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Key points
- Behavior and identity change are often linked, such that changing one’s identity changes one’s behaviors and vice versa.
- Identity change may involve a variety of mechanisms related to self-efficacy, sense of purpose, and sense of belonging.
- More research is needed to determine which interventions are more effective in producing lasting identity change.
Personal identity links who we are, once were, and could become. Though seemingly fixed, identity can be modified. Indeed, identity transformation is sometimes necessary, even therapeutic—e.g., to facilitate modifying unhealthy behaviors (overeating, excessive drinking, drug abuse), or to adapt to new circumstances (life after loss, diagnosis of a serious illness).
When successful, identity change empowers one to overcome new problems and challenges. When unsuccessful, identity fragmentation or identity confusion may result.
So, how do people change their identity? What are the mechanisms associated with identity change?
In this post, I summarize a paper in press in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology, which reviews the potential mechanisms of identity change interventions.
A model of identity change
Many of the interventions reviewed in the paper were based on a theory of identity change called the Social Identity Model of Identity Change (SIMIC).
SIMIC suggests that successful adaptation and adjustment to stressors often requires social identity change. For instance, a man who decides to permanently reduce his hours at work to care for his ailing child may identify less with the role of an employee and more with the role of a father and care provider.
The theory puts particular emphasis on the role of shared identity and purpose in enabling successful coping in response to good or bad stressors (e.g., graduation, marriage, becoming a parent, winning the lottery, retirement, chronic illness). The likelihood of adapting successfully, SIMIC proposes, is higher for those who keep in touch with old social connections, build new relationships, and maintain membership in multiple groups.
Imagine a young woman decides, after years of pursuing a medical degree, not to become a doctor. This means she is now faced with the stressful task of redefining who she is. SIMIC suggests that the identity change and transition will be easier and less stressful if the person is a member of multiple groups (e.g., volunteer organization, tennis club, church) than if her whole identity is tied to being a student or a future doctor.
And if she can stay connected with family and friends from college while simultaneously forming new relationships with others (e.g., with employees at a new workplace), she will enjoy the benefit of social support, shared identity, and a sense of continuity during the stressful transition period.
Research on techniques used to change identity
With this background in mind, we turn to the review paper by Barnett et al. on the mechanisms of identity change. The qualitative synthesis included 22 investigations, such as a group cognitive behavioral therapy treatment, mutual-help groups (e.g., to quit smoking), and an exercise program for older individuals. The most commonly used model in the above investigations was SIMIC. Analysis of the data revealed a list of eight mechanisms.
1. Greater self-awareness. Identity change often begins with the recognition of problem behaviors and their negative consequences. Such recognition is an essential part of 12-step programs for recovery from drug addiction and alcohol abuse. Self-awareness and acceptance are also necessary for integrating a disability identity or managing a chronic condition. Acknowledging, instead of ignoring or denying, specific needs related to a health condition or disability is the first step toward agency and empowerment.
2. Social networks. In most studies, there was a link between identity change and the development of social connections or a sense of belonging. For instance, a mutual-help group for individuals with mental illness facilitated the formation of a new social identity by “encouraging, providing opportunities for, and reinforcing actions that adhered to the values of the group [i.e. mutual help].”
3. Behavior change. Another mechanism of identity change involved promoting behavior change—e.g., through teaching relevant skills, modeling healthy coping strategies, encouraging helping behaviors, promoting exercise, or making a commitment to behave in ways consistent with the identity desired. Behavior change appeared to alter self-perceptions, “leading to a view of the self as more worthy, valuable, competent, and capable.”
4. Improved self-efficacy. Identity change was also linked with the development of a greater sense of agency, control, and mastery. For example, participants in a narrative intervention for chronic aphasia felt that improved communication skills and recall of past abilities and accomplishments allowed them to see themselves in a new way (as more competent and in control).
5. Stigma reduction. Other findings showed shame and stigma reduction might motivate or facilitate identity change. Reducing the shame and stigma associated with, say, mental illness, chronic illness, disability, or a history of crime or prostitution allowed participants to integrate these aspects of themselves or personal history into a richer and more positive self-concept, enabling them to feel more confident in their own goodness, abilities, and value.
6. Greater sense of purpose. Healthy identity change was also facilitated by engaging in meaningful and socially valuable activities, like providing instrumental or emotional support (including to those struggling with the same issues as the individual), dealing with issues affecting the community, contributing to the society at large, or protecting the environment.
7. Access to resources. Greater access to social support, psychological support, and practical resources seemed to make identity change easier. For example, in a study of people with a chronic illness, family support helped patients come to accept their diagnosis.
8. Rejecting counter-normative identities. The least common theme concerned the view that the rejection of socially unexpected or undesired identities motivates identity change. This conclusion emerged from research on the rejection of “smoker” and “prostitute” identities.
According to the review above, some key mechanisms of identity change likely involve one or more of the following: Self-awareness and acceptance, forming connections and creating a sense of belonging, behaving in ways consistent with a desired identity, stigma reduction, developing greater agency and self-efficacy, and finding a deeper sense of purpose.
