‘They're big and I is small’: The precarious identity reconstruction process of a low-status occupational group

This paper studies how certified nursing assistants (CNAs), as members of a low-status occupational group, engage in identity reconstruction as they attempt to alter their marginalized position within long-term care organizations. Micro-level process data consist of 160 h of participant observations of a professional development programme for CNAs and 130 in-depth interviews with programme participants and their colleagues in care organizations. The findings show that the identity reconstruction process involved four micro-processes: 1) recognizing the dominance of marginalized identity, 2) seeking an upgraded identity, 3) grappling with identity validation and dissociation, 4) experiencing disillusion when struggling to sustain upgraded identity. By capturing these micro-processes, this research contributes, first, by showing that identity reconstruction in low-status occupational groups begins not from a coherent identity under threat but from a fractured, self-diminishing identity, making the recognition of marginality itself a pivotal catalyst for upgrading identity. Second, it conceptualizes how identity reconstruction centers on identity upgrading, surfacing and legitimizing undervalued forms of knowledge, rather than acquiring new roles or competencies. The third contribution lies in revealing that early affirmations can create a false sense of establishment, even complacency, and deter further proactive “work” in asserting and enacting a reconstructed identity within broader organizational contexts, thereby undermining previous identity work done. Taken together, this study offers a more comprehensive understanding of identity reconstruction processes by members of low-status occupational groups, showing its precariousness.