Social Identity

In his often cited essay, “The Formation of In-Groups,” Gordon Allport offers his theory on how the groups with which one identifies directly influence the development of one’s individual identity. An “in-group” is a group where members share common traits such as societal status, religion, values or sexual orientation. All the members are alike in some way and that similarity unites them as a group. Allport suggests that one belongs to many in-groups throughout his or her lifetime. Individuals are born into some in-groups, such as one’s family, race or socio-economic level; this Allport terms as an “ascribed status”. People also obtain “achieved status” in a group such as one’s circle

Identity can be based on many different factors including, but not limited to; race, color, political presence and participation, and culture. The way one identifies themselves can be shaped by their political ideology, their group identity, their partisan identification, their voting behavior and their interest in group activities. However the way one person may see themselves may not be the way they are perceived by others.

The social identity theory is based on four main concepts; social categorization, which is the tendency to divide and categorize people into in-groups and out-group; category accentuation effect,

Explain how individuals identify themselves as belonging to a number of different groups. Give 3 examples:

Social identity theory proposed by Tajfel & Turner (2004) is a theory of group membership and behaviour which has made significant contributions in explaining in-group favouritism, out-group denigration, competition and other interactions of an individual among social groups (Korte, 2007; Brown, 2000; Tajfel & Turner, 2004). Social identity theory can be defined as an individual’s sense of who they are based on the group that they belong to through a process of self-categorisation and depersonalisation (Tajfel & Turner, 2004). In this essay, I will define social identity theory through its three mental processes involved in group evaluation which are: social identification which is a process whereby we are placed into certain

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.

Social structure and social interaction are integral in evaluating a person’s identity. Identities are the sets of meanings people hold for themselves that define “what it means” to be who they are as persons, as role occupants and as group members (PJB article) People are generally influenced by the norms and beliefs of society. A person’s identity is formed through a combination of factors derived from social structure (macrosociology) and social interaction (microsociology). The self influences society through the actions

All throughout history people have used collective norms to place people into different boxes. These boxes come with a list of rules and detailed instructions on how to act and how to look. Within each box, is another group of people being placed into more boxes. The deeper into the box you go the more restrictions and rules you have to follow. These boxes symbolize the different labels society uses in order to distinguish our Identities. The reason why the various aspects of our identity seem different is because of the societal pressure to fit into each category perfectly. However, our generation has been persistently trying to break these restrictive labels by defying the stereotypes that go along with them. By reading my classmate’s identity

The social group we belong to helps to make our identity (Tajfel, 1974). These differences

Many years of exploration on identity has revealed five wide measurements of identity. These supposed Big Five measurements are called:

The social theory perspective that intrigues me is the second process known as identification. After one finds a specific category/group identify with, the person adopts the identify of the group as their own. These identifications then become tied to the person’s emotional being as well as self-esteem. Moreover, if the identity of a person is compromised or threatened, positive and negative responses are likely to occur.

While identity is dependent upon certain contexts and relationships with others, identification is merely a process. Yet identity is necessary for the process of identification because social groups have an element of exclusivity. In order to belong to a social group, one must meet the criteria for that social group (Erikson, 1970; Mead, 1934). These criteria are socially constructed and the process of identification is necessary for membership because one cannot belong to any group unless others do not belong to that same group (Gallagher et al., 2009; Huntington, 1993; Mead,

I find that over the years as we are introduced to new technology and theoretical evolutions, our society’s definition of what could be considered the ideal or “acceptable” identity undergoes many adjustments as we adapt to the new changes our planet endures. Our identity can be linked to everything incorporated in our daily lives: work, social life, home, and more. As mentioned by the second speaker, the social

A self-concept or self-schema, the mental image or perception that one has of oneself, is made up of three types of identities, role identities, person identities, and social identities. Role identity refers to the roles we occupy, such as sister, friend, lawyer, etc. These can influence our behavior by establishing roles, therefore rules as to what type of behavior is expected from us in certain situations. This could be demonstrated as it relates to gender. We might notice more women behaving prosocially because they are mothers and sisters, who are typically expected to be more caring, and so to fulfill their role as “mother” or “sister” they will behave as a prosocial more often. A person identity is a characteristic that effects the way an individual acts. These are typically characteristics such as funny, kind, or nurtuting. Someone who holds any kind of characteristic that relates to helping will be more likely to display prosocial tendencies. Finally, social identities are characteristics about ourselves that we use to associate with classifications. This could be race, gender, or even religion. We can expect that someone who holds a social identity that they are religious would feel more inclined to behave prosocially because they feel as if they need to prove their religious identity. Overall, social identity explains that people will behave in certain ways to uphold or