Identity Is A Bynamic Process Of Identity And Social Identity

The Social Identity theory (SIT) was proposed by Henry Tajfel. It was then later developed by Tajfel and Turner in 1971 to help them understand inter group relations. The Social Identity theory assumes that individuals strive to improve their self-image by trying to enhance their self-esteem, through social (in and out groups) and personal identities. There are 4 main concepts within the social identity theory all of which will be discussed in the essay.

No matter how much a person desires to live according to their personal autonomy, he or she will never escape the influence of societal forces. Explicitly or subtlety, these forces shape our individuality. One intriguing manner that these societal forces manifests itself in is our name. As Ruth Graham writes, “It’s becoming increasingly clear today that names carry a wealth of information about the world around us, the family we arrived in, the moment we were born—and that they mark us as part of cultural currents bigger than we realize.” Names alone provide evidence that individuals are made by interactions with social institutions and groups. Ultimately, the inescapable nature of society’s influence demands individuals to ponder how much personal autonomy is actually autonomous and to what extent does the pursuit of personal autonomy lead to a life of emptiness and vanity.

Personal identity is essential in the human experience. Identity is complex and can be broken down into two main groups: introspective identity, and bodily identity. Introspective identity is based off of the groups, mentalities, or beliefs that you align yourself with, and bodily identity is based off of the physical side of yourself. Whether physical or introspective, your identity impacts every action you take. Whether choices ranging from what colors you prefer to which college you want to attend are primarily based off of your introspective identity, which is a combination of both memory and consciousness, physical identity impacts how others perceive you. Consciousness is mainly the awareness of bodily identity as well as continuous introspective identify, while memory is awareness of introspective identity. These two different facets of identity are imperative in the distinction between bodily identity and introspective identity. In means of personal identity introspective identity (which is evident in memory), is essential, while bodily identity (based partially in consciousness) has less credit.

Identity today carries the notion that it is affected by the social environment. Everything connected to social affects behavior and cognitive aspects – dreams, aspirations, habits and ways of life – of an individual. The asserted identity of individuals influences the way they form their beliefs, behavior, and dispositions. Hernandez et al (2007) added that place identity is a process by which people describe their sense of belonging to a place as people interact with their place, and thus making place identity as part of personal identity.

There are various kinds of identity (individualized or shared) that people are expected to possess. (Hollinger, 2004) namely; personal identity which is known as a

Social identity theory, it is a person’s sense that is based around the group they are in, either by their personal identity or with different kinds of social identities. That is, people will try to improve their own image of themselves. The theory was proposed by Henri Tajfel. People can increase their self-esteem by both their own achievement and interaction with a successful group of people. This shows the importance of social belonging. This theory is based around three mental processes, social categorization, social identification and social comparison.

Social identity theory is the idea that we, as humans, have the need to categorize ourselves into in-groups ‘us’ and out-groups ‘them’ in order to give ourselves a positive social identity to protect and enhance our self-esteem.

In general we differentiate between two “kinds” of identity. On the one hand there is the so called social identity, which stresses self-interpretation as a member of a certain social group and on the other hand there is the personal identity, which puts it´s emphasis on individuality and distinctiveness. This distinction is widely known as “patchwork-identity”. Both identities are only a subgroup of many different subjectively interpreted identities that everyone of us has innate.

Taylor (2012, p 167) defines social identity as ‘an identity given by connections to other people and social situations. (Often contrasted with personal identity). Some examples are group and collective identities, situated identities, given by the immediate situation so liable to change, and relational identities, usually given by a two-sided, possibly unequal, relationship’. Taylor (2012) argues that a collective identity can be that of gender, race, age and many more. However, this does not mean that once a collective identity has been formed that all the people within that collective identity have something in common or share the same interests. People who form part of a collective identity will still have a personal identity ‘an idea of who she or he is’ (Taylor, 2012, p 170). Taylor (2012) argues that social identity is not completely separate from personal identity. For example some people would argue that being socially

Our autobiographical narratives also support the construction of identity, by using cultural models of self narration as well as drawing on our own experiences, who we associate with, when and where, all have an impact on how we tell our stories (Hewitt, 2007). This serves in understanding how identities are fluid and are always changing from situation to situation, an aspect which anyone from the psychosocial school of thought

