles emerged from the analysis: ideal workers, supporting actors, and thrill seekers. Most paid staff encouraged ideal workers to strive for self-realization, a form of positive freedom in work, which led to optimal clinical performance. Supporting actors privileged self-determination or positive freedom at work, although coworkers successfully pushed them to contribute to basic emergency work. Because thrill seekers demanded freedom from boring or dirty jobs, appeals to teamwork failed to sway them. The study makes two key contributions. First, the diversity of freedoms volunteers evoked and resisted underscores the importance of nuancing the assertion that volunteering is a “free” act. Second, although the meaningful work literature is drifting in the pro-freedom direction, it shows that the freedoms enacted by volunteers or promoted by coworkers were arguably “mistaken”—for volunteers, patients, and the NPO itself.

Surviving academia: Narratives on identity work and intersectionality

AbstractThis paper examines the lived experiences of four early career researchers (ECRs), from various intersecting backgrounds, who pursued their degrees at a prestigious UK university. Bonded through solidarity and care, the authors came together in an online writing group (OWG), which serves as a means of liberation from structural, colonial, and patriarchal oppression. Built upon autoethnographic vignettes, this paper reveals fragile narratives to capture subjective experiences of neglect through the lens of intersectionality and Goffmanian “passing” and “revealing”. Motivated to explore the coping mechanisms of marginalized ECRs, this paper's co‐constructed data collection and co‐generative analysis unpack how a meso‐organization (here, the OWG) allows foreign identities to transcend the constraints of the expected academic professional identity; thus freeing authors from stigma. This paper calls for help and advocates for the urgency of support groups for ECRs as they face issues around finances, political conflicts, and family from pre‐ to post‐COVID‐19 pandemic. Additionally, the research challenges internalized norms of academic productivity and responsibilization and calls for a re‐examination of systemic inequalities. By advocating for collaborative autoethnography and embodied personal storytelling, this study contributes to a richer, more inclusive exploration of intersectionality in academia and emphasizes the need for structural reforms to create more equitable academic environments.

Factors influencing the turnover intention for disease control and prevention workers in Northeast China: an empirical analysis based on logistic-ISM model.

This study aimed to determine the current turnover intention among workers at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCs) in Northeast China and to investigate the factors contributing to this phenomenon. The cross-sectional study was conducted in May 2023 across four northeastern provinces of China. The study included a total of 11,912 valid participants who were CDC workers selected using a stratified cluster sampling method. The study assessed demographics, turnover intention, work resources, work perceptions, and psychological support through online questionnaires. The binary logistic regression analysis identified the factors associated with turnover intention for CDC workers, while the Interpretative Structural Modelling (ISM) revealed the hierarchical relationship between the influencing factors. The study found that 28.8% of the respondents reported high turnover intention. The binary logistic regression suggested that the risk factors of turnover intention among employees included gender, age, education, and several work-related, organizational, and psychological factors. The work-related factors were daily working hours, job burnout, and role overload. The organizational factor was unit support for training, unit's infrastructure conditions, leadership style, remuneration package and performance appraisal and promotion system. The psychological support factors were family support, professional identity, and organizational commitment. The ISM analysis results showed that the primary factors influencing CDC workers' intention to leave were internally connected and grouped into four categories according to their level of impact: surface, transition, deep, and essential factors. Notably, the essential factors were professional identity and organizational commitment. Nearly one-third of the respondents expressed a strong desire to resign from their employment. Turnover intention among CDC workers was subject to diverse influences. Early identification, detection, and targeted multidisciplinary interventions should be introduced to address the array of factors that affect staff, with particular emphasis on boosting the professional identity and organizational commitment of CDC workers.

Addressing diversity in flux: identity work, identity negotiation and intersectionality insights

PurposeDiversity management literature is at a crossroads with limitations in producing novel insights due to its heavy reliance on the etic approach and surface-level diversity. This paper reviews identity work, identity negotiation and intersectionality to propose an interdisciplinary lens that offers new insights and suggestions for future research that will advance the diversity management literature.Design/methodology/approachOur paper advances methods in the diversity management literature by reviewing interdisciplinary research using a dual approach: a bibliometric analysis of the vast literature examining 323 papers published between 1987 and 2023, supplemented by a summary review of the identified thematic clusters.FindingsThis study identified seven thematic clusters around identity construction, transformation and navigation processes. The study highlights significant research gaps in (1) context-specificity, (2) deep-level forms of diversity, (3) lack of focus on meso-level stakeholders, and most importantly (4) lack of focus on the interplay of micro-level and meso-level interactions.Originality/valueThis paper contributes in three ways. Firstly, it pioneers a dual approach to comprehending the research landscape on identity work, identity negotiation and intersectionality, employing bibliometric analysis and summary review. Secondly, with its interdisciplinary reach, it advocates for a more inclusive diversity management approach, exploring micro-meso-level interaction through new lenses. Lastly, it offers theoretical and practical contributions by proposing an integrated multiple lens to better address the challenges and tensions of an increasing diversity of the workforce.

