Identities, Self-Esteem, and Psychological Distress: An Application of Identity-Discrepancy Theory

Abstract

Social psychological approaches to mental health often emphasize the link between social roles and psychological distress. Idenity theorists, in particular, explain distress in terms of the meanings that roles hold for individuals. This research draws from sociological and psychological models of self and identity to explain how distress arises from discrepancies that occur among aspirations, obligations, and perceptions of role-identities. It also examines the role of self-esteem as both an outcome of identity discrepancies and a buffer in the relationship between identity discrepancy and distress. The results of this study indicate that although discrepancies related to aspirations tend to be associated with lower levels of depression and higher self-esteem, obligation-related identity discrepancies do not predict distress or self-evaluation. As expected, individuals with lower levels of self-esteem suffer more from aspiration-related discrepancies than do individuals with higher levels of self-esteem; however, individuals with higher self-esteem are more reactive to obligation discrepancies. The implications of these findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Self, social identity and psychological well-being

“…Personal identity appears to be identical to how the term self-concept is used -a conscious sense of individual uniqueness (Erikson, 1968); (b) role identities are conceptualized as definition of self as a person who performs a particular role. To the extent that individuals perceive themselves as successfully enacting roles, they experience positive sense of self and enhanced mental health (Marcussen, 2006); (c) social identities reflect identification of the self with a social group or category. The self provides a core structure within which social identities can change, develop, and become integrated intraindividually.…”

Meaning, Discrepancy, and Satisfaction in the Nurse Role

“…Previous IDT research that examined the effect of specific identity discrepancies on distress offers some support for this relationship, as well as the notion that discrepancies between different types of identity meaning lead to specific types of distress (Marcussen and Large 2003;Marcussen 2006); however, for role-identities, the evidence regarding specific distress outcomes has been stronger for discrepancies between aspirational and self-in-role meanings and 556…”

“…Identity-discrepancy theorists draw on the work of identity interruption theory (Burke 1991(Burke , 1996 and self-discrepancy theory (Higgins 1987(Higgins , 1989(Higgins , 1992 to explain how interruptions in normal identity processes can lead to negative individual outcomes-typically specific forms of distress (Marcussen 2006). In identity interruption theory, internal mechanisms work to match a person's individual identity meanings with the corresponding set of identity meanings for a role (Stryker and Burke 2000).…”

“…Identity-discrepancy theory (IDT) also emphasizes the role of self-guides, but extends these prominent theories by accounting for the limitations in each theory; namely, the inability of interruption theory to predict specific distress outcomes that result from a continually unresolved identity discrepancy and the inability of self-discrepancy theory to focus on specific role-identities versus a more global sense of self (Marcussen 2006). IDT recognizes two types of self-guides: obligations and aspirations.…”

“…The theory predicts that discrepancies between one's perceptions of how s=he should be in the role (i.e., the obligatory self-guide) and how s=he actually is in the role (i.e., the self-in-role) will lead to feelings of apprehension and anxiety. On the other hand, discrepancies between one's perceptions of how s=he desires to be in the role (i.e., the aspirational self-guide) and how s=he actually is in the role should lead to feelings of depression (Large and Marcussen 2000;Marcussen 2006).…”