Passion in Entrepreneurship: Gender Dynamics and the Role of Identity Centrality

This study investigates the role of entrepreneurial identity centrality in shaping two distinct forms of entrepreneurial passion: harmonious and obsessive. We examine the influence of interpersonal affective commitment and the moderating role of gender. Drawing on identity theory and the dualistic model of passion, we develop and test a conceptual model using survey data collected from 171 entrepreneurs. Hierarchical regression analyses reveal that entrepreneurial identity centrality is a strong and consistent predictor of both harmonious and obsessive entrepreneurial passion, supporting the view that identity constitutes a central motivational mechanism in entrepreneurship. However, the findings also demonstrate that identity centrality operates as a dual driver, fostering both adaptive (harmonious) and potentially maladaptive (obsessive) forms of engagement. In contrast, interpersonal affective commitment shows limited explanatory power and does not significantly predict obsessive passion. The results further indicate that gender moderates the relationship between identity centrality and harmonious passion, highlighting the importance of social context in shaping identity and emotion dynamics, whereas no moderating effect is observed for obsessive passion. Overall, this study contributes to the literature by offering a more nuanced understanding of entrepreneurial passion as an identity-driven yet ambivalent construct, and by identifying key boundary conditions that shape its development. Practical implications for supporting sustainable entrepreneurial engagement are discussed.