Motivated Identity Construction in A Cultural Context

ABSTRACT

The present study investigated the concept of motivated identity construction, using a sample of 104 participants who were recruited through convenient sampling. The following motives were selected: self-esteem, continuity, belonging, efficacy, distinctiveness and meaning. These were the motives that previous studies found to be centrally involved in the process of identity construction. The key role of culture in identity construction was also critically investigated. The study used a quantitative approach and employed an already existing questionnaire for data collection. The participants‘ cultural orientation towards individualism/ collectivism was determined by measuring their beliefs about personhood and their degree of religiosity. The data was analysed using independent-samples t-tests and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The study found statistically significant differences between males and females in relation to the motive of efficacy. In terms of age, the study also found a statistically significant difference between the participants who were below 18 years of age and those who were at least 18 years of age when the two age groups were compared in relation to the meaning motive. However, the magnitude of the differences in the means was small. The study did not find any statistically significant differences in relation to the following motives: belonging, continuity, distinctiveness, efficacy, meaning and positive self-esteem between the various cultural groupings compared. These findings suggest that those identity motives seem to be equally applicable to individuals from different cultural backgrounds.