Building on insights from Zerubavel's (1991) version of cognitive sociology and Gagnon and Simon's (1974) sexual scripting theory, this study describes a ''cognitive scripting'' model of identity, outlining three ideal typical cultural scenarios of sexual identification as an example. Employing a variety of data sources--including participant observation, informal interviews, and popular and scholarly media--each type is distinguished through its conceptions of ontology, classification, and temporal continuity. Finally, individuals' interpersonal and intrapsychic negotiations of competing cognitive paradigms are explored.