Abstract

In this paper, I apply concepts from personal identity theory to understand how individuals perceive their identity standards related to participation in the environmental movement. Using interview data collected from 40 participants in the People’s Climate March, I discuss the contents of participants’ “environmental movement identities” and find a diversity of normative expectations incorporated into identity standards, behavioral expectations tied to an identity. The varied self-concepts found in these data indicate heterogeneity in how people understand their identities that may influence their choices in environmental behavior. The concept of environmental movement identity allows for a more nuanced understanding of the ways that people construct their identities related to participation in the environmental movement, including people who identify as participating in movements for change through private behaviors. This research has implications for integrating identity concepts across disciplinary lines.

摘要

在本文中，我应用个人身份理论中的概念来理解个人如何看待与参与环境运动相关的身份标准。使用从人民气候游行中收集的 40 名参与者的访谈数据，我讨论了参与者“环境运动身份”的内容，并发现了纳入身份标准的规范期望的多样性，以及与身份相关的行为期望。在这些数据中发现的各种自我概念表明人们如何理解可能影响他们对环境行为选择的身份的异质性。环境运动身份的概念允许更细致地理解人们构建与参与环境运动相关的身份的方式，包括那些认为通过私人行为参与变革运动的人。这项研究对跨学科整合身份概念具有重要意义。