Discovery Versus Constructivist Interpretations of Identity Formation: Consideration of Additional Implications

Abstract

The discovery and creation metaphors of identity formation respectively, are considered within the broader contexts of vitalistic and organismic philosophic assumptions about human development. Individual responsibility and accountability, it is argued, tends to be minimal according to the discovery view. Since one's true self or daimon is predetermined, the individual's role is limited to understanding and realizing that inner essence. From a constructivist view, however, individuals are more responsible for actively determining who they think they "really" are; one fixed answer does not preexist. The philosophic underpinnings of the discovery metaphor imply a dualistic conception of human nature that precludes the scientific investigation of potentially falsifiable hypotheses. The possibility is considered that individuals may have direct introspective access to their true selves, and that verbal reports can serve as the basis for operationalizing their identities.