How Does A Social Process Shape An Individual's Identity
Which social processes are more important in shaping individual identity: social structures or culture and socialisation?
What is social identity? Social identity is “our understanding of who we are and of who other people are and, reciprocally, other people’s understandings of themselves and of others” (Jenkins 1996, p.38). There are many social processes that can shape an individual’s identity, whether it is social structures - such as the government, class, education and workplace-, culture –such as family, friends and sub cultures- and socialisation. Which social process shapes an individual’s identity more? My argument is that one social process does not shape an individual’s identity more than the other. Each process shapes identity greatly …show more content…
and at different stages of life.
At the beginning of life we do not have a choice as to which our identity will be. As Ken Plummer wrote “we are thrown into a social world that was quite simply not one we had any say in making” (Plummer 2010, p.2). An individual’s immediate environment such as family shapes identity throughout the first few years of life. Macionis and Plummer (2012, p.653) wrote the family function is “socialising the young, regulating sexual activity, transmitting social placement and providing material and emotional support”. From family an individual is taught to speak, walk and dress. They are taught to interact with others and they are taught values and beliefs, which can also shape one’s identity.
Education is another social process that helps to shape an individual’s identity.
Macionis and Plummer (2012, p.692) defines education as “the social institute guiding the critical learning of knowledge, job skills, cultural norms and values”. At a young age children are placed in education facilities, whether it is nursery first then primary or straight into primary. Whilst in primary children are taught to interact with others, they are taught basic knowledge and literacy as well as right from wrong. As children progress through education they are taught a more in depth approach to understanding the world around them and how it works and how they fit in. In secondary education, individuals may change their appearance or personality to fit into certain social groups or subcultures. This altering may change throughout their secondary schooling experience as the world around them changes. After completing secondary education, some individuals may progress into tertiary education. Whilst in tertiary education, individuals will study a course that will turn into a career for them. Education is a major influence in shaping an individual’s identity as it is the starting block for knowledge, friends, subcultures and
careers.
Culture also plays a large role in shaping individuals identity. What is culture? Culture is the difference between the human species. Although all humans are the same species, we differ in many ways such as the ideas and beliefs of what we think is good, bad, ugly, beautiful, right, wrong, true, false, polite, rude and so on. For example, in China it is a belief that you should wear white to a funeral compared to Australia where it is respectful to wear black to a funeral. Humans create culture, and in return, culture shapes ones identity. Culture entails many things such as language, values, beliefs and norms. Language is a major part of culture which forms identity as most individuals that belong to various countries and culture speak the language of that culture. Macionis and Plummer (2012, p.148) wrote there is an estimate of “6900 languages across the world”. Values and beliefs are learnt from families, schools and religious organisations. Macionis and Plummer (2012, p.150) define a value as the “standards people have about what is good and bad” and a belief is “specific statements that people hold to be true”. An individual is shaped by these values and beliefs as they may influence an individual to make certain decisions and choices throughout life. For example, the September 2011 plane hijackers had a cultural belief that if they were to sacrifice themselves that there would be 72 virgins awaiting them in heaven. This along with other influences and factors may have been the reason why they chose to sacrifice themselves.
The highest possible cultural groupings of individuals are civilisation. Macionis and Plummer (2012, p.145) refer civilisation to “the broadest most comprehensive cultural entities”. Religion is one of the key defining features of civilisation. Back et al. (2012, p.136) wrote “at a level of the individual, religion often provides emotional substance: especially (but not only) in time of crisis, people find tremendous comfort in religion”. From one religion to another, an individual’s identity can be shaped as there are certain beliefs, faiths, values etc, that each religion has which could alter an individual’s beliefs, choices and perspectives on life. For instance, Harp (p.116) wrote a Christian believes that there is one divine power called Jesus, and that he is “the truth” and that there is also a “Devil who is a liar and the father of lies”. Therefore, if you believe in Christianity then you may believe there is a Jesus and there is a Devil and that Jesus is good and the Devil is bad. Christians believe that if you sin to an extent that you could be sent to hell once you have died. This may alter a Christian individual’s choices and behaviours throughout life as they will chose to be good over doing wrong. Many individuals also belong to a subculture. Macionis and Plummer (2012, p.156) define a subculture as “cultural patterns that set apart some segment of a society’s population”. A subculture can be anything from the gays and lesbians, a sporting group such as a tennis or soccer team, homeless people, poets, painters, Goths, hippies and so on. Most individuals belong to a subculture without even knowing it. These subcultures help individuals belong to certain groups throughout society.
