The Conjoint Co-constitution of Identity: A New Exploration of Dynamic Construction of Identity

This study attempts to examine the dynamic process of identity construction by adopting the Conjoint Co-constituting Model of Communication proposed by Arundale(1999, 2006, 2010) and mainly focusing on how participants work together to construct identities in interaction.It is found that the dynamic construction of identity is achieved through the conjointly collaborative interactions of participants, which embodies the participants' negotiation and coordination when constructing identities.Identity is, therefore, the conjoint co-constituting achievement of the collaborative interactions of participants and it is "non-summative" in conversational sequences.It is also found that participants make their contributions in co-constituting identities with different degrees of involvement, and that both explicit and implicit ways and discourse strategies are employed in the conjoint co-constitution of identities.In addition, the construction of non-participants' identities shows clear characteristics of the conjoint co-constitution of identity.This study provides a new perspective on the exploration of the dynamic construction of identity in verbal communications.