Imagined identity, which opens up a variety of future possibilities for language learners, has been theorized from seemingly incompatible psychological and sociological perspectives in applied linguistics. Researchers have thus appealed for a transdisciplinary theoretical combination of these perspectives for a more nuanced understanding of language learning in context. This article makes the case for a synergistic theoretical framework of investment and motivation to theorize the idiosyncratic relationship between individuals' imagined identity and language learning behavior. Empirical findin...
