The Meaning of Self-in-Role: A Modified Measure of Role-Identity

The Burke-Tully technique for the measurement of role-identity offers a theoretically sophisticated quantitative measure of self-in-role. Since its development it has been used to explain a wide range of behaviors from a symbolic interactionist perspective. Three general problem areas, however, challenge its reliability and validity: (1) the identification of counteridentities, (2) the use of adjectives to assess meaning, and (3) cumbersome and lengthy implementation and construction procedures. In this study a modified measure of self-in-role is developed that avoids these three areas. An empirical application of the modified measure demonstrates relatively strong construct validity and a predictive power equal to that of the Burke-Tully technique.