The Centrality of Play to Human Psychology: Commentary on Jonathan Adler’s Identity Play: A Speculative Vision for Conceptualizing Identity in the 21st Century

Jonathan Adler’s reconceptualization of identity as play (both verb and noun) is intended as a new framework for thinking about identity—which it is—but it is also a new step in the recognition of play as central to human psychology. Many of the processes he describes with respect to identity have parallels in the play of both children and adults, such as exploration, experimentation, embodiment, enactment, and negotiation. Although Adler’s conceptualization of identity in the context of play (both forms) remains a little vague, his attention to and concern about the shifting nature of identity to include the online world is a significant contribution to our understanding of modern identity. The synthesis of social relationships, social observation, and performance into our consideration of adolescent identity formation provides interesting fodder for identity research moving forward.