Identity and Professional Networking

Despite evidence that large professional networks afford a host of financial and professional benefits,people vary in how motivated they are to build such networks. to help explain this variance,the present article moves beyond a rational self-interest account to examine the possibility that identity shapes individuals’ intentions to network. study 1 established a positive association between viewing professional networking as identity-congruent and the tendency to prioritize strengthening and expanding one’s professional network. study 2 revealed that manipulating the salience of the self affects networking intentions,but only among those high in networking identity-congruence. study 3 further established causality by experimentally manipulating identity-congruence to increase networking intentions. study 4 examined whether identity or self-interest is a better predictor of networking intentions,providing support for the former. these findings indicate that identity influences the networks people develop. implications for research on the self,identity-based motivation,and professional networking are discussed. © 2017,© 2017 by the society for personality and social psychology,inc.