Exploring identity work of LGBT+ volunteers in sport through personas: the advocate, the community-minded and the sportsperson

ABSTRACT Research question Sport volunteering can be a valued and meaningful way to engage in sport beyond participation, but sport volunteers lack diversity in the UK. Specifically, there has been a lack of insight into experiences and identities of LGBT+ volunteers in sport. Therefore, this research explores how LGBT+ volunteers construct, negotiate and manage their identities over time and through the use of personas. Research methods Using identity work as a theoretical lens and from a social constructionist perspective, this study employs topical life history interviews of 16 sexually diverse sport volunteers to explore identity work strategies adopted by participants to navigate their volunteer experiences. Results and findings Using constructivist grounded theory analysis, the study identifies three personas (1) advocate, (2) community-minded and (3) sportsperson – through which identity processes are expressed, illustrating the shifts in these personas as participants navigate their volunteer experiences. Implications By acknowledging the fluidity of identity processes and the influence of socio-political contexts, sport organisations can create more inclusive environments that accommodate the varying needs of LGBT+ volunteers. Theoretically, the study contributes to the broader discourse on identity work by demonstrating how personas emerge as outcomes of this work and how they are sustained over time, offering a nuanced understanding of identity processes within sport volunteering.

Identity work responses to workplace stigmatization: Power positions, authenticity, religious coping and religious accommodation for skilled practising Muslim professionals

AbstractDespite the challenges Muslims face because of their stigmatized religious identity, little is known about how they navigate that identity in the workplace. Adopting an interpretivist perspective of identity work, this study investigates this issue by building on two‐round in‐depth interviews (35 in round‐one and 21 in round‐two) with skilled practising British Muslim professionals. It extends work on power positions to show the privileges those in senior managerial positions have, including assertiveness and control over workplace interactions and outcomes. It further advances understanding of authenticity, revealing that, despite their experiences of stigmatization, these professionals tend to remain true to their religious identity, openly practising their religion in the workplace. They perceive identity re‐interpretation to be part of authenticity, and a responsibility to contest religious stigma. Importantly, this study conceptualizes proactive religious coping as an identity work response to workplace stigmatization, theorized in this organizational context as turning to God and religious rituals for meaning, comfort, resilience and reconciliation, whilst also being proactive and fighting to challenge experiences of stigmatization. However, unlike for other stigmatized groups, inclusive organizational practices, particularly religious accommodation, are not a driver for authenticity, but rather a signal for environment‐fit and authenticity is instead driven by religious identity.

Mission (im)possible – le traducteur en tant qu’ambassadeur de l’art

This article introduces the translator involved in the translation of art titles and art albums as an ambassador for art. Given the role of painting titles in the process of interpreting a work of art, but also in identifying it from other art products, the translator, as the artist’s spokesperson, has to perform a number of actions to enable the correct interpretation and identification of the work in the target culture. This is a very arduous and responsible task, which is particularly difficult in times of new media and the unlimited possibilities of digital reproduction and distribution of cultural goods. Based on the examples of translations of the titles of paintings by selected French painters published in Polish-language albums, the author shows the translator’s responsibility for the promotion and, above all, for the protection of the identity and integrity of works of art, especially those that belong to the public domain and are therefore deprived of proper protection.

“Muchakang Pangkalawakan”: Queering Engagements with Bakla of the Philippine Tropics

The performance of participants in the Miss Gay Muchakang Pangkalawan [Miss Ugly Gay Universe] in Quiapo, Manila, reflects characteristics of the flamboyant and effeminate bakla. However, these stereotypical depictions may not always be consistent with how participants view themselves. This study argues that an introspective understanding of how participants make sense of their identity work engendered by ever-turning tropes reveals slippages that can liberate them from existing oppressive stereotypes. By utilizing personal narrative and ethnographic reflexivity, this study deconstructs the participants’ performances, revealing identity-making that may reinforce or resist dominant discourses on the bakla under which these narratives are produced. Taking into consideration the deep affectional connections and intersubjectivity among bakla, the study contends that the obscure pageants of the “ugly” are not merely sites of gender self-discovery and contesting of local stereotypes but are also queer tropical arenas that resist hegemonic views.

