I AM WHO I AM, AND I AM WHO YOU SAY I AM: IDENTITY SALIENCE, COMMITMENT, AND COMPETING PARADIGMS
This paper presents symbolic interactionist perspectives (beginning with early Meadian theory and a discussion of the divergent viewpoints posited by the Chicago and Iowa Schools) to argue that while multiple opinions exist regarding the reflexivity of social interactions on identity formation, the answer must be rooted in a new dialectic that posits a definition of identity as it is based on commitment and interactional meaning construction. Thus, we argue that paradigmatic shifts must be evaluated separately so as to capture the nuances inherent in each perspective, but that it is the influence on identity salience/commitment that represents the most correct approach to behavioral motivation.