Identity Negotiation Theory

The term identity in identity negotiation theory (INT) refers to an individual’s multifaceted identities of culture, ethnicity, religion, social class, gender, sexual orientation, profession, family/relational role, and personal image(s) based on self-reflection and other-categorization social constructionist processes. According to social identity theory (SIT), social (or sociocultural) identities can include ethnic membership identity, social class identity, and family role issues. Personal identities can include any unique attributes that are associated with one’s individuated self in comparison with those of others. Thus, each individual’s composite identity has group membership, relational-role, and individual self-reflexive implications. Individuals mostly acquire their composite identity through sociocultural conditioning processes, individual lived experiences, and the repeated intergroup and interpersonal interaction experiences. The term negotiation in INT refers to the exchange of verbal and ...