Anneliese Johnson
Abstract: This paper unites political science and psychological research in a cohesive discussion of how individual identity development impacts the emergence of a group’s national identity. The social construction of national identity is particularly important in colonial experiences, where individuals experience a conversion from one definition of self to another. Evidence presented suggests that a national identity cannot exist in a meaningful way without the presence of an internalized sense of national identity at the individual level. Antecedents to a fully expressed national identity, or cornerstones of commonality, provide individuals with critical reference points of sameness when a new national identity is presented, allowing individuals to shed their current social identity in favor of one that more clearly defines the existing realities of their social experience. Rather than operate in abstractions, the significance of individual identity formation for national identity is illustrated through an exploration of demographic and economic changes in colonial America between 1720 and 1763. This article demonstrates that individual conceptions of identity began to shift prior to the acknowledgement of a group national identity, but were critical for its success in fostering and sustaining an independence movement.
