Aims and Rationale: The present study aims to enrich understanding of the professional identity of counselling psychology in the UK by exploring both the individual professional identities of counselling psychologists and the broader identity of the profession as a whole. This will elaborate on the existing literature base and allow the researcher to gather a breadth of perspectives of counselling psychology identity whilst also exploring the issues surrounding the identity development of practitioners in greater depth. Method: The study adopts a triangulation mixed methods design to explore the professional identity of counselling psychologists (Cresswell, Plano Clark, Guttman & Hanson, 2003). An exploratory online survey was designed to explore 1) the training, employment and practice characteristics of counselling psychologists and 2) their perception of the role, contribution and future identity of the profession. Concurrent with this data collection, qualitative interviews were conducted which aimed to explore the participants’ experience of training and working as a counselling psychologist, and develop an understanding of factors that have impacted upon their individual professional identity. Results: Both data sources contribute to the conception of counselling psychology as a diverse and multi-faceted profession. ‘Unity within diversity’ has been proposed as an overarching theme that marries the data sources and highlights the different ways in which counselling psychologists experience and articulate their individual professional identity, and the collective identity of the profession. Conclusions: The findings reveal there is no single professional identity inherent within counselling psychology. Multiple professional identities exist and are shaped by a range of factors. Uniting these diverse identities is a central commitment to a humanistic philosophy and value base. This provides a foundation on which therapeutic decision making is made and clients’ difficulties conceptualised. Whilst counselling psychology’s interest in identity and critical self-reflection has been questioned, this process may allow the profession to remain alert to the changing professional climate and adapt their practice to ensure that they remain valuable and are not overlooked within the field of therapeutic provision.

Background: Usage of temporaries in contemporary business is increasing due to demand for agile and efficient way of doing business. This trend has been rising especially when turning into 21stcentury. Growing group of temporary workers in different industries being mobile and under different circumstances than regular full-time workers. One professional group working with clients in temporal terms is consultants hired as project managers to lead customer projects in project-based organizations. These project managers switch context between businesses and try to adapt as soon as possible to new environments. The paper uses concept of liminality as a metaphor to describe these passages between projects which starts identity work and sensemaking process in individual. Purpose of Thesis:  The purpose of this thesis was to study how project managers cope with liminality using sensemaking and identity work as a point of view. Methodology: This is a qualitative cross-sectional study conducted through semi-structured interviews in order to gather primary data for further analysis and findings. The empirical data was gathered from a Finnish professional service company and consisted ten interviews of consultant project managers. Findings: The study presents a four-field matrix forming project manager archetypes as embodiments of variation how consultant project managers deal with liminality. Although, the group of people in the sample can be perceived homogeneous, it turned out that it contained heterogeneous characteristics regarding the research scope. The main differences found are illustrated through technical or social approach toward work, and whether sensemaking processes occurred in individual or collective manner. Therefore, the study was able to create four different form of archetypes: the realist, the connector, the performer and the moderator.

Studiens syfte var att undersöka om verksamhetstyp och de anställdas biologiska ålder påverkade den arbetsrelaterade identiteten och strävan. Studien genomfördes som en enkätundersökning på ett servicemanagement företag i en svensk mellanstor stad. Totalt deltog 56 personer, som bestod till 98.2% av kvinnor. Resultaten visade att ålder hade en tendens till signifikant effekt på organisationsidentitet och signifikant effekt med yrkesidentitet samt identifikation med kollegor, där äldre visades ha en starkare identitet än yngre. Verksamhetstyp visades ha en signifikant effekt på identifikation med kollegor och en tendens till signifikant effekt för strävan vad det gäller utvecklingsmöjligheter. / The study aimed to examine if the line of business and the employees' biological age had an impact on work-related identity and striving. It was conducted as a questionnaire survey at a service management company in a Swedish medium-sized town. A total of 56 people participated, consisting of 98.2% of women. According to the results older compared to younger participants were shown to have a stronger organizational identity, professional identity and identification with peers. Line of business was shown to have an on identification with peers and strivings in terms of development opportunities.

