Book chapter
Values, Personal Identity, and the Moral Self
Handbook of Identity Theory and Research, pp.515-529
Springer New York
02/09/2011
DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4419-7988-9_20
Abstract
This chapter outlines a theoretical backdrop for incorporating research on human values into the study of the self. The chapter takes a sociological, interactional perspective suggesting that socially shaped patterns can be empirically determined underlying the supposedly idiosyncratic notion of “personal identity.” Human beings anchor their sense of self across situations within feelings of right and wrong and the importance they place on various abstract, desirable goals. Values allow the study of this aspect of personal identity and allow bridges to be built with the long-standing sociological literature on the relationship of social structure and individuals’ values. I illustrate how this focus on the moral dimension of values operates at two well-established levels of the self – cognition and emotion – and sets the stage for the broad development of a theory of the moral actor over time.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Values, Personal Identity, and the Moral Self
- Creators
- Steven Hitlin - University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Book chapter
- Publication Details
- Handbook of Identity Theory and Research, pp.515-529
- DOI
- 10.1007/978-1-4419-7988-9_20
- Publisher
- Springer New York; New York, NY
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 02/09/2011
- Academic Unit
- Sociology and Criminology
- Record Identifier
- 9984306341802771
Metrics
25 Record Views