More than an Activist: Identity Competition and Participation in a Revolutionary Socialist Organization

How do activists manage life commitments and membership in a radical social movement organization? Starting with the assumption that activists are ‘more than activists’ who have personal lives that can affect their movement lives, I use identity theory to analyze how competition among identities influences participation in the organization to which they belong. I also assess how the collective identity of a revolutionary socialist organization affects the personal identities of activists. This movement identity is labeled ‘socialist identity’ which must then compete with other identities that the activist may possess. The methods used were modified life history interviews of former and current members, participant observations, and content analysis of the organization’s documents.