An individual’s body image is also a factor in shaping identity. Back et al. (2012, p.91) wrote “social inclusions are determined by how well individuals appear or maintain or fall within their range of body size, shape/form, hygiene, grooming, clothing and dressing”. For example if a well groomed and well-dressed man was being interviewed for a job and he was up against another male with a poor dress sense and poor hygiene, the well dressed and groomed male may have a better chance in obtaining the job. This may result in the well groomed male receiving income, producing wealth and he may even rise in class. Back et al. (2012, p.48) considers class is “characterized by reference to an objective economic position, indicated by one’s occupation, one’s assets and the amount and source of one’s income”. There are three types of class. Macionis and Plummer (2012, p.341) wrote the working class is the lowest class, the middle class makes up between “40-45 per cent of the population” and the upper class makes up “5 to 10 per cent of the population”. Individuals in the working class can be seen as financially unstable and may be suffering from financial difficulties, Macionis and Plummer (2012, p.653) wrote that only “one-third of working class children reach college”. Individuals in the middle class are not seen as financially unstable but are not wealthy either, they are simply average. Individuals in the upper class can be seen as wealthy and financially stable.
To conclude, there are many social processes that influence or shape an individual’s identity. These processes may be an individual’s immediate environment such as family, which shapes ones identity from birth, or it could be social structures such as education, which shapes an individual throughout their schooling life. Whether it is social structures or culture or socialisation, all of these processes shape one’s identity equally and at different stages of the human life.
What is social identity? Social identity is “our understanding of who we are and of who other people are and, reciprocally, other people’s understandings of themselves and of others” (Jenkins 1996, p.38). There are many social processes that can shape an individual’s identity, whether it is social structures - such as the government, class, education and workplace-, culture –such as family, friends and sub cultures- and socialisation. Which social process shapes an individual’s identity more? My argument is that one social process does not shape an individual’s identity more than the other. Each process shapes identity greatly …show more content…
and at different stages of life.
At the beginning of life we do not have a choice as to which our identity will be. As Ken Plummer wrote “we are thrown into a social world that was quite simply not one we had any say in making” (Plummer 2010, p.2). An individual’s immediate environment such as family shapes identity throughout the first few years of life. Macionis and Plummer (2012, p.653) wrote the family function is “socialising the young, regulating sexual activity, transmitting social placement and providing material and emotional support”. From family an individual is taught to speak, walk and dress. They are taught to interact with others and they are taught values and beliefs, which can also shape one’s identity.
Education is another social process that helps to shape an individual’s identity.
Macionis and Plummer (2012, p.692) defines education as “the social institute guiding the critical learning of knowledge, job skills, cultural norms and values”. At a young age children are placed in education facilities, whether it is nursery first then primary or straight into primary. Whilst in primary children are taught to interact with others, they are taught basic knowledge and literacy as well as right from wrong. As children progress through education they are taught a more in depth approach to understanding the world around them and how it works and how they fit in. In secondary education, individuals may change their appearance or personality to fit into certain social groups or subcultures. This altering may change throughout their secondary schooling experience as the world around them changes. After completing secondary education, some individuals may progress into tertiary education. Whilst in tertiary education, individuals will study a course that will turn into a career for them. Education is a major influence in shaping an individual’s identity as it is the starting block for knowledge, friends, subcultures and
careers.
