Context and Identity Formation

Abstract

This article examines the possible implications of reintegrating the concept of context into identity theory. Through the analysis of a case study of one individual attempting to form an identity within the larger juxtaposed sociocultural contexts of premodernity, modernity, and postmodernity, the article demonstrates how diversity of sociocultural context is reflected not only in identity content but also in identity structure, suggesting multiple diverse identity structures and developmental trajectories. Erikson’s concept of identity configuration is reintroduced as a concept that can deal with the diversity and dynamics of the identity of the individual-in-context. The article claims that identity development should be redefined as the configuration of identity elements in a goal-oriented structure negotiated and co-constructed within context.