Resumen de Feeling misidentified: : the consequences of internal identity asymmetries for individuals at work

Alyson Meister, Karen A. Jehn, Sherry M. B. Thatcher

• At work, individuals have an enduring interest in how others perceive them and a fundamental desire for others to affirm and verify their salient work-related identities. Internal identity asymmetry is experienced when individuals feel misidentified� when they believe their colleagues do not recognize their work-related identities. Linking the identity, self-verification, and impression management literature, we define and unpack the experience of internal identity asymmetry in the workplace. We incorporate theories of cognitive appraisal to delineate three moderating characteristics that differentiate asymmetries (importance, mutability, and valence) and together determine an individual�s proximal coping response and subsequent outcomes of the asymmetry. In doing so we suggest that internal identity asymmetry may be a positive or a negative experience for individuals and their interpersonal relationships at work