Culture also plays a large role in shaping individuals identity. What is culture? Culture is the difference between the human species. Although all humans are the same species, we differ in many ways such as the ideas and beliefs of what we think is good, bad, ugly, beautiful, right, wrong, true, false, polite, rude and so on. For example, in China it is a belief that you should wear white to a funeral compared to Australia where it is respectful to wear black to a funeral. Humans create culture, and in return, culture shapes ones identity. Culture entails many things such as language, values, beliefs and norms. Language is a major part of culture which forms identity as most individuals that belong to various countries and culture speak the language of that culture. Macionis and Plummer (2012, p.148) wrote there is an estimate of “6900 languages across the world”. Values and beliefs are learnt from families, schools and religious organisations. Macionis and Plummer (2012, p.150) define a value as the “standards people have about what is good and bad” and a belief is “specific statements that people hold to be true”. An individual is shaped by these values and beliefs as they may influence an individual to make certain decisions and choices throughout life. For example, the September 2011 plane hijackers had a cultural belief that if they were to sacrifice themselves that there would be 72 virgins awaiting them in heaven. This along with other influences and factors may have been the reason why they chose to sacrifice themselves.
The highest possible cultural groupings of individuals are civilisation. Macionis and Plummer (2012, p.145) refer civilisation to “the broadest most comprehensive cultural entities”. Religion is one of the key defining features of civilisation. Back et al. (2012, p.136) wrote “at a level of the individual, religion often provides emotional substance: especially (but not only) in time of crisis, people find tremendous comfort in religion”. From one religion to another, an individual’s identity can be shaped as there are certain beliefs, faiths, values etc, that each religion has which could alter an individual’s beliefs, choices and perspectives on life. For instance, Harp (p.116) wrote a Christian believes that there is one divine power called Jesus, and that he is “the truth” and that there is also a “Devil who is a liar and the father of lies”. Therefore, if you believe in Christianity then you may believe there is a Jesus and there is a Devil and that Jesus is good and the Devil is bad. Christians believe that if you sin to an extent that you could be sent to hell once you have died. This may alter a Christian individual’s choices and behaviours throughout life as they will chose to be good over doing wrong. Many individuals also belong to a subculture. Macionis and Plummer (2012, p.156) define a subculture as “cultural patterns that set apart some segment of a society’s population”. A subculture can be anything from the gays and lesbians, a sporting group such as a tennis or soccer team, homeless people, poets, painters, Goths, hippies and so on. Most individuals belong to a subculture without even knowing it. These subcultures help individuals belong to certain groups throughout society.
An individual’s body image is also a factor in shaping identity. Back et al. (2012, p.91) wrote “social inclusions are determined by how well individuals appear or maintain or fall within their range of body size, shape/form, hygiene, grooming, clothing and dressing”. For example if a well groomed and well-dressed man was being interviewed for a job and he was up against another male with a poor dress sense and poor hygiene, the well dressed and groomed male may have a better chance in obtaining the job. This may result in the well groomed male receiving income, producing wealth and he may even rise in class. Back et al. (2012, p.48) considers class is “characterized by reference to an objective economic position, indicated by one’s occupation, one’s assets and the amount and source of one’s income”. There are three types of class. Macionis and Plummer (2012, p.341) wrote the working class is the lowest class, the middle class makes up between “40-45 per cent of the population” and the upper class makes up “5 to 10 per cent of the population”. Individuals in the working class can be seen as financially unstable and may be suffering from financial difficulties, Macionis and Plummer (2012, p.653) wrote that only “one-third of working class children reach college”. Individuals in the middle class are not seen as financially unstable but are not wealthy either, they are simply average. Individuals in the upper class can be seen as wealthy and financially stable.
To conclude, there are many social processes that influence or shape an individual’s identity. These processes may be an individual’s immediate environment such as family, which shapes ones identity from birth, or it could be social structures such as education, which shapes an individual throughout their schooling life. Whether it is social structures or culture or socialisation, all of these processes shape one’s identity equally and at different stages of the human life.