In each of these examples, it is apparent that induvial use music as an outlet to make public identity claims “about who they are, who they want to be, and how they want others to perceive them (Rentfrow et. al., 2009). These identity claims manifest themselves in one of two forms: collective identity claims and individual identity claims (North and Hargreaves, 1999; Rentfrow and Gosling, 2007).
North and Hargreaves (1999) analyzed the importance of music to young people to assess why they listen to certain types of music. Nearly 2500 participants at various secondary schools completed a questionnaire about the factors that contribute to why they, and others their age, might listen to pop or classical music. Results clearly indicated that individuals would listen to these genres for different reasons. An adolescent may listen to pop music in order to create an external impression, feel trendy/popular, fulfill emotional needs, or simply for the sake of enjoyment. Responses also showed a consensus among adolescents that people listen to classical music in order to please their parents and teachers. In sum, if a