Cognitive and Psychological Aspects in Academic Entrepreneur Identity and Entrepreneurial Intention: A Systematic Literature Review

ABSTRACT Objective: to investigate the cognitive and psychological variables shaping academic entrepreneurs’ identity and entrepreneurial intention. Methods: a systematic literature review covering 1996 to 2022, using Web of Science and Scopus databases. The analysis involved co-citation network construction and thematic categorization into clusters. Results: four clusters were identified, three interconnected through citations and one isolated. The theory of planned behavior emerged as a framework linking entrepreneurial identities to intentions, explaining how cognitive structures influence entrepreneurial roles. A gap was noted in defining academic entrepreneurial identity. It is suggested to combine the theory of social entrepreneurial identity with interdisciplinarity, incorporating liquid modernity theory and a fluvial metaphor to propose the concept of Liquid Academic Entrepreneurial Identity, opening new research paths. Conclusions: future studies should integrate evolutionary cognitive psychology and social entrepreneurial identity theory to examine how social and cognitive factors interact in identity formation, aiding in developing robust theoretical models and informing academic entrepreneurship policies and interventions.