Identity Verification

AbstractThis chapter discusses in detail the processes involved in identity verification. Identity verification is consistency between self-in-situation meanings (perceptions of the meanings of who one is in a situation) and meanings held in the identity standard. People control their perceptions of self-relevant meanings in the situation to match their identity standard. When they have difficulty doing that, when they have difficulty verifying their identities, they become distressed and may engage in different behaviors or cognitive processes to resolve the problem. The authors discuss four classic studies on identity verification in some detail in this chapter to show the reader how identity verification operates.