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Cited by 1,477Homelessness and Social IssuesCultural Identity and RepresentationManagement and Organizational Studies

Identity Work Among the Homeless: The Verbal Construction and Avowal of Personal Identities

Snow, David A., Anderson, Leon·1987·American Journal of Sociology
DOI 10.1086/228668
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Abstract

This paper elaborates processes of identity construction and avowal among homeless street people, with two underlying and interconected objectives in mind: to advance understanding of the manner in wich individuals at the bottom of status systems attempt to generate identities that provide them with a measures of self-worth and dignity and to shed additional empirical and theoretical light on the relationships among role, identity, and self-concept. The data are from an ethnographic field study of homeless street people. "Identity talk" constitutes the primary form of "identity work" by means of which homeless street people construct and negotiate personal identities. Theree generic patterns of identity talk are alborated and illustrated: distancing, embracement, and fictive storytelling. Each form contains several subtypes that vary in usage according to the length of time one has spent on the streets. The paper concludes by discussing the theoretical implications of the findings and suggesting a number of grounded propositions regarding the relationship among role, identity, and self.

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Authors
Snow, D. A., & Anderson, L.
Affiliations
The University of Texas at Austin (US)
Venue
American Journal of Sociology
Publisher
University of Chicago Press
Published
1987-05
Volume
92
Issue
6
Pages
1336-1371
ISSN
  • 0002-9602 (ISSN-L)
  • 1537-5390
DOI
10.1086/228668
OpenAlex
W2003602430
Cited by
1,477
References
0
Citations by year
2026: 72 · 2025: 65 · 2024: 73 · 2023: 60 · 2022: 68 · 2021: 62 · 2020: 70 · 2019: 78 · 2018: 59 · 2017: 66 · 2016: 74 · 2015: 64 · 2014: 78 · 2013: 86 · 2012: 63
FWCI
17.39
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
American Journal of Sociology (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Homelessness and Social Issues
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Cultural Identity and Representation
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Management and Organizational Studies
Keywords
homeless people, identity work, identity construction, self-concept, role identity, self-worth, human dignity, distancing, social status

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