Mobility and stability: How do tour guides manage multiple identities?

Abstract

Slash careers refer to people working in different occupations with multiple sources of income. For tour guides, pursuing such slash careers signifies a shift toward a new perspective on career choice. Using a qualitative research methodology and an identity perspective in social psychology, this study aims to explore what drives tour guides to pursue slash careers and the identity tension issues that arise from managing multiple identities during transitions between different occupations. First, negative cognitions of the occupation, the awakening of self-subjectivity, and the exploration of self and group meaning drive guides to pursue slash career. Path dependence and compensation are two path choices for engaging in identity play. Second, tangible and intangible social identity cues activate guides’ specific social identity as they switch between occupations. Third, tour guides negotiate their identities through identity work strategies such as sublimation, comparison, and reflection. The findings contribute to an understanding of the process through which tour guides develop slash careers and shift between occupations, and they provide insights for tour guide management.