New Directions in Identity Theory and Research

Edited by Jan E. Stets and Richard T. Serpe

Features chapters from contributing authors who were the original developers of identity theory
In light of contemporary conversations surrounding gender and gender identity, this book provides research and insight into the issues that have captivated the public in recent years
Provides an up-to-the-minute account of the newest innovations in identity theory and research

New Directions in Identity Theory and Research

Edited by Jan E. Stets and Richard T. Serpe

Description

Over the past four decades - and most especially in recent years as issues of identity continue to play out across the public stage - identity theory has developed into one of the most fascinating and active research programs within the spheres of sociological social psychology. Having emerged out of a landmark 2014 national conference that sought to integrate various research programs and to honor the groundbreaking work of Dr. Peter J. Burke, New Directions in Identity Theory and Research brings together the pioneers, scholars, and researchers of identity theory as they present the important theoretical, methodological, and substantive work in identity theory today.

Edited by Dr. Jan E. Stets and Dr. Richard T. Serpe, this volume asserts that researchers and scholars can no longer rely on using samples, measures, concepts, and mechanisms that limit the overall advancement of identity theory and research. Instead, as Stets and Serpe contend in their introductory chapter, "Researchers constantly must try out new ideas, test the ideas with more refined measures, use samples that are representative yet racially and ethnically diverse, and employ methods (perhaps mixed methods) that capture the different dimensions of the identity process." This book is the truest testament to this idea.

In New Directions in Identity Theory and Research, Stets, Serpe, and contributing authors urge readers to think outside the box by providing the road map necessary to guide future work and thought in this emerging field.

New Directions in Identity Theory and Research

Edited by Jan E. Stets and Richard T. Serpe

PART I: INTRODUCTION
Chapter 1: New Directions in Identity Theory and Research: Looking Back and Moving Forward
Jan E. Stets and Richard T. Serpe

PART II: THEORY
Chapter 2: Does Mead's Framework Remain Sound?
Robin Stryker and Sheldon Stryker

Chapter 3: Some Effects of a Stroke on Identity Change: An Autobiographical Account
George J. McCall

Chapter 4: Identity and Social Capital: How to Advance Democracy at the Level of Interaction
Peter L. Callero

Chapter 5: Identity and Exchange: Person Identities and Power Use
Scott V. Savage and Jan E. Stets

Chapter 6: Identity Theory in a Digital Age
Jenny L. Davis

PART III: METHOD AND MEASUREMENT
Chapter 7: The Emergence of Status Structures
Peter J. Burke

Chapter 8: Neural Processing of Identity-Relevant Feedback: An Electroencephalographic Study
Will Kalkhoff, Richard T. Serpe, Joshua Pollock, Brennan Miller, and Matt Pfeiffer

Chapter 9: The Role of Identity Commitment and Selective Interaction Strategies on the Drinking Behavior of Simulated Agent Interactions
Jason Martinez and Ben G. Fitzpatrick

Chapter 10: Time as a Situational Constraint to Role-Identity Performance
Philip S. Brenner

Chapter 11: Distinguishing Obligatory and Voluntary Identities
Mary Gallagher

Chapter 12: Contextualizing Proximate Social Structure in Identity Theory
Fritz W. Yarrison

PART IV: SOCIAL AND GROUP IDENTITIES
Chapter 13: Racial Identity, Racial Discrimination, and Depressive Symptoms among African Americans and Afro-Caribbeans
K. Jill Kiecolt, Hans Momplaisir and Michael Hughes

Chapter 14: The Dynamics of Ethnic Identity and Personal Well-Being: A Multi-Group Comparison
Yasmiyn Irizarry and Matthew O. Hunt

Chapter 15: Reflected Appraisals and Stereotype Threat: Investigating the Relationship between Role and Social Identity Feedback
David M. Merolla

Chapter 16: Social Movements and the Construction of Queer Identity
Shaeleya D. Miller and Verta Taylor and Leila J. Rupp

PART V: STIGMATIZED IDENTITIES
Chapter 17: Stigma Resistance and the Mental Illness Self-View
Kristen Marcussen and Emily K. Asencio

Chapter 18: Deaf Identity and Depression
Michael J. Carter and Danielle C. Mireles

Chapter 19: Stigmatized Identities: Choice, Accessibility, and Authenticity
Brooke L. Long

PART VI: EMOTIONS
Chapter 20: Dispersion of Identity Meanings, Negative Emotion, and Identity Discrepancy
Allison Cantwell

Chapter 21: The Influence of the Ideal and Ought Self Guides on the Affective Consequences of Identity Verification
Ryan Trettevik and Matthew Grindal

Chapter 22: Happiness and Identity Theory
Jessica A. Leveto

PART VII: CONCLUSION
Chapter 23: The Future of Identity Theory and Research
Peter J. Burke and Sheldon Stryker

New Directions in Identity Theory and Research

Edited by Jan E. Stets and Richard T. Serpe

Author Information

Jan E. Stets is Professor of Sociology and Co-director of the Sociology Psychology Research Laboratory at the University of California, Riverside. She is a micro-theorist with expertise in identity theory. Her research is in the areas of self, identity, emotions, and morality. She is the author or editor of six books and over 70 articles and book chapters. She is the recipient of several National Science Foundation grants and has served as a program officer at the Foundation. Dr. Stets is also a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and has chaired the American Sociological Association (ASA) Section on Emotions, the ASA Section on Social Psychology, and the ASA Section on Altruism, Morality, and Social Solidarity. She has co-edited Social Psychology Quarterly.

