Title: Explaining changing individual identity: two examples from the financial crisis

Authors: John B. Davis

Addresses: Amsterdam School of Economics, University of Amsterdam, Roetersstraat 11, 1018 WB Amsterdam, Netherlands; Department of Economics, Marquette University, Straz Hall, P.O. Box 1881, Milwaukee, WI 53201-1881, USA

Abstract: This paper outlines a framework for explaining change in agent identities, and uses the recent financial crisis to illustrate it by comparing two examples of identity change brought about by the crisis. The agent identity theory employed is the idea of a having capability for keeping a self-narrative or autobiographical account of oneself. This is developed in terms of two ways individuals identify with social groups and in terms of individuals performing a self-concept. The two examples of identity change concern sub-prime homeowners and bank depositors. The paper closes with comments on the role of identity analysis in a pluralistic economics.

Keywords: identity; self-narrative; social groups; self-concept; financial crisis; pluralism.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPEE.2019.101726

International Journal of Pluralism and Economics Education, 2019 Vol.10 No.2, pp.208 - 216

Received: 11 Nov 2017
Accepted: 19 Feb 2018
Published online: 23 Aug 2019 *

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