Mod Installation as Reclaiming Representational Diversity: The Role of Aesthetic Agency in Stardew Valley

Media (e.g., film) are often designed around cisgender, heternormative logics and are not representative of the multiplicity of identities and identity expressions that exist in the world. Thus, media impedes the identity expression and performance of the communities who use them, as we do not see many parts of our identities represented or find that our identities are misrepresented. Video games, which are a genre of media, are especially problematic in how they perpetuate heteronormative normative logics. Unlike most media, however, video games give people agency over the aesthetics of game worlds--the characters and narratives--through the installation of mods. We conducted a content analysis coupled with a triangulation of mods through personal experience focused on the widely popular farming simulation game Stardew Valley. Drawing on a conceptual lens bringing together theories of identity and aesthetic agency, we highlight how the aesthetic agency afforded by mod installation provides opportunities for reclaiming representational diversity in game worlds along the following dimensions: sex and intimacy, gender and sexuality, race and ethnicity, and body diversity. We discuss the implications of mod installation, exploring its potential relationship with identity work and identity play. We then propose design guidelines for achieving aesthetic alignment.

"Accepting the Poem of Destiny": Identity Reconstruction in a Chinese Online Depression Community.

As online health communities become important platforms for people with depression to express themselves, digital narratives provide a lens for understanding their identity work. Drawing on the communication theory of identity (CTI), this article explored the members' identity reconstruction by analyzing their narratives posted in a Chinese online depression community. The four levels of identities constructed by the members include "laggard" and "pioneer" at the personal layer, "idler" and "fighter" at the enacted level, "stress-maker" and "escaper" at the relational layer, and support providers and receivers at the communal layer. These identities at different levels usually interact in the narratives, showing that identity gaps exist among the members. The study shows that the members' autobiographical accounts of depression entail multiplicities and ambivalences, denying the dominant and stigmatizing representation of it by common sense and the media as a reductionist downward and one-way experience that is valueless and offers no possibility for personal growth. The findings regarding the communal level of identity show that narratives can help the narrators to create bonds of solidarity of an experience that is often marginalized.

Black excellence: the affective experiences of Black working-class young people in an English secondary school

ABSTRACT Affect and habitus are used in the paper to harness the intermingling of race and class in the young people’s everyday identity practices at school, as they aspire to embody ‘Black excellence’. This paper draws on ethnographic data collected with working-class Black-British young people aged between 16 and 18. Through the careful management of identity and reputation, the young people in this paper negotiate affective struggles to attain and secure a high academic status within a deeply neoliberalised school context. The paper argues that the identity discourse of ‘Black excellence’ connects dimensions of class and race in the young people’s identity work. Black excellence is described as classed and racialised reflexivity which helped the young people pivot their identity as they sought to maximise their educational opportunities to transition into elite universities.

Research on the impact of land transfer out on the citizenship identity of migrant workers: evidence from China

Enhancing the citizenship identity (CI) of migrant workers (MW) is a crucial avenue for fostering the development of new urbanization. This paper, based on data from the China Migrants Dynamic Survey (CMDS), examines the impact and mechanisms of land transfer out (LTO) on the CI of MW. The study finds that LTO significantly promotes the CI of MW. After addressing endogeneity issues and performing robustness checks, the conclusions remain significantly valid. Mechanism tests reveal that LTO can notably increase the degree of family reunification and boost total household income, both of which substantially elevate the CI of MW.

“I’m a Monster, but I’m Not a Monster”: Symbolic and Social Identity Work Among Child Sexual Exploitation Material Users

Child sexual exploitation material (CSEM) users elicit strong negative reactions from society and people within their networks. There are symbolic and social boundaries that these individuals have transgressed, and subsequent identity work involves the negotiation of self and self-presentation. This article combines results from two studies to explore negotiation of identity, symbolic and social boundaries, and associated narratives among 103 CSEM users. One study was an anthropological ethnography with 17 months of UK fieldwork in community-based group programs, and the other involved four months of interviews in sexual offense treatment units of a US prison. Participants’ identity work had commonalities: distinguishing between acts vs identities; differentiating crimes from identities; comparing offenses to others viewed as worse; framing childhood experiences as influencing offending; and situating both offending and post-offending identities within larger society. Results are discussed in the context of debates about risk, treatment, prevention, harm, denial/downplay/minimization, and reintegration. Furthermore, we highlight how identity work occurs within potentially competing/contrasting personal, judicial, treatment, media, and societal reactions to and expectations of individuals who have committed sexual offenses. Finally, we demonstrate the methodological and analytical value of cross-disciplinary comparative qualitative research by showing similarities across participants from different countries, settings, timeframes, and interventions.

