Stigma, or sort of cool

The aim of this article is to explore young adult smokers' constructions of identity, as revealed in accounts of their smoking experiences. A qualitative study was conducted in which interviews were held with 21 male and female smokers aged 18-23. The data were analyzed based on principles from a social constructivist approach to grounded theory, acknowledging the role of language and discourse in the construction of reality. Three key identities were read out of the interviewees' accounts: 1) the performative smoker, a construction related mainly to smoking initiation; 2) the defensive smoker; and, 3) the negotiating smoker. The smoker identities constructed by young adult smokers in this study appear to be characterized by considerable contradiction: a 'split vision' between classical positive meanings of smoking as a symbol of freedom, courage and individuality together with conflicting yet parallel meanings positioned by a strong discourse of smoking as stigmatized, immoral and undistinguished.