Finding Someone to Be: Studies on the Role of Intrinsic Motivation in Identity Formation

Abstract

In resolving an identity crisis, how can better identity choices be distinguished from less promising alternatives? Waterman (1990) proposed that intrinsic motivation, in the form of "feelings of personal expressiveness," serves as a third defining dimension of identity, along with the dimensions of exploration and commitment. Foundations for this perspective can be traced in philosophy to the work of the eudaimonists (e.g., Aristotle, 1985) and the existentialists (e.g., Heidegger, 1927/1962), and in psychology to the work of Horney (1950), Erikson (1958), and Maslow (1968), among others. Findings from a program of research on personal expressiveness are reviewed in terms of their potential for understanding the quality of outcomes to the process of identity formation.