What makes us who we are? Who gets to decide what is seen as “normal” or what is not normal? Where do we get our sense of self and our sense of what other people should be like? The concept of social identity could explain all of this. Social identity is how you see yourself, how others see you, and how society as a whole sees you. It is the social groups to which we belong that we find our identity and also become the way others define us. Whether you are in a dominant or subordinate social group, it has a profound impact on your social identity. What is a dominant and subordinate group you may ask? As Beverly Tatum writes it in her article “The Complexity of Identity: ‘Who Am I?’”, a dominant group is a social group that “Holds …show more content…
You will see yourself as having the highest valued culture in society (most likely) and society as a whole will think of you to be more prestigious because of the advantages that come with being in a group that holds power. If you are in a subordinate social group, then you will probably be seen by others, especially those from the dominant group as the “other”. For example, gay or lesbian people will often be seen as the “other” in society or abnormal because the dominant sexual orientation is heterosexual. The group (homosexual) that those people belong to begins to define who they are to everyone else. Since mainstream culture and media portrays everyone to be heterosexual, a lot of people do not understand the differences in way of life when it comes to gay people. On the flip side, most gay people know what straight people’s lives are like. As Tatum puts it in her article, “Not only is there a greater opportunity to learn about the dominants, there is also greater need” (12). The reason for there being a greater need for subordinates to know the life of a dominant group is because that is what is widely accepted as normal. You could be seen as the “other” in society if you do not adhere to the dominant group’s standard because they have the power in society and unconsciously force their way of life on everyone else. A subordinate group’s …show more content…
Both sides do not believe the other is actually native. One believes that the other tribe is “a bunch of Mexicans” because of their facial hair and the other tribe thinks that the other players are white because of their skin tone (Weaver 2). These tribes continue to find ways to disprove the others’ native identity by saying they do not have ID cards or that they cannot speak their native language. Since these tribes grew up having different views on how Native Americans should look and act, they had no idea that the other tribe was also native. They were socialized differently based on the part of the country they were raised in. The northern Indians looked like white men to the southern ones, who looked like Mexicans to the northern tribe. Tatum’s argument about how subordinate groups and dominant groups tend not to know much about the other subordinate groups’ cultures can be seen through this story. Since the dominant racial group in America is white, the native tribes tend not to learn much about the other native tribes around the country and associate what their culture is like with every other tribe. As we can see, this is not the case since both tribes have opposing views on what
The question ‘who am I?’ raises speculations about who we are as human beings and why we behave the way we do. This is of great interest to social psychologists. One particular theory about this social identity is that it is not fixed or innate but that it is something that changes over time and is constructed through our social interactions with other people. This essay will explicate the idea of socially constructed identities and consider the evidence for and against this view with examples of research studies from both social constructionism (Phoenix, 2007) and Social Identity Theory (SIT) (Turner and Brown, 1978).
At many points in life one may ask themselves, who am I, how do I see myself versus how do others see me? The question is very complex today as it was in the Old World Diaspora such as in the Indian Ocean, Egypt and Nubia. Identity is a very wide and broad concept influenced and based on seven factors that constantly evolve and change over time. The seven factors are race/ethnicity, gender, religion, socio economic status, sexual orientation, age, and physical/mental ability. Within these seven are gender and sexuality and they are some of the main contributors that forms one’s identity. The formation of identify starts from birth and has influences from the seven factors as well as life experiences. Gender as well as sexuality are sole indicators
People go through many obstacles when they face their social identity. Some can overcome their differences, but others may not have they change to even face them due to the treatment that they get from society. Social identity is the one of many controversial and complex problems that many individuals deal with. Because, sometimes it used to be misunderstood making reference to racism and/or others complex matters. “On Being a Cripple” and “How It Feels to Be Colored” are two essays in which both characters suffer from some kind of discrimination. Indeed, in “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” by Zora Neale Hurston and “On Being a Cripple” by Nancy Mairs, each author shows different attitude, endures challenges, and change toward social identity.
For many of us, when asked “what social group do you fit in?” it may not take much time to identify our place in the society. Some people may respond being apart of a higher class, an artistic crowd, or just look around to their friends to say “I’m with these guys”. Being social may come as natural to most of us, yet why be social? Why be apart of a crowd? And how do the people you associate with affect you? Thinking about why your friend is your friend can help answer these questions. For instance, I became very close friends with someone at my school because they work at Chipotle. My reasoning for associating with this person is discounts. It is common for people to form relationships based on dependence, many teens wouldn’t associate with
In the Social Identity Theory(SIT), TT, looked at inter groups relations from an identity perspective. They claimed, layered on top, beside and underneath inter group conflict is identity issues. Therefore, group identity becomes a psychological engine that allows us to understand how group conflict emerges. In this essay I will focus on 3 concepts SIT suggests. The first social comparison and distinctiveness are concepts which give insights about person’s psychology in his group’s affect on it. For gay people, it is obvious that they are not in a helathy place with these 2 concepts. After I talk about instability which is a cognitive alternative that shows gays that their relative position in the society can be changed. Later, I talk about 5 stage model which incorporates macro and micro to explain intergroup relations. I
What do you see when you walk down your high school hallway? Many people will notice cliques, couples, and reclusive beings hidden behind their binder-occupied arms. Where do you fit in society? Are you the judging or the judged, the observer or the observed, or are you exactly who you want to be? Our culture has become increasingly commercialized, the influence of the media on people's identities and how they perceive themselves has become a tremendous force. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote more than 150 years ago, “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” As I further describe Emerson's statement, I will explain how qualities, credulousness, and freedom are vital structures
You are as others see you, yet others do not always see you as you are. With the importance others play on the sense of identity, it's no wonder that peers influence the minds of individuals early on in life. As young toddlers, children do not recognize biological
Many philosophers and psychologist from Jean Piaget to William James have theorized what makes a person who they are, their identity. Jean Piaget believed that the identity is formed in the sensorimotor stage and the preoperational stage. This means that a child is forming his identity as late to the age of seven (Schellenberg, 29) However, identity is strongly impacted by society such as school, church, government,and other institutions. Through our interactions with different situations our personality develops (Schellenberg 34). "In most situations there is a more diversified opportunity for the development of social identities, reflecting what the individual wants to put forth to define the self as well as what others want to accept,"(Schellenberg 35). Therefore, humans, much like animals, adapt to different situations based on who they are with. Individuals are always changi...
