Since the beginning of time, society has been notorious for labeling each member of humankind, whether this is perceived as beneficial or detrimental. Upon many studies regarding first impressions, as well as human interactions, people have gained insight into labeling, grouping, and judging. Brenda J. Allen’s Difference Matters and Judith A. Howard’s “Social Psychology of Identities” greatly express the emphasis of how people are judged throughout life under various circumstances. Everyone determines a sort of judgment on others whether the act of judging is intentional or not. Regardless of the effort put forth to change society’s judgments, these assumptions are inevitable. Although labeling, grouping, and judging may deem damaging, these …show more content…
Social identity is referred to as “the ways in which individuals and collectivities are distinguished in their social relations with other individuals and collectivities” (Allen 11). These labels are established through experience as well as first impressions. A person’s social identity can tell a great deal about them. Whether these assumptions hold truth is the hesitant factor. In her article, Howard conveys, “Identities are thus strategic social constructions created through interaction with social and material consequences” (371). Social identity can lead to how one is perceived to others, which aids in grouping. When one judges, it reflects more about the person judging than the person that is being judged. In other words, “[…] individuals’ prejudices may shape not only their own identifications but also their categorization of others” (Howard 369). For example, if a person in a higher class of society judges someone for being homeless, it does not reflect on the homeless person’s characteristics as strongly as it does the person in the higher …show more content…
Without superiority, no one would strive for greater success. In addition, self-discipline would diminish. Not everyone is equal, and society deliberately continues to play on the fact that everyone is. Labels make people appreciate things in life that they may normally take for granted. If one notices someone that seems less fortunate than them, they tend to recognize the worth of what they may have. Ineluctably, stereotypes would exist even in a black and white society. If we were all gray people in a world of black and white, people would still consider themselves a darker or lighter shade of gray than the people around them; thus, believing they are superior or inferior to those around them. This being said, it is important to take pride in the labels society has formed. Allen concurs in that she states, “[…] when we value differences, we can help to fulfill the United States credo of liberty and justice for all. And we can enhance our lives” (6). It is easy to dislike a label that society has placed on a person, but it is not impossible to alter society’s
they do not want to do. They will not always bear the impose roles on
Throughout the history of mankind there have been numerous cases in which people were victims of oppression or hate. Among these cases the sole reasoning behind this oppression or hate being based on the perception of others. History has shown that society is responsible for labeling groups of people, generally these labels are misleading.
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).
In learning about different ways that we as a society categorize and divide people, it is essential to understand what about people it is that we feel the need to label and differentiate between. When a person is born into this world, there are certain statuses that they automatically obtain, called ascribed statuses (Henslin 98). These statuses determine each person’s social location in society. This includes gender, race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, and ability. Each person has their own unique social location, and is affected in a different way than the next person may be. As a white, queer, cisgender, middle class, female, in relatively good health, I have always been relatively privileged.
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.
Much of the research on false consensus has demonstrated that people tend to over project how many members of their in-group are likely to share their attitudes and behaviors. This effect diminishes when comparing to an out-group. It is thought that this occurs because people feel that people who they do not consider to share a group identity with will likely have different basic attitudes and behaviors than they.