Studiens syfte var att undersöka huruvida arbetsrelaterade identiteter och ambitioner skiljer sig åt beroende på anställningsform, tillsvidareanställning (N = 26) och tidsbegränsad anställning (N = 22). En enkät besvarades av 48 individer, fördelade på fem avdelningar på ett sjukhus i Mellansverige. Respondenterna skattade de arbetsrelaterade identitetsmåtten: organisationsidentitet, professionsidentitet, medarbetaridentitet, identitetsbehov och identitetskonflikt samt ambitionsmåtten: engagemang, framsteg/karriär och konflikt. Resultatet visade att det finns intressanta skillnader i enskilda frågor, exempelvis att tidsbegränsat anställda i högre grad är nöjda med valet av profession än tillsvidareanställda. Samtidigt skulle de tillsvidareanställda förlora vem jag är-känslan mer om de förlorade sitt arbete, än de tidsbegränsat anställda. Utveckling, högre lön och ändrad anställningsform är det som respondenterna mest strävar efter i denna studie. Studien resulterar i slutsatsen att både organisationer och den enskilda individen har behov, gemensamt kan de dra nytta av varandra och tillsammans förverkliga uppställda mål. / The main purpose of this study was to determine whether permanent employees (N=26) and temporary employees (N=22) have different views regarding work-related identities and strivings. A survey was handed out to five different departments at a hospital in Sweden. The participants valued working identity based on: level of organization identity, profession identity, peer identity, need for identity and conflict identity. They also valued personal striving that included: commitment, progress and conflict. The result showed interesting differences in specific questions, e.g. that temporary employees are more satisfied with their choice of profession than permanent employees. Meanwhile the permanent employees would lose their feeling of who I am if they lose their work, more than the temporary employees. Furthermore, this study’s result also shows that personal development, higher wages and a change in their contracts are what the participants mostly strive for. The study results in the conclusion that both organizations and individuals have individual needs and together, they can benefit from each other and implement goals.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka om anställdas arbetsmotivation och arbetsrelaterad identitet påverkades av kön och utbildningsnivå. Studien genomfördes genom att anställda på ett industriföretag i Gävleborg fick besvara en enkät. De mätinstrument som användes var Basic Need Satisfaction at Work Scale som mäter arbetsmotivation (autonomi, kompetens, samhörighet) och tre delmått för att mäta organisations-, professions- och arbetsgruppsidentitet. Totalt deltog 88 personer i undersökningen. Resultatet visade att det förelåg signifikanta skillnader i autonomi och kompetens relaterat till utbildningsnivå samt i professionsidentitet relaterat till utbildningsnivå. Dessa resultat indikerar att anställda med hög utbildning upplevde sig vara mer kompetenta och självständiga i sitt arbete än anställda med låg utbildning. Vidare visade resultatet att anställda med hög utbildning upplevde en större tilltro till sin profession än anställda med låg utbildning. För kön förelåg inga signifikanta skillnader i arbetsmotivation och arbetsrelaterad identitet. / The purpose of the study was to exam if employee´s work motivation and work-related identity was affected by gender and level of education. The study was carried out by employee´s answering a questionnaire in an industrial company in Gävleborg. The instruments used in this study were Basic Need Satisfaction at Work Scale which measures work motivation (autonomy, competence, relatedness) and three work-related identity measurements; level of organizational-, professional- and peer identification. A total of 88 persons attended in the study. The result showed that there were significant differences in autonomy and competence related to level of education and in level of professional identification related to level of education. These results indicates that employee`s with high level of education perceived themselves to be more competent and independent in their works than employee`s with low level of education. Further the result showed that employee`s with high level of education experienced higher confidence to their profession than employee`s with low level of education. No significant differences existed for gender related to work motivation and work-related identity.

Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka om hög respektive låg Generell Arbetsrelaterad Identitet (AI) hade effekter på Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB). Totalt 147 personer inom offentlig sektor, fördelade över två organisationer, deltog i en enkätundersökning om identitet och frivilligt organisationsbeteende. Resultatet visade på signifikanta effekter för hög och låg AI på OCB, associerat med fyra av de fem deldimensionerna av OCB (altruism, samvetsgrannhet, hövlighet, och delaktighet). Försöksdeltagare med hög jämfört med låg AI skattade OCB högre (p < .01, η2= .16). Generellt indikerar resultatet att organisationer potentiellt kan öka anställdas OCB genom att främja AI. / The aim of this study was to investigate if high and low General Work-Related Identity (AI) had an effect on Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB). A total of 147 people within the public sector, across two organizations, responded to a questionnaire regarding identity and discretionary organizational behavior. The results showed significant effects of high and low AI, on OCB associated with four of the five sub-dimensions of OCB (altruism, conscientiousness, courtesy and civic virtue). Participants with high compared to low AI were shown to express higher levels of OCB (p < .01, η2= .16). In general, this indicates that organizations might increase the employees´ OCB by promoting their AI.

Studiens syfte var att undersöka om det fanns några skillnader i identitet och motivation beroende på kön, ålder (medarbetare) och typ av tjänst (chef vs. medarbetare) där de tre typerna av arbetsrelaterad identitet (yrkesidentitet, organisations identitet och arbetsgrupp identitet) och två typer av motivation inre och yttre motivation (inre = utmaning och nöje, yttre = kompensation och erkännande) undersöktes. Resultatet visade signifikanta skillnader i organisationsidentitet och yrkesidentitet mellan chefer och medarbetare, där chefer identifierade sig mer med organisationen och sitt yrke än medarbetare. Chefer visade sig även ha en högre inre motivation (utmaning) än medarbetare. Vad det gäller gruppen medarbetare identifierade sig män i högre grad med arbetsgruppen och organisationen än vad kvinnorna gjorde. / The purpose of this study was to examine if there are any differences in work-related identity and work motivation depending on gender, age (employees) and type of employment (executive vs. employee) where three types of identity (professional identity, organizational identity and workgroup identity) and two types of motivation, inner and external motivation (inner=challenge and entertainment, external=compensation and recognition) were examined. The result showed significant differences in organizational identity and professional identity between executives and employees, where executives identified more with the organization and had a higher level of professional identity. Among the employees, there was a significant gender difference: men identified more with the organization and the work group than women.

The purpose of this thesis is to identify, describe and develop the understanding of what aspects at work are important for individuals' identity construction. In this understanding-oriented study the empirical data consists of three different groups: middle managers, cultural workers and “Airis-managers”. I have interpreted and analysed the 75 respondents’ stories, and in their experiences found similar patterns. My conclusion is that there are different dimensions at work that may affect the identity construction. My research question: What is it about work that is experienced as important for individuals’ identity construction? can be answered with the five different identity-related dimensions that I have identified: the enabling dimension, the legitimating dimension, the strengthening dimension, the touching dimension and the constraining dimension. All these dimensions, except the constraining dimension, contribute positively to identity construction. The constraining dimension can be compensated if the other positively confirming dimensions dominate. The identity construction for each individual appears different depending on what dimensions he/she experiences. That is why work’s impacts on the individual's identity construction vary. In order to illustrate the developed typology of identity-related dimensions, I created a model that aims to facilitate understanding of what aspects at work that may be important for the personal identity. When raising awareness of these dimensions, efforts to strengthen the most important dimensions can be made. Through their leadership and ways of organizing work, managers may influence their employees’ opportunities to construct and strengthen their identity. Much of the identity research discusses the more conscious identity work. In my third study my empirical data consists of managers’ who have brought artists into their organizations, i.e. conducted an artistic intervention called Airis. My interpretation is that implementing an artistic intervention can be considered as a way to challenge and develop the managers’ identity and be a part of their identity work. This thesis deals with “identity at work” (to reconnect to the title). People seldom discuss “identity construction” but that does not mean that identity issues are unimportant. On the contrary, people often talk about their jobs and their work experiences. What this "talk" really means is what this thesis highlights: Identity is constructed and confirmed at work, especially when others are told about the work-related experiences.