The social identity theory is a person’s sense of who they are based on their social
There are many three levels to social structure which include the micro, meso, and macro levels. The micro level is the level that involves just yourself. This is the level that people are usually not ashamed of themselves and are not afraid to admit they are gay or are not ashamed of being a minority of any kind. This level is also the level that one can best feel their identity shaping and forming. The next level is the meso level. This level involves communities such as schools, at the workplace, or on a sports team. This is the level when people often categorize others into groups. One example of this happening was in the video of A Class Divided. At this level there was a sense of community, but also clear categories separating the class. Different eye colors were perceived as ideal or acceptable and if a child did not have that eye color, they were not privileged. In the RDSJ book, Gwyn Kirk and Margo Okazawa-Rey examine how people go the extra mile to fit in with the group standards and expectations. This for example, showed in the video What Would You Do? As people saw the kid stealing the bike, if there was nobody around people usually did not get involved, but if there was a crowd of people, more and more would come. They did this because they wanted to fit in and feel they needed to conform to the patterns of the group. The last level in of social structure would be the macro level. The macro
What is identity? Identity is an unbound formation which is created by racial construction and gender construction within an individual’s society even though it is often seen as a controlled piece of oneself. In Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum’s piece, “The Complexity of Identity: ‘Who Am I?’, Tatum asserts that identity is formed by “individual characteristics, family dynamics, historical factors, and social and political contexts” (Tatum 105). Tatum’s piece, “The Complexity of Identity: ‘Who Am I?’” creates a better understanding of how major obstacles such as racism and sexism shape our self identity.
“Are people born with an identity?”, “What makes us who we really are?”, “Is our sense of identity true?” are very important questions a person needs to ask when questioning their opinion on identity. The first question’s answer is that people are not born with an identity. They create it themselves as they grow and develop. “What makes us who we really are” depends on the influence that other people have had on a person. The answer to the last question is that the way a person views themselves differs so therefore our sense of identity is not true. Hopefully, these answers don’t bring up any altruisms and a final conclusion can be made. After looking into many of the aspects that go into identity, people can develop their own opinions on
Starting with the largest I am a human being; I live and function as a human and not as an animal or plant. This seems a little farfetched to apply as a sub-culture but it is a proven fact that even some animal groups have communities and cultures of their own. Also, there are even some humans who choose to live an animalistic lifestyle. In addition, I am Caucasian or white Anglo-Saxon. This is a large sub-group that makes up over 70% of the American population according to the 2010 census (2010 Census). Speaking of America, I am also an American citizen. These are probably the three largest sub-groups I am a part of and there are many more to follow.
A person’s identity is shaped by many different aspects. Family, culture, friends, personal interests and surrounding environments are all factors that tend to help shape a person’s identity. Some factors may have more of an influence than others and some may not have any influence at all. As a person grows up in a family, they are influenced by many aspects of their life. Family and culture may influence a person’s sense of responsibilities, ethics and morals, tastes in music, humor and sports, and many other aspects of life. Friends and surrounding environments may influence a person’s taste in clothing, music, speech, and social activities. Personal interests are what truly set individuals apart. An individual is not a puppet on the string of their puppet-master, nor a chess piece on their master’s game board, individuals choose their own paths in life. They accomplish, or strive to accomplish, goals that they have set for themselves throughout their lifetime. Individuals are different from any other individual in the world because they live their own life rather than following a crowd of puppets. A person’s identity is defined by what shaped it in the first place, why they chose to be who they are, and what makes them different from everybody else in the world. I feel that I have developed most of my identity from my own dreams, fantasies, friends, and idols.
Sociology describes many types of social groups, and each group is viewed differently. The first group is a primary group member that has a personal relationship with each other or face-to-face interaction. Secondary groups are the complete opposite of primary groups because they involve little to no knowledge of each other. Secondary groups also tend to have an impersonal relationship. In-group are what society use to help identify themselves. The out-groups are more of a minority in society, which are people who are different and don’t have the same interests as the in-groups. All of the social groups have a distinction between one another.