The Power of a Flexible Identity: Success
In today’s society, success no longer means just personal growth or professional advancement; it has also become an indicator by which an individual’s worth is measured. This culture of performance society, constantly fueled by social media, the business world, and the education system, puts individuals under pressure to “do more.” As Byung-Chul Han (2017) emphasizes in his work The Burnout Society, the modern individual is no longer exhausted by external pressures but by their own internal, compelling motivation. This situation leads not only to physical but also to an identity-level fatigue. When identity is tied to a single axis of success or performance, a person’s life becomes much more fragile. This fragility can lead to a loss of self-confidence and self-esteem, depression, anxiety, and identity foreclosure.
The Burden of the Performance Society
The performance society directs individuals to constantly produce and improve themselves. The success stories displayed on social media, the unending work cycle known as “hustle culture” in the business world, and the pressure of evaluation in the education system condemn individuals to a one-dimensional “success identity.” Maslach and Leiter (2016) state that burnout stems not only from workload but also from an individual tying their identity exclusively to performance. An identity that is identified with success is shaken by the slightest failure, pushing the person into an existential crisis.
Identity and Psychological Fatigue
According to Erikson’s (1968) theory of identity, identity is composed of the values, roles, and allegiances that an individual develops throughout their life. However, in the performance society, this multidimensional identity is reduced to a single dimension: success. Students are evaluated solely by their exam results, employees by their productivity, and parents by their children’s performance. This narrowed identity depletes an individual’s internal resources. In Marcia’s (1980) model of identity statuses, being stuck in a single role can lead to an identity moratorium or identity foreclosure. This, in turn, causes an increase in anxiety, feelings of inadequacy, and chronic stress.
The Impact of Social Media
One of the factors that deepens identity fatigue is social media. Digital platforms create the obligation to constantly showcase performance. Even the ordinariness of daily life is transformed into “shareable success stories.” This pressure to be visible makes the “front-stage performance” described in Goffman’s (1959) dramaturgical theory a constant reality. This artificial identity created on social media causes a distance to form between an individual’s true self and their persona. The incompatibility between the real and virtual self further reinforces identity fatigue. In fact, it is not just social media; the inability of people to show and share their true selves in their social circles also causes them to wear too many masks. Society’s constant expectation of success story performances and the feeling that individuals must hide their failures and be successful in every field that society dictates lead to identity confusion.
Cultural Context: Turkey and the UK
The effects of the performance society manifest in different ways across cultural contexts. In Turkey, the exam system focuses young people on success from an early age. The “successful student” identity is presented as almost the only way for an individual to gain social acceptance. In the UK, on the other hand, the “workaholic” business culture leads to individuals being defined by their careers. The common point in both contexts is that identity is confined to a single performance indicator. This limited perspective reduces individuals’ psychological flexibility and makes them fragile.
Identity Flexibility: The Key to a Solution
The most effective approach against the identity fatigue created by the performance society is to develop flexible identity. Identity flexibility means that an individual nourishes their different roles simultaneously and does not become trapped in a single definition of success. Kroger and Marcia (2011) emphasize that flexibility in identity development has a strong relationship with individual adaptation and psychological health. A flexible identity accepts that an individual is not just an employee but also has different roles, such as a parent, friend, creative person, or community member. This diversity increases an individual’s resilience in moments of failure.
Psychological Benefits of a Flexible Identity
Individuals who develop a flexible identity face success and failure more balancedly. Because they are not tied to a single role, a loss in one area does not threaten their existence in others. This supports psychological resilience. A flexible identity also increases an individual’s life satisfaction because it offers the opportunity to derive meaning and value from different roles (Schwartz et al., 2005). Practices that support identity flexibility in education, the business world, and family life allow individuals to manage performance society pressure in a healthier way. For this reason, it is of great importance for individuals to discover their strengths, interests, and abilities and to deepen themselves in multiple areas.
The Societal Dimension
Identity flexibility is not only an individual matter; it must also be supported at a societal level. It is important that educational systems do not evaluate students solely based on exam success and that the business world does not define employees solely by their productivity. When we collectively broaden the definition of success, we allow individuals to develop their identity in a more flexible way. This strengthens not only individual mental health but also social well-being. An individual is a whole with their personality, identity, abilities, interests, and character. When they are evaluated as such by society, a more beneficial picture will emerge.
Conclusion
The performance society whispers to individuals that they must constantly do more. However, at some point, this voice creates fatigue at the identity level. An identity that is reduced to a single success makes the individual fragile and exhausted. The solution lies in making identity flexible. When individuals accept and nurture their different roles, they can more easily tolerate failures and derive more meaning from life. A flexible identity offers a point of resistance against the burden of the modern performance society. At a societal level, diversifying the definitions of success is the most effective way to support individuals’ identity flexibility. Ultimately, identity is not just about performance; it is the richness created by the combination of multiple roles. When this richness is protected, an individual can establish a healthier relationship with both themselves and society.
Source
Erikson, E. H. (1968). Identity: Youth and crisis. Norton.
Goffman, E. (1959). The presentation of self in everyday life. Doubleday.
Han, B. C. (2017). Yorgunluk toplumu (Çev. S. Aksay). Metis Yayınları.
Kroger, J., & Marcia, J. E. (2011). The identity statuses: Origins, meanings, and interpretations. In S. J. Schwartz, K. Luyckx, & V. L. Vignoles (Eds.), Handbook of identity theory and research (pp. 31–53). Springer.
Marcia, J. E. (1980). Identity in adolescence. In J. Adelson (Ed.), Handbook of adolescent psychology (pp. 159–187). Wiley.
Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (2016). Burnout: The cost of caring. Malor Books.
Schwartz, S. J., Zamboanga, B. L., & Weisskirch, R. S. (2005). Broadening the study of the self: Integrating the study of personal identity and cultural identity. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 1(1), 1–15.