6 stages of (creative) identity formation
Forming a (creative) identity happens through a number of processes that happen at different times.
Let’s learn a bit about how people form an identity.
Forming a (creative) identity happens through a number of processes that happen at different times and — based on where you’re at in your life — some are more important than others.
de Valverde, Sovet, and Lubart outline these processes really well here. I’ve just paraphrased them below:
- You’ve got the adolescent process where you realize that you’re an individual being
- There’s the identification process where you appropriate traits of others and find patterns and belonging in your community(s)
- The attribution process, where you take in others’ responses to you
- The narcissistic valuation process where you become emotionally invested in yourself
- The conservation process where you try to cultivate a stable self over time
- The realization process where you switch from identifying with your past self to identifying with the possibilities in your future self
There’s a ton to unpack from all of these processes, but that’s for another time. For now, remember that these processes don’t always happen one after the other. They’re non-linear.
And that’s pretty cool because it really reinforces the idea that finding yourself is like a journey or adventure.
What about you?
Which of these processes do you think your creative self is going through the most right now?
Reference
de Valverde, J., Sovet, L., & Lubart, T. (2017). Self-construction and creative “life design”. In M. Karwowski & J. C. Kaufman (Eds.), The creative self: Effect of beliefs, self-efficacy, mindset, and identity (pp. 99–115). Elsevier Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-809790-8.00006-6