Identity (re)constructing of (ex)recurrent homeless individuals

Abstract

Exiting homelessness is not only about transitioning to housing, but also about dealing with a precarious stigmatized social identity and regaining self-worth. This case-study explored how (ex)recurrent homeless individuals in Utrecht understood their identity and used identity work through the process of role-exit to (re)construct their identity. The concept of the performative Self (Goffman (1963), the process of role-exit (Ebaugh, 1986) and theory on identity work served as theoretical lens. By means of narrative analysis, yearly interviews of four (ex)recurrent homeless participants were analyzed of the period 2019-2023. Two key themes emerged, reflecting ‘identity work in daily life engagements’ and ‘identity work in engagements with institutions’. With regard to first, findings revealed that 1) participants understood themselves as being able to exit the ‘homeless’ role, allowing them to transcend associated self-representations, 2) they socially distanced themselves from other (ex)homeless individuals to avoid stigmatization, 3) previous mannerisms became redundant or hindering and remnants of the former role where incorporated into their new identities, and 4) participants used status mobilization as a form of impression management to profile and protect their identities. Regarding the latter, it was found that 1) participants felt excluded from society and believed they were only helped by institutions if that was monetarily valuable, 2) they refused help from care facilities as an act of resistance to protect their self-respect, 3) participants creatively used the dependent perception that caregivers held of them to achieve their ends, and 4) when accepting help, participants downplayed the hierarchy and power imbalance between themselves and the caregivers. Overall, this study highlights that the process of role-exit and identity (re)construction should not merely be understood as a process of the (ex)homeless individuals, but also of the non-homeless people because they keep the homeless individuals from changing or transitioning their positions.