Shaping Identity Using Social Structure

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.

Society has a way of making assumptions based on one’s physical characteristics. Often at times we categorize individuals to a particular social group. In regard to society’ perception of an individual this however, contributes to the development of social construction of racism. Most people want to be identified as individuals rather than a member of specific social group. As a result, our social identity contains different categories or components that were influenced or imposed. For example, I identify as a, Jamaican, Puerto Rican and a person of color. I identify racially as a person of color and ethically as Jamaican and Puerto Rican. According to Miller and Garren it’s a natural human response for people to make assumptions solely

Further, identity is constructed by drawing boundaries: One boundary that is the same as others and one that is different from everyone else. Self-categorization is the first classification in which one identifies with the characteristics shared by those with whom one psychologically belongs. This is referred to “identifying as”, connoting a perceived self-location in a group. This self-identification can be based on a number of things, such as biology, culture, religion, and ethnicity, and can be both optional and imposed. The second classification is “identification with”, which underscores the potential significance of shared values, often outside of those that are sociologically similar. This also entails learning a group’s defining customs, expectations, and values, and making them one’s own. These core values and ideas make up the third component of identity, which is content. The unique content of a group identity is socially constructed because it is these consensual decisions that shape and reinforce the accepted criteria for membership in the group. While social identities are not automatically political, they can be politicized when

Social identities have a lot of significance on people’s lives today. People have adopted these norms of behaviors, the values and beliefs which come along with social identities. Various groups within the society have different expectations and standards of behavior which are now seen as a completely natural thing rather than just beliefs. There are different norms of social identities which include the race/ethnicity, religion, class, gender and sexuality. This paper will focus more on the class and gender social identities.

The social identity theory is a theory developed by Henry Tajfel, in which Tajfel believes that who we are socially determines how many positive feelings we have towards ourselves. Basically, if we like where we stand socially, then we will like who we are and display happiness. In this theory, Tajfel labels the “in group” and the “out group” and says that we will always compare our “in group” to another’s “out group.” By comparing these groups, we develop a better personal view on ourselves (King, 2009). A big factor of the social identity theory is that the groups will tend to critique the differences of the groups, and overlook the similarities. A modern day example of the social identity theory would be your everyday high school cheerleaders versus band members. The cheerleaders think of themselves as the queen bees of the school,

One could argue that this then inflates our sense of belonging in the world if we feel that there are others who share similar values to us. This then strengthens our resolve by essentially confirming that we are engaging in the right behaviours and holding the right ideals as we associate ourselves with others who feel the same as we do. This then leads them to strengthen our tenacity of in-group favouritism by rewarding our prejudiced behaviours. A positive outcome of this is that it can have a flow on effect to our altruistic nature as human beings and we would be more likely to help those with whom we feel a certain affiliation. It is in this regard that the Social Identity Theory can yield positive results through a framework of philanthropic behaviour and support for in-group members. The converse of this behaviour is that we see an increase in negative behaviours towards those with whom we feel have conflicting goals and essentially belong to an “out group”.

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.

According to social identification theory, an individual’s personal identity is for an important part derived from his or her (perceived) membership of a social group (Tajfel and Turner, 1979). Social identification occurs when one experiences a certain level of oneness with the group, which leads to thoughts, feelings, and expectations that are consistent with the group (Hogg, Terry, and White 1995). Such a group is comprised of individuals who share a common social identification or see themselves as part of the same social category (Stets and Burke, 2000). However, it is not a requirement that group members meet face-to-face for social identification to occur; it can also be developed without any social interaction, for example in the case

People occupy more than one role at any given time in their daily lives, as a consequence, can lead to role strain. Role strain is when the expectations of one role affect the role expectations of another (Kahn & Fellows, 2013; McEwen & Wills, 2010). For example, a foster mother, who is also a lawyer, has to take off from work to stay at home with a foster child who has been suspended from school. The role strain in this example is the foster mother is not able to be in court to carry out the role of a lawyer, because she is at home in the role of a foster mother. Unfortunately, role strain can lead to role conflict. RT explains that role conflict occurs when the expectations of one or more roles are not compatible with another role (Kahn & Fellows, 2013;

Identity in a sociological sense is more than individual genetics or individuality. Self identity is made up by many characteristics including; our personal experiences, beliefs, socio-economic status and other factors. Society plays a huge role in determining identity, although true identity generally isn’t a true reflection of an individual’s self identity. Over the generations there have been

Growing up the majority of society wished to be an adult just do things when and wherever they wanted. However, growing older and becoming an adult has made many people realize growing up is not all fun. Sociologist helps us identify the struggle of balancing all the roles in our life through role-strain or role conflict. Role strain is the tension experienced when there are contradictory expectations within one role. Moreover, role conflict is the experienced when we occupy two or more roles with contradictory expectations. With roles comes status. Also with status comes either achieved or ascribed. Achieved status is the status we earn, and ascribed status is an unborn status things we can not change. As mentioned before, we all have roles

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.

In most case, identity is shaped by culture. Since culture is a set of ideals life practices, routines and attitudes set up by a certain community hence culture plays a major role in shaping the identity of an individual. An individual’s character and attributes can be because of their background. This is due to the set up that one has grown up (Dumas 19). People tend to learn more about their culture, and as they grow up it becomes part of them. They embrace the culture’s beliefs and tend to do things following the set routines. The aspect of following the set routine and beliefs play a significant part in shaping the identity of an individual.

While the parameters and construct of an in-group may vary between and across cultures, most people associate and interact positively with fairly small cliques within the context of their own social or cultural groups. Cultural identity for example is the latch that fastens an individual to a specific group. Furthermore, social and cultural groups play a key role in defining and promoting human behaviors. Ones’ social identity codifies the sense of self which is determined by their group

Role strain is the conflict of issues within a role while role conflict is a conflict between roles. An example of role strain is when an employee is expected to have completed a project, however, if the project is done well it will force another co-worker out of the potion. This is a strain because the employee is expected to do their best, however, they do not want to put the other employee in danger of losing their job. Role conflict is different because it is a conflict between all the different roles one has. An example of this conflict is having to stay home with a sick child, the parent role, and having to be at work for an important presentation, the employee role. These two are in direct conflict with each