Identity Theory: Revised and Expanded

by Peter J. Burke, Jan E. Stets

The concept of identity has become widespread within the social and behavioral sciences, cutting across disciplines from psychiatry and psychology to political science and sociology. Introduced more than fifty years ago, identity theory is a social psychological theory that attempts to understand person's identities, their sources in interaction and society, their processes of operation, and their consequences for interaction and society from a sociological perspective. In this fully updated second edition of Identity Theory, Peter J. Burke and Jan E. Stets expand and refine their discussion of identity theory. Each chapter has been significantly revised and chapters have been added to address new theoretical developments and empirical research in the field. They cover identity characteristics, the processes and outcomes of identity verification, and the operation of identities to detail in particular the role of emotional, behavioral, and cognitive processes. In addition, Burke and Stets explore the multiple identities individuals hold from their multiple positions in society and organizations as well as the multiple identities activated by many people interacting in groups and organizations. Written in an accessible style, this revised edition of Identity Theory continues to make the full range of this powerful theory understandable to readers at all levels.

Genres: Psychology, Sociology, Nonfiction, Philosophy

307 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 18, 2009

Reviews

[Emma Sea · Rating 2 out of 5]

The 2 stars are for the book as an artefact for enjoyable reading, not for Indentity Theory in itself.

There's nothing wrong with Identity Theory, but this book is not one that will enthuse students about the topic of identity, which is a really interesting area. It will also actively annoy many students.

The book is very, very dry*, subtly racist**, and heteronormative, with examples that constantly reinforce the most traditional and conservative gender roles***.

It also makes vast classist assumptions (which is highly worrying, coming from sociologists):

"Of course, being newlyweds, these are people who are in love with each other, have known and dated each other for some time, and found themselves compatible enough to get married.""

Not recommended.



* Dry

"If Tom perceives himself to be acting more feminine (+6) than his gender identity standard (+4), the output (−2) tells him to lower the degree of femininity in the meanings of his actions, perhaps by becoming more forceful in the situation. Taking this action will result in his changing the symbols in the situation. Because of that, Tom will perceive less femininity in his actions, and, because symbols are shared, others will see less femininity in his actions. If Tom has changed his behavior just right, he will see the degree of femininity of his behavior as +4, which will match his identity standard. At that point, the error will be zero, and he will not change his behavior patterns further. However, if Tom’s actions are not just right, he may perceive the femininity of his behavior as +5 or +3, for example. In either case, his new perceptions still do not match his gender identity standard, and an error signal of −1 or +1 will result, causing him to modify his behavior further . . . if Tom perceives 6 units of masculinity about himself in the situation, he will act to increase that amount if his standard is set at 8 units, but he will decrease that amount if his standard is set at 4 units. Similarly, if his standard is set at 6 units of masculinity, he will act to increase the level of masculinity he displays if he perceives 4 units of masculinity about himself in the situation."



** Racist

The generic characters the authors use for examples are Bill, Linda, Sue, Bob, Jane, Mary, Sarah, Scott the college basketball player, Alice, John, Joseph the store manager, Jennifer and Raphael the lawyers, Rachel, Jane, Dr Jackson the professor, Tom, Marvin the minister, James, "Manuel from the local heating company" and "Hector [who] is a truck driver who delivers gasoline."


*** Gender roles

Mary may find that it is convenient for her to take on some of the more traditionally masculine tasks in the household, such as doing some of the household repairs or taking care of the yard. By engaging in these traditionally more masculine tasks, perhaps because her husband is incompetent at them or incapacitated in some way from doing them, Mary is engaging in more masculine behaviors than exist in her spousal identity. (p. 187)

or

By talking with boys and girls in the relevant grades, [researchers] . . . ended up with thirty-four different bipolar adjective scales that were deemed as potentially important in defining the meaning of being a boy or a girl. . . . The five dimensions that worked best for everyone were soft/hard, weak/strong, girlish/boyish, not emotional/emotional, and rough/smooth. Two other dimensions that came close to being included but were not quite as good were clumsy/graceful and brave/cowardly. With that, it is now possible to examine the responses of boys and girls to the concepts “as a boy I am . . .” or “as a girl I am . . .” on these particular five bipolar adjectives to quantitatively characterize their own location along the dimension distinguishing what it means to be a boy or a girl.

or

For example, with respect to the mother identity, two sets of items are presented: one is positively worded, and one is negatively worded. In the positive set, women are asked how they would respond if complimented for being “Pretty,” “Intelligent,” “A good friend,” “A good mother,” and “Physically fit.” . . .

For the negative set, they are asked how they would respond if told they “Looked old,” “Were a poor student,” “Poor mother,” “Stubborn,” and “Overweight.”

[Steven J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really excellent introduction to identify theory. It is already informing my exegetical work and how I interpret Biblical text for the congregation I serve.

[Silke · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting though technical read, the theory explains how we navigate our various "identities." The research-based explanations included how we maintain and change our identities in relationship to ideas we have acquired about them, as well as how we reconcile conflicts between different identities. Finally, Burke and Stets also explain how verification and non-verification of our identities affect our self-concept and the consequences these have in our emotional states.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, the book is a good medium to introduce students and young scholars to identity theory. I found that much of the analysis and theoretical content is related more to Identity Control Theory than Identity Theory, most likely the result of research agendas and who the authors are.

[Jodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Stuff!

[Harry · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book on defining identity available.

[Jackie Changea · Rating 4 out of 5]

awesome reviewreview review

[Raymond Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

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[Douglas Bessette · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm reading this for work and thus won't be dignifying it with a review.