Identity Control Theory

Identity control theory (ICT) focuses on the nature of people's identities (who people are) and the relationship of these identities to people's behavior. It also focuses on how people's behavior is an outcome of the meanings people attach to the world around them. People not only name and classify the world but also label each other and themselves in terms of the positions they occupy in society, organizations, and groups. Each of these self-labels represents an identity, which is a set of meanings a person uses to define him- or herself as a group member (e.g., American), as a role occupant (e.g., student), or as a unique individual (e.g., honest). Moreover, the social structure is a combination of the many role and group positions people hold in society, and these positions carry behavioral expectations that people internalize as their identities.

Each identity is made up of both meanings shared by members of society and each individual's own meanings for him- or herself. The shared meanings allow others in society to understand the identity a person is enacting in a situation, while the idiosyncratic aspect of an identity allows a person to enact the identity uniquely. In addition, people possess multiple identities, each of which is linked to the social structure through these shared meanings and expectations. It is therefore through their identities that people are intimately tied to the social structure.