Responses to conflicts between personal identity and role identity: Insights into the identity management strategies of entrepreneurs

Abstract

This study explores individuals' identity management by utilizing an inductive approach that builds on grounded theory methodology and 51 interviews as primary data source. While previous identity management research focuses primarily on conflicts between social identities, this study addresses conflicts between individuals' personal identities and role identities. This paper presents an identity management model that builds on key identity factors that are grounded in the sample data. Moreover, four novel identity management strategies (i.e., adjustment, creation, elimination, and enhancement) are introduced. These four identity management strategies enable individuals to solve identity conflicts between their personal identities and their role identities.