Journal article
The identity conflict process: Appraisal theory as an integrative framework for understanding identity conflict at work
Journal of applied psychology, Vol.110(2), pp.149-176
02/2025
DOI: 10.1037/apl0001223
Abstract
Identity conflict—the experience of perceiving incompatibilities between aspects of one’s identity content that call into question the individual’s ability to meet the identity standard of at least one of these identities—can significantly impact individuals’ work experiences. As individuals navigate experiences of identity conflict at work, managers and organizations also grapple with how to support employees’ multiple identities while mitigating the primarily negative outcomes of identity conflict. However, the scholarship on work-relevant identity conflict faces several challenges, including disciplinary fragmentation, conceptual imprecision, and diverse but deficient theoretical perspectives, which together have limited our ability to accumulate knowledge about this experience and to develop useful management tools. To overcome these, we conducted a thorough review of the cross-disciplinary literature, allowing us to offer a refined integrative definition of identity conflict and a reconceptualization of identity conflict as the result of an appraisal process. As we delineate what we know about the appraisal process of identity conflict, we provide a detailed theoretical explanation of its antecedents, outcomes, and responses and shed light on the mechanisms that drive the process. This approach not only enhances theoretical depth and guides new research directions but also equips managers to address and reduce identity conflict experienced by their employees. This research contributes to the literature by offering clarity and coherence to the identity conflict domain, providing theoretical and practical guidance, and outlining promising directions for future inquiry.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- The identity conflict process: Appraisal theory as an integrative framework for understanding identity conflict at work
- Creators
- Heather C. Vough - George Mason UniversityM. Teresa Cardador - University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignBrianna B. Caza - University of North Carolina at GreensboroEmily D. Campion - University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of applied psychology, Vol.110(2), pp.149-176
- Publisher
- AMER PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOC
- DOI
- 10.1037/apl0001223
- ISSN
- 0021-9010
- eISSN
- 1939-1854
- Language
- English
- Electronic publication date
- 08/05/2024
- Date published
- 02/2025
- Academic Unit
- Management and Entrepreneurship
- Record Identifier
- 9984696672702771
Metrics
10 Record Views