THE ACTUALIZATION BALANCE OF ETHNIC-IDENTITY

The authors propose that individuals set limits to the actualization o f their social and personal identities. Two studies investigated the n otion of actualization balance, according to which identity-related de cision making is affected by the actualization status of that identity . The first study found that people are more willing to allow nonactua lization of Jewish ethnic identity to a person who recently actualized that identity than to an individual who has not done so. In the secon d study, American Jewish students were requested to volunteer for a Je wish cause. When participants had previously been given the opportunit y to actualize their Jewish ethnic identity, fewer of them agreed to v olunteer, as compared with participants who had been denied the opport unity to actualize that identity and also as compared with control par ticipants. Previous nonactualizers also showed a stronger motivation t o actualize their Jewish identity in a new situation than did particip ants in the control group.