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Identity, self and motivation: Steps towards an integrative approach

Identity, self and motivation: Steps towards an integrative approach The article proposes a conceptual clarification of the relation between identity and self in which identity is conceived as a field of self-understanding and the self is conceived as a concept of organized motivational directedness. While the self encompasses motivational agency, identity refers to a non-agentic frame of reference for ways of recognizing and understanding oneself. Inhabited by the life-stories we tell, the memories we have and the life-scenarios we imagine, identity is a psycho-social construction. But at the same time, it is also a manifestation of prefigured procedural self-dynamics related to the motivational structures of the self. When identity becomes a life-issue in adolescence, the formational dynamics of the self will provide a more or less healthy base for the ways in which the individual can establish and develop his identity. Though identity is not as such a motivational concept, it can be very motivating for people to act in ways that sustain or confirm their identity. By focusing on the motivational dynamics of the self, this article delimits itself from giving a detailed account of other aspects of the self with relevance for the subject (e.g. the development of self-reflectivity). The content of the article, therefore, should not – in itself – be considered a full-spectrum theory, but rather as building blocks towards a more integrative approach to understanding the relation between identity, self and motivation. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Nordic Psychology Taylor & Francis

Identity, self and motivation: Steps towards an integrative approach

Nordic Psychology , Volume 64 (4): 14 – Dec 1, 2012
14 pages

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References (46)

Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Copyright
Copyright Nordic Psychology
ISSN
1904-0016
eISSN
1901-2276
DOI
10.1080/19012276.2012.768027
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

The article proposes a conceptual clarification of the relation between identity and self in which identity is conceived as a field of self-understanding and the self is conceived as a concept of organized motivational directedness. While the self encompasses motivational agency, identity refers to a non-agentic frame of reference for ways of recognizing and understanding oneself. Inhabited by the life-stories we tell, the memories we have and the life-scenarios we imagine, identity is a psycho-social construction. But at the same time, it is also a manifestation of prefigured procedural self-dynamics related to the motivational structures of the self. When identity becomes a life-issue in adolescence, the formational dynamics of the self will provide a more or less healthy base for the ways in which the individual can establish and develop his identity. Though identity is not as such a motivational concept, it can be very motivating for people to act in ways that sustain or confirm their identity. By focusing on the motivational dynamics of the self, this article delimits itself from giving a detailed account of other aspects of the self with relevance for the subject (e.g. the development of self-reflectivity). The content of the article, therefore, should not – in itself – be considered a full-spectrum theory, but rather as building blocks towards a more integrative approach to understanding the relation between identity, self and motivation.

Journal

Nordic PsychologyTaylor & Francis

Published: Dec 1, 2012

Keywords: self; identity; motivation; self-understanding; directedness

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