Bobbie Harro states in “The cycle of socialization” (2000), “No one brings us a survey, in the womb, inquiring which gender, class, religion, sexual orientation, cultural group, ability status, or age we might want to be born. These identities are ascribed to us at birth through no effort or decision or choice of our own” (p.16). I was born into a system, just like everyone else, where I was judged and labeled due to the social categories that I identify with. What I have experienced throughout my schooling has shaped and molded my sense of self and the way that I view myself in terms of my gender and race/ethnicity. I live in a world where I have been both praised and ridiculed for these differing characteristics that seem to define me, but
By creating labels and applying them to individuals, people are expected to fit into certain life “scripts” based on these forced descriptions. Kwame Anthony Appiah, in “Racial Identities” keenly describes “collective identities” and the issues that they cause. The effects of racial identities
Categorizing is a fundamental behavior people do daily to grasp an understanding of his or her surroundings. This includes other people one may come in contact with. By labeling or judging others, a person gains a better sense of that individual without actually getting to know them. The behavior has become so common in society today to the point that it happens naturally without one realizing it. However, this can be also be considered a bad habit, because labeling can also cause stereotypes and hostility towards others. By fully understanding why people label others, one may be more aware of his or her own thought process. Author Brenda J. Allen addresses this issue in her book, Difference Matters, so people can change their behavior of labeling
Many often justify discrimination through the means of statistical evidence, claiming that groups that are stigmatized deserve their treatment by citing negative attributes about them. However, this paradox is frequently unresolved to even those who realize the fallacy in discrimination. Several researchers in social psychology, including Galen V. Bodenhausen and Jennifer A. Richeson, have offered potential reasons behind this happening; “It should come as no surprise that individuals’ attitudes and stereotypical beliefs affect the way intergroup interactions unfold. Indeed, individuals who harbor negative stereotypes about the group membership of their interaction partners often display behavior that conforms to their stereotypical beliefs”(Bodenhausen & Richeson, 361). This shows how those discriminated against are likely to adapt to their societal status, and thus often behave according to their respective stereotypes. From this, one can begin to infer that this paradox is a reinforcing cycle, and that prejudice forms as a result of discrimination. Building upon this trend, in the final chapters of the text, a Peters reflects on the trends and results derived from Jane’s exercises, and how it related to the act of discrimination itself; “But even more pernicious, [the exercise] also illustrates how the results of discrimination tend
"Identity is a dynamic feature of social life. That is, it is something that is constantly evolving and changing. For some people, identity can change rapidly and dramatically, of course, but for most of us our identities evolve slowly and imperceptibly" (Livesey, n.d., p.1).
Some of the strengths of the social identity theory are that; throughout the years it has supported many empirical studies, it has also demonstrated the social categorization in intergroup behaviors, allowed us to differentiate between social and personal identities and has provide explanations for other areas of psychology (conformity). A weaknesses of the Social identity theory is that its application is restricted in the sense that it has very low ecological validity. Another weakness is that SIT favors situational factors rather than dispositional is not supported by evidence. The social Identity theory can be used to how to explain how we form our social and personal identities in the terms of in and out groups. SIT can also be used to explain why there is conflict between humans and different societies.
Wright Mills suggests the social identity of a person must be considered as a compilation of their individual and collective identities. Leaning on theories by Erving Goffman and Anthony Giddens, Jenkins (2004) suggests that the human world can be understood as three distinct ‘orders’: the individual order which is concerned with the self; the interaction order which is concerned with relationships; and the institutional order which denotes the human world of pattern and organisation. Thus identity can be explained as a person’s conception and expression of themselves as an individual as well as their perception of wider identities such as ethnicity, religion, nationality, social class, sexuality etc. In this way, identity is both characteristic of the individual but also to the culturally identical group that has its members sharing the same cultural identity. By assigning ourselves to various social identities, it is theorised that this is the very basis of prejudice and hate crime. This identification leads people to view their social group as superior to other social groups, and since all groups form and develop in the same way conflict can emerge out of the resulting clash of social perceptions (Tajfel cited in Hall, 2013). In this way we can begin to understand how some identities become targets of hate
The Language of Prejudice by Gordon Allport suggests that those who share characteristics such as gender, race, sexual orientation, age, etc. will find themselves being labeled by their external status. The majority of the time, the epithets are primarily conveyed as neutral or even positive. But, eventually be thought of as negative labeling because that is how society perceives categorizing in any way. The author indicates that classifying forces us to overlook all other features of a person. Labeling expands the distinction of a human being and disguises the important characteristics of the person. Allport proves his theory because the thoughts and feelings alter after the students recognize the ethnicity of the females. History and cultures
In conclusion, social identity theory suggests that intergroup members will discriminate the out-group to increase their own self-image. There are four main concepts in the theory and they are supported by studies such as Cialdini et al. and Tajfel. The theory has both strengths such as it is supported by large amount of research and it demonstrates the roles of social categorization in intergroup behaviours but also limitations such as aim of the theory to favour situational factors rather than dispositional factors is not supported by evidence and that self-esteem hypothesis is not longer central to social identity theory. Therefore, social identity theory can be used to explain how we from our individual and group identities in terms of “in” and “out” groups. It can also be used to explain why prejudice exists in all human societies.