Finding Self in Sound: Music in the Process of Identity Formation

This thesis explores the ways in which music influences the process of identity formation. This topic is significant for academic research because it helps to provide further detail to the ways in which individuals use external resources to compose identity and ultimately understand themselves. For many individuals, music can provide guidance through life, by joining individuals together into social groups based around aesthetic tastes: from which values, attitudes, and worldviews can then develop. To gain perspective on this process, data was collected from eight participants by means of qualitative interview, and assessed using grounded theory: where information was gathered, compared, and coded before producing an interpretation. The results of data show that music informs identity by affirming self-image, and promoting confidence, which in turn allows individuals to pursue identity goals. Implications from this study suggest that the active processes of self-evaluation and identity work should be investigated further by academics.