To What Extent Can We Form Our Own Identities - 771 Words

Are our identities established through choice or constructed for us by society and what is expected of us in line with our gender, class and culture? Can we change our identities to fit in with how we want society to see us rather than how society expects to see us? Firstly we should not confuse personality with identity. Personality traits may be something we have in common with people we meet but identifying with a certain social group is something we choose to do usually as a result of the things we have in common. Personality is categorised as an internal characteristic not a choice. (Woodward 2004, p.6) Identity is, on the whole, how we are seen by society. Our identities are first formed†¦show more content†¦(Woodward 2004, p6). We use symbols so as others will see us in the way we want them too. Hair colour or style will set us apart from some but also connect us to those we want to identify with. â€Å"We symbolise the sort of person we want others to think we are through the clothes we wear and the ways in which we behave†. (Mead 1934, p12) Our careers also play an important role in the formation of our identity. In our choice of job we will associate with our colleagues, with whom we share a collective identity, working for the same cause and aiming for similar goals. This is another part of the agency that helps define our identities, the choices we make in the careers we take up and the geographical areas in which we work. The structures by which our identities are formed are beyond our control. The culture into which we are born will be the foundations of our identity. As we advance in years and knowledge we have the choice to change aspects of our culture, therefore changing parts of our identity. The colour of our skin, age, ethnicity and class are some of the restrictions that will prevent us changing our identities completely. Gender is also a structured part of our identities from a legal aspect. Whilst someone may change their gender, the official documentation that records that persons existence will always state the gender under which they wereShow MoreRelatedHy Diaries Inc899 Words   |  4 PagesCase study 3.1: HY DAIRIES, INC. 1. Apply your knowledge of stereotyping and social identity theory to explain what went wrong here. Stereotyping is the process of assigning traits to people on the basis of their membership in a social category. Stereotypes generally have some inaccuracies, some overestimation or underestimation of real differences, and some degree of accuracy. One problem with stereotyping is that stereotypes under certain conditions, such as the degree to which theyRead MoreHy Diaries Inc913 Words   |  4 PagesCase study 3.1: HY DAIRIES, INC. 1. Apply your knowledge of stereotyping and social identity theory to explain what went wrong here. Stereotyping is the process of assigning traits to people on the basis of their membership in a social category. Stereotypes generally have some inaccuracies, some overestimation or underestimation of real differences, and some degree of accuracy. One problem with stereotyping is that stereotypes under certain conditions, such as the degree to whichRead MoreAnalysis Of Grendel By John Gardner1351 Words   |  6 PagesAs humans, do we consciously form our own identities? After all, one is rarely who they aspire to be. Take, for example, John Gardner’s character Grendel. Although Grendel seems to intentionally perpetuate his wretched state of being, it is also clear that this process creates, or is the product of some sort of internal struggle between what he considers to be the â€Å"two dark realities, the self and the world† (Gardner 47). For many individuals, including Grendel, existence appears to be nothing moreRead MoreOnline Shopping On The Internet141 0 Words   |  6 Pagesinteresting way that our identities are formed through consumption is on the internet. Consumption online is unique in that the items we purchase, the items we view and do not purchase, and our purchasing habits are all compiled as data. Our identities as online shoppers are summarized by not only the purchases we make online, but everything else we consume on the internet. Browsers store internet history and calculate what we are likely to consume next. This data is a form of identity that we have completeRead MoreFight Club : A Marxist Lens1501 Words   |  7 PagesWritten in 1996, Fight Club expresses the issues of its time with Palahniuk using a Marxist lens to express the evils of capitalist society in relation to loss