Richard T. Serpe is Professor and Chair of the Department of Sociology at Kent State University. He is a sociological social psychologist who has been working in the area of identity theory for the past thirty years. His research contextualizes identity processes in terms of differential placement within the social structure. In addition to New Directions in Identity Theory and Research, he is the editor of one other book and the author of over 25 articles and book chapters. Dr. Serpe is the recipient of over twenty funded grants. He has served as vice president of the Pacific Sociological Association and has chaired the sociology department at California State University, San Marcos. He has co-edited both Sociological Perspectives and Social Psychology Quarterly.

Contributors:

Emily K. Asencio
Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice Studies
Sonoma State University
Rohnert Park, CA

Peter J. Burke
Department of Sociology
University of California, Riverside
Riverside, CA

Philip S. Brenner
Department of Sociology
University of Massachusetts Boston
Boston, MA

Peter L. Callero
Department of Sociology
Western Oregon University
Monmouth, OR

Allison Cantwell
Institutional Research
University of California, Riverside
Riverside, CA

Michael J. Carter
Department of Sociology
California State University, Northridge
Northridge, CA

Jenny L. Davis
Department of Sociology
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA

Ben G. Fitzpatrick
Tempest Technologies
Los Angeles, CA
and
Department of Mathematics
Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, CA

Mary Gallagher
Department of Sociology
Kent State University at Stark
North Canton, OH

Matthew Grindal
Department of Sociology
University of California, Riverside
Riverside, CA

Michael Hughes
Department of Sociology
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA

Matthew O. Hunt
Department of Sociology
Northeastern University
Boston, MA

Yasmiyn Irizarry
Department of African and African Diaspora Studies
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX

Will Kalkhoff
Department of Sociology
Kent State University
Kent, OH

K. Jill Kiecolt
Department of Sociology
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA

Jessica A. Leveto
Department of Sociology
Kent State University, Ashtabula
Ashtabula, OH

Brooke L. Long
Department of Sociology
Kent State University
Kent, OH

Kristen Marcussen
Department of Sociology
Kent State University
Kent, OH

Jason Martinez
Tempest Technologies
Los Angeles, CA

George J. McCall
Department of Sociology
University of Missouri-St. Louis
St. Louis, MO

David M. Merolla
Department of Sociology
Wayne State University
Detroit, MI

Brennan Miller
Department of Sociology
Kent State University
Kent, OH

Shaeleya D. Miller
Department of Sociology
California State University Long Beach
Long Beach, CA

Danielle C. Mireles
Department of Education
University of California, Riverside
Riverside, CA

Hans Momplaisir
Department of Sociology
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA

Matthew Pfeiffer
Department of Sociology
Kent State University
Kent, OH

Joshua Pollock
Department of Sociology
Kent State University
Kent, OH

Leila J. Rupp
Department of Feminist Studies
University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA

Scott V. Savage
Department of Sociology
University of Houston
Houston, TX

Richard T. Serpe
Department of Sociology
Kent State University
Kent, OH

Jan E. Stets
Department of Sociology
University of California, Riverside
Riverside, CA

Robin Stryker
Department of Sociology
The University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ

Sheldon Stryker
Department of Sociology
Indiana University
Bloomington, IN

Verta Taylor
Department of Sociology
University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA

Ryan Trettevik
Department of Sociology
University of California, Riverside
Riverside, CA

Fritz W. Yarrison
Department of Sociology
Kent State University
Kent, OH

New Directions in Identity Theory and Research

Edited by Jan E. Stets and Richard T. Serpe

Reviews and Awards

"By showcasing the writings of the most prominent senior sociologists and the most promising scholars studying identity, this volume skillfully demonstrates the importance of identity theory, its ability to integrate different theoretical vantage points, and its broad applicability to an array of social issues. This volume should give us great confidence in the continued vitality and integration of theoretical and empirical explorations of identity." --Brian Powell, James H. Rudy Professor, Department of Sociology, Indiana University

"New Directions in Identity Theory and Research is a refreshing look toward the rich futures of identity theory. Featuring contributions from both legendary identity scholars such as Peter Burke and George McCall, the chapters explore still-unanswered theoretical and methodological questions through application to contemporary 21st c. concerns. Questions such as whether and how ever-increasing reliance on digital communication may affect identity formation and verification, or how the experience of age-related medical crises may partially destroy deeply held identities, or the importance of identity verification in shielding those who are deaf from the high levels of depression experienced by this community, suggest that this volume merits a central place on the shelf of any contemporary social psychologist." --Judith A. Howard, Divisional Dean of Social Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Washington

"In this volume, readers will find an impressive array of linkages to other domains of social psychology (e.g., emotions, trust, exchange, social identity) as well as analytical applications of specific identities (e.g., religious, racial, stigmatized). For the next decade and beyond, this will be the 'manual' for charting the direction of identity research." --Karen A. Hegtvedt, Professor, Department of Sociology, Emory University