A social role theory perspective on entrepreneurial passion formation

Entrepreneurial passion is a central force in the entrepreneurship process, shaping entrepreneurs’ behaviors and venture outcomes. While prior research has increasingly examined the antecedents of entrepreneurial passion, limited attention has been paid to the social factors that shape its formation, particularly from a gender perspective. Drawing on social role theory, this study investigates how gendered role expectations and social contexts jointly shape entrepreneurial passion. Using semi-structured interviews with entrepreneurs in Germany and the Netherlands, we show that social support strengthens passion through role-based mechanisms such as identity verification and role consensus. Women more often encounter role incongruity and identity-threat cues, but these can be buffered, and sometimes reframed as motivation, through validating networks and identity-congruent exemplars. Men more often experience entrepreneurship as socially aligned, drawing motivation from professional peer contexts. We propose propositions that highlight the importance of inclusive support systems in stabilizing entrepreneurial passion under conditions of gendered legitimacy.