This volume presents recent advances in identity theory, which is a prominent and active theory in sociological social psychology and a versatile framework for explaining the sources of identities, how they develop, how they operate in situations and groups, and how they influence behavior and well-being. The volume is organized around new theoretical developments, measurement techniques, and research in the field. Theoretical developments covered in the volume sharpen, reframe, and expand fundamental concepts in identity theory. State-of-the-art techniques for measuring identities assess, refine, and update existing measures. New research in the volume addresses both individual processes and outcomes and group processes and outcomes. The chapters together showcase the wide applicability of identity theory to a host of identities, such as the religious, gender, sexual, physical attractiveness, racial/ethnic, parent, student, partisan, and group member identities. The volume editors introduce identity theory and provide an overview of the chapters. In the last chapter, they describe how this volume points to future directions for advancing theory, measurement, and research in identity theory.
This volume is of interest to a wider readership, including sociological social psychologists, sociologists, and scholars in other disciplines (psychology, political science, economics, education) whose research or teaching deals with identities. Graduate and advanced undergraduate students interested in identity research will also find this book accessible. Finally, this is for discerning laypersons who are interested in how identities influence and shape their lives and affect their well-being.
Jan E. Stets is Distinguished Professor in the Department of Sociology and Director of the Social Psychology Research Laboratory at the University of California, Riverside. Professor Stets is a sociological social psychologist who works in the areas of self and identity, emotions, morality, and social exchange. She uses identity theory to understand individuals' self-views, emotions, and moral sensibilities within and across situations. Her research primarily employs experimental and survey designs, and her analytic approach is quantitative. She is the author of 12 books, 100 articles and book chapters, and numerous grants. Her books have been translated into Japanese, Croatian, Polish, and Chinese. Her Handbook of the Sociology of Emotions received the 2008 Outstanding Contribution Award from the ASA Section on Emotions. She received the 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award from the ASA Emotions Section, and the 2020 Cooley-Mead Award for Distinguished Scholarship from the ASA Social Psychology Section. She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She is past director of the Sociology Program at the National Science Foundation, past co-editor of Social Psychology Quarterly, and past chair of the ASA Section on Emotions, the ASA Section on Social Psychology, and the ASA Section on Altruism, Morality, and Social Solidarity.
Ashley V. Reichelmann is Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Associate Director of the Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention at Virginia Tech. Reichelmann is a sociological social psychologist whose work focuses on racial identity, collective memory, and intergroup relations. She uses identity theory to understand how self-views about one's racial group affect intra- and inter-group perceptions, policy support, and behavior. Her research equally employs quantitative and qualitative methods, including survey-based experiments and in-depth interviews. Her research has been supported by the National Science Foundation and the Fahs-Beck Fund for Research and Experimentation. Her articles have appeared in Social Psychology Quarterly, Advances in Group Processes, American Behavioral Scientist, Public Opinion Quarterly, Race and Social Problems, and Sociological Inquiry.
K. Jill Kiecolt is Professor Emerita in the Department of Sociology at Virginia Tech. She is a sociological social psychologist whose research is broadly concerned with identities and well-being. She uses identity theory, stress process theory, and a social structure and personality framework, and most often analyzes existing surveys. She has published research and theory on numerous aspects of identity, including racial/ethnic identity, gender identity, multiple identities, identities and well-being, and identity change, both intentional and from participation in social movements. Her work has appeared in Social Psychology Quarterly, Society & Mental Health, The Sociological Quarterly, Social Science Research, and Personal Relationships, and in numerous edited volumes.