Individuals tend to think that explaining your identity is a simple answer, but in fact, it is a difficult question to answer. One way that that one defines their identity is by a person’s experiences or the interactions that they have with the people that they interact with. Another way that a person’s social identity can be described as, is the feelings, perceptions, and thinking that a person has, due to the person’s group memberships. While these definitions are similar and connected to one’s social identity, this writer resonates most with how a person’s feelings, perceptions, and thinking come from their group memberships. In addition, social identity is important because it enables one to develop and help individual’s gain a sense of their self-identity and self-expression. Some popular examples that a person might consider to be part of their social identity are: ethnicity, gender, religion, and sexual orientation.

Many people question themselves, what is it exactly that makes them unique? What is it that defines them as a unique person that no one in the world possesses? In philosophy, these questions do not have just one answer, and all answers are correct depending on which theory appeals most and makes sense to you. In general, there are two ways people approach this question, some say that a person’s identity is the “self” that carries all of their experiences, thoughts, memories, and consciousness (ego theorists), and some say that a person’s identity is just a bundle of experiences and events that a person has been through in their life, these people deny that the “self” exists (bundle theorists). In this paper, I will be arguing that a person’s identity is just a bundle of experiences, denying the self and the memory criterion.

In Racial and Ethnic Relations, Feagin and Feagin explore important matters of Culture and Ethnic groups to better understand the presence of discrimination and prejudices that we see in modern society. It is through their specific analysis of prejudice and stereotypes that we are introduced to this term called ethnocentrism. As they reference the definition of ethnocentrism made available by William G. Sumner, it is described as believing the group that you culturally or socially identify with to be central in society and all the other groups are only seen as something relative to the group that you belong in (11.) This term can be further investigated with the introduction of a psychology theory called the social identity theory. It proposes that discrimination is used to strengthen one’s social identity and improve one’s self-image. Basically, it further concretes the “us” and “them” (or in-group and out-group) mentalities through the attribution of negative qualities to the out-group. It is the presence of ethnocentrism – and the negative implications of the social identity theory that it relates to – that we can best understand and evaluate the structure and social experiences of those who are forced into the out-group positions. This term can be further investigated through the analysis of text from M. Butterfly by David Henry Hwang. It is through his parody of the opera Madama Buterfly in which Puccini pushes racial stereotypes through the actions of the character Cio

The intern is also a Hispanic woman around the same age as the clients. This has been both a good thing for the clients at the same time a bad one. On the one hand, the clients can relate to the inter or feel that the intern could understand them. Even though the clients and the intern are not from a country, they know the cultural nuance. The clients, as well as the intern, have a mutual understanding of the strong family relationships and Latino values of communal interdependence (Miley, O Melia, & DuBois, 221-222). The fact that the intern is fluted in Spanish also helps since Maria can only speak Spanish. Even though there are many ways in which the clients and the intern are similarities, there are too many in ways they differ. The clients are from a Latin American country as where the intern is from Mexico which does cause some disconnect. Some ideas are not shared. The fact that the intern is there on behalf of an agency that was recommended by the school makes the clients at the intern as the expert in many areas. The intern has an excellent understanding of what they have and are going through as far as being an illegal immigrant. The intern can understand the ethical and race dilemmas that they face. As Roger stated, there are many different levels of racism: individual, institutional, cultural and environmental all which the intern and clients can understand together (pg. 144).

Social identity plays a large role in our own independence; it’s the aspect of self concept. Social individualism can be drastically different in each country. Picture yourself in a basic high school classroom, it’s eight twelve and the bell rings for first block. You take your seat as the announcements overcome the school’s intercom. Now you stand up for the pledge of allegiance, not everyone says the pledge, but everyone does stand with their right hand over their heart while looking at the American flag. The difference is with our country anyone has the right to sit down as an individual during the Pledge if they choose to. In most other countries if you sit down during a National anthem or pledge you will face ramification. In today’s society, especially in the U.S; it is more of an open environment to speak your mind because it is promoted to be yourself and voice your opinion. The part of the answer to “ who am I?” The answer comes from our group memberships and our individualism within ourselves and how we fit into society around us.