‘Re-coupling site’ of social media and the workplace in digital nomadism: Chinese female workers’ self-produced vlogs with class and gender connotations

ABSTRACT We observe that a new, minor genre of resistance has emerged among female worker vloggers. Whether working in manufacturing plants or on construction sites, these female worker vloggers actively produce videos about the laughter and tears of their work lives. Their workplaces constitute the central source of their daily vlog production. We develop a concept of ‘re-coupling site’ to explore how these female vloggers transform conventional workplaces into novel digital sites, simultaneously turning themselves into digital laborers, to articulate their voices, perform their work identities, and enact their daily resistance. This concept helps induce a new interpretation of place and placed experience to fashion our understanding of working-class digital nomadism in the Global South context, where digital and cultural production can happen at work. Perhaps more importantly, the class and gender experiences articulated in their vlogs have been translated into collective practices that potentially foreground the formation of class-based online communities.

Beyond the academic imposter syndrome: A feminist relational discourse analysis of accounts of (un)belonging from UK working-class women academics

ABSTRACT Previous research utilised discourse analysis to explore institutional ideal worker discourse to find that it shapes (un)belonging and shores up an unequal and stratified academy via intersecting classed and gendered discourse. This paper develops this work by utilising Feminist Relational Discourse Analysis (FRDA) on interview data from 12, one-to-one semi-structured interviews with working-class women academics employed in UK Higher Education institutions. This analysis, first, identified a dominant discourse; ‘being a fish out of water’ that drew on a contemporary iteration of the ‘psy complex’ construction of the ‘imposter syndrome’ to obscure systems of power underpinned by gendered and classed portrayals of who embodies the ideal academic. Second, the analysis produced I Poems which uncovered hidden accounts of how this dominant discourse silences via a coupling with sufficient/deficient academic discourse to individualise – and make private – shameful and painful emotional experiences of unbelonging. Conversely, simultaneously voiced accounts attempted to resist and rally against individualised deficient constructions. This study evidences the utility of FRDA to uncover the unheard and silenced voiced accounts that are intimately connected to discursive systems of gendered and classed power, while illuminating counter-narratives that challenge individualised discourse of inequalities to claim rightful citizenship in the UK Academy.

Salesperson intra-career mobility perceptions: Exploring the role of professional versus organizational identities

Salesperson career paths have evolved from traditional to boundaryless models, as salespeople are moving between sales organizations with greater frequency. In this new landscape, it is crucial to consider how salespeople’s perceptions of their employers and the sales profession impact their mobility. While previous research has focused on salesperson identification with their organization, identification with the profession remains largely unexplored. To address this gap, the authors conducted semi-structured interviews with 57 sales professionals to better understand their work identities. They offer a theoretical model illustrating how professional and organizational identities become more or less salient, influencing intra-career mobility (i.e., job movement within the sales profession). When salespeople experienced a mismatch between their work realities and desired identities, they redefined their sales roles around a core work value. This process shifted their focus towards their professional identity over their organizational identity, affecting their perceptions of mobility within the sales profession.

The mobilisation of self-created workplace artifacts for management accountants’ identity work

This paper investigates how self-created workplace artifacts complement management accountants’ identity work towards managers. Analysing qualitative data collected in three organisations, I illustrate how self-created artifacts can support management accountants in establishing identity-compatible interactions with managers through (1) mediating interactions and (2) formalising the division of tasks. Moreover, I suggest that producing artifacts that are both occupations-generic and speaking (Cacciatori, 2012) can support management accountants in establishing identity-compatible interactions. By introducing self-created artifacts as an additional resource for identity work, this paper nuances our knowledge of how management accountants navigate towards the achievement of (fragile) identity aspirations. Moreover, it improves our understanding of the dynamics between workplace artifacts and management accountants’ identity (work), emphasising how artifacts can play a central and active role in this regard.