Beyond self-esteem: Influence of multiple motives on identity construction.

TLDR

Diverse theories suggest that people are motivated to maintain or enhance feelings of self‑esteem, continuity, distinctiveness, belonging, efficacy, and meaning in their identities. The authors aimed to test how these motives influence identity construction. They employed a multilevel regression design across four studies. Across individual, relational, and group levels, participants viewed identity elements that enhanced self‑esteem, continuity, distinctiveness, and meaning as more central, while motives for belonging and efficacy shaped identity definition indirectly through enactment and self‑esteem, and participants reported greatest happiness with elements satisfying self‑esteem and efficacy, underscoring the need for an integrated theory of identity motivation.

Abstract

Diverse theories suggest that people are motivated to maintain or enhance feelings of self-esteem, continuity, distinctiveness, belonging, efficacy, and meaning in their identities. Four studies tested the influence of these motives on identity construction, by using a multilevel regression design. Participants perceived as more central those identity elements that provided a greater sense of self-esteem, continuity, distinctiveness, and meaning; this was found for individual, relational, and group levels of identity, among various populations, and by using a prospective design. Motives for belonging and efficacy influenced identity definition indirectly through their direct influences on identity enactment and through their contributions to self-esteem. Participants were happiest about those identity elements that best satisfied motives for self-esteem and efficacy. These findings point to the need for an integrated theory of identity motivation.