The authors examine identity strategies of middle-class couples who come under pressure of over-indebtedness. Based on biographical interviews collected in a qualitative panel study in three waves, they explore the question of how identity is worked on in the couple and how identity changes when social decline threatens. The theory-generating analysis brings out patterns of coping with over-indebtedness and self-placement described along the notions of 'continuity', 'modification' and 'moratorium'. Similarly, they explore how lifeworlds are constructed in and with over-indebtedness as a couple.

This book is a translation of an original German edition. The translation was done with the help of artificial intelligence (machine translation by the service DeepL.com). A subsequent human revision was done primarily in terms of content, so that the book will read stylistically differently from a conventional translation.

Dr. Marion Müller is managing Director of the sine Institute, Munich.

Prof. Dr. Patricia Pfeil teaches at the University of Applied Sciences Kempten and is a founding member of the sine Institute, Munich.

Dr. Udo Dengel, Fulda University of Applied Sciences, is a research associate at Fulda University of Applied Sciences and the sine Institute, Munich.

Lisa Donath works as managing director of the sine-Institute, Munich.

Middle class as the study group.- Identity/identity work.- Research process and methodological procedure.- Identity work strategies in the course of over-indebtedness/insolvency.- Crisis of identity - exemplary case descriptions.- Lonely or together? Lifeworld of couples in over-indebtedness.- Concluding remarks and review of results.- Appendices.