The action identification theory talks about the identity of a specific cause for action. It implies that action is carried out based on the existence of an issue that has been previously identified (Aagerup, 2018). The theory is a psychological one and attempts to explain different peoples social activities (Aronson et al., 2019). An example was when I was in high school; I was an above-average student in my class. Everyone knew I wanted to get a college scholarship. In the second year, I spent almost all my time studying and reading academic literature, so much so that it stopped being a chore, and it became fun for me. I would find books on different topics like our planets nature, the stock exchange, and my favorite was space travel. Space traveling specifically appealed to me because our world is so small compared to space and the universe, and I always wanted to know if there was something else out there.
Our school principal hated this because most kids were being diagnosed with obesity, especially those that did not engage in serious sporting activities. He announced that all students would be required to have a sporting activity that would account for at least 15 percent of their overall marks in high school. I reluctantly joined the volleyball team. I hated my new routine but forced myself to go for the daily training exercises at the field. I would get sharp chest pains at times and would have to slow down, but I knew if I did not do this, I would probably not get enough marks to get that scholarship. Through the action identification theory, I was able to do that since my teacher identified my problem and prescribed a sporting activity.
Based on the same theory and identifying a need for me to pass my exams, I refused to show up at the court for practice and chose to do away with my sporting activities during the last year. I had more confidence because I identified that I had lost a considerable amount of weight at this time, so I took the action of improving my academic strengths to get that coveted scholarship in college. It was difficult convincing my principal and coach, who were outraged by this, but my track record was impressive both off and on the field, which gave me a bit of leverage. Unfortunately, I did not continue my education until much later in life.
References:
Aagerup, U. (2018). Accessible luxury fashion brand building via fat discrimination. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 22(1), 216.doi:10.1108/JFMM-12-2016-0116
Aronson, E., Wilson, T. D., Akert, R. M., & Sommers, S. R. (Eds.). (2019). Social psychology (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
