ABSTRACT

Sociologists and social psychologists have noted that social movements have a transformative effect on people’s identities (Yang, 2000). Social-change work helps participants break free from certain structural constraints and offers them the power and freedom to reconfigure themselves and society. Identity in this case is not just about personal identity, but it can be also understood as a collective identity, which is an individual’s cognitive, moral, and emotional connection to a group or organization. Collective identity is constructed in three ways: (a) through the formation of boundaries that differentiate group members from nongroup members, (b) through the advancement of consciousness as a group with common interests as compared with the larger social order, and (c) through negotiation of novel ways of thinking and acting (Taylor & Whitter, as cited in Staggenborg, 2005). When people are part of a social-change organization, they have the opportunity to experience a unique culture and norms that may be distinct from the larger society. This experience of having membership in a social group with shared values can offer organizers a sense of self-definition and solidarity.