Social Construction Of Identity Essay

Stuart Hall defines identity as an ‘already accomplished fact, which the new cultural practices then represent’. We should think instead of ‘identity as a ‘production’ which is never complete, always in process, and always constituted within, not outside, representation’ (Hall 1994 p.392). An individual’s sense of belonging to a particular group, thinking, feelings and behaviour can also be referred to as identity. One’s cultural image can construct identity; such features as hair, skin tone and height. History shapes our identity.

Most people, unless they choose to be an outsider, want to be considered “cool.” Whether it’s to fit in with a peer group, or clique, or to impress someone in particular, like a member of the opposite sex, or a potential mate. Or possibly to gain something from an individual for financial or social gain (see “Scamming”).

Identity is what defines us as a person. Everyone one on earth has their own unique identity. To showcase my identity, I created a collage of images and descriptive words, called an identi-kit. This identi-kit shows what I feel like is my identity to myself and the others. My identi-kit identifies me as a mixed martial artist. The identi-kit has images of a deadly shark with mixed martial arts gloves on that say mixed martial arts on the front and fight shorts with the words competitor and warrior on them. It also has descriptive words like “killer instinct” and “fight” which describe my spirit. There are three assumptions that come to question when asking about one’s identity. The first is if you were born with this

It is quite uncomfortable and difficult for me to have a discussion about my social identity because I do not identify myself with a specific group of people. I consider myself an open member of our global society. Even though I was born into a Polish household and raised amongst first generation Americans, I do not necessarily identify as a Pole, American, or Polish-American. Technically, I am a Polish American since I was born in America and raised by Polish parents, but that does not necessarily mean that I identify as a "Polish American." If I were to identify myself as one, I would feel as though my identity would be limited to Polish and American cultural and social values. I am not a book that can be neatly and properly stored on

The world has become modern and global. Identification of the self is a complicated, though, an important problem of every individual. Self- identity is based on inner values and reflections on culture, politics and social interactions. The main point is that people label themselves to any particular group in the society (Worchel etc., 1998). According to Ferguson: “Identity commonly refers to which it makes, or is thought to make

A person’s identity may be determined by him/her family background and this is proven evident in the essay “Private and Public Language” by Rodriguez. We live in a world in which identities are determined prematurely without hesitation. This means that even without getting to know an individuals personality the first thing that is done instead is determining identities based on your physical state, family, or family background. As a culture we live in a diverse environment in which the majority of people come from a different place, and as a result many are identified differently depending on where he/she and their family are from. Today’s culture is more diverse than ever, and more and more people are migrating to different countries and settling so I feel like it

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

In recent years, identity has been open to discussion and reflection. One's identity has now been subject to change. There are still major cultural categories of identity, for example:

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.

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.

The subject of identity more fittingly identities, chameleon like character is highly contested and has been greatly discussed in the social sciences provoking a wide range of views in the form of ethnic identity, cultural identity, political identity, and national identity (Diagne, 2001). Etymologically the concept of identity originates from the Latin word “idem” which means sameness. This sameness is founded on culture, shared history, religion, language, and ethnicity (Eriksen, 1996). The language acts as a binding agent when it comes to relations among people; Religion sets a moral standard by which people ought to live by; A shared history builds solid bonds between people as the shared myths and history gives them their identity (Eriksen,

Today more than ever, individuals and societies are built as an integration of different cultures and carry different characteristics that construct their unique identity.

National identity could be created according to many points. According to McCrone and Bechhofer (2010), national identity is not only about citizenship but also about parentage, birthplace, race and accents to speak the language. For example, the survey practiced for people in England and Scotland about the national identities, respondents placed great importance on the accent, parentage and birthplace to tolerate others as the same subjects. It also demonstrated different people especially in terms of national identities level, educational levels, age, skin colors reacted diversely to accepting and denying others with transformed backgrounds. In addition, on process of constructing ethnic recognition, there can be strong influence with what other people mention or reject about them in particular points. Again, sometimes people could select how to behave, generating and reflecting minded picture of the national selfhood, which they expect and anticipate. On the other hand the paper by Wright (2011) is stating that nationality is on solidarity and loyalty to the nation, furthermore ancestry and nativity. It is also indicated that national identity generally is not a simple feeling that people feel like staying in the country permanently, so that it is not easily obtainable and could exclude immigrant, with that, they are supposed to own language capacity and religion reliability depend on the state. The importance points in national identities could change over the time

National identity impacts both a nation as a united whole and the people who belong to that nation. National identity can also become an influential part of an individual 's definition of them self, their sense of belonging and how they look at the world and view their own place in it. Land has usually played an important role in defining a nation. People have a natural affection for the landscape in which they grew up. They are proud of its natural beauties- the mountains, rivers, and forests- and of the towns and cities that flourish there. People are proud, too, of their nation’s history – the shared struggles and achievements that have shaped the way they live today. Religion, culture, race, and lifestyle, too, have sometimes played a role in fostering a nation’s identity. Often, though, a nation includes people of different races, beliefs, and customs. Many have come from distant countries, and some want to preserve their traditional lifestyles. The communal elements of national identity include the country’s own unique and diverse celebrations, national symbols, traditions, food, language, structure of government and the history of national experiences or achievements.

The key theoretical term for this study is cultural identity. The subject of identity – and