Perceived Pain or Gain: Role Identity, Gratification, and the Well-Being of Hybrid Entrepreneurs

Title data

Albrecht, Nadine ; Reinecke, Pauline Charlotte ; Baum, Matthias ; Isidor, Rodrigo ; Boddington, Monique Ingrid:
Perceived Pain or Gain: Role Identity, Gratification, and the Well-Being of Hybrid Entrepreneurs.
In: Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. (19 February 2026) . - pp. 1-27.
ISSN 1042-2587
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/10422587261419463

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Abstract in another language

Hybrid entrepreneurship—pursuing a venture while maintaining paid employment—can enhance or undermine well-being. Based on a longitudinal, qualitative study, we identify two distinct trajectories shaped by envisioned future selves: delayed entrepreneurial gratification with cumulative strains on well-being, and present gratification with supportive effects on well-being. Drawing on role identity theory, we theorize how role internalization and identity centrality relate to the well-being experiences of hybrid entrepreneurs and introduce gratification and rationalization as ways to handle strains on well-being. Our findings offer a deeper understanding of the divergent well-being experiences in hybrid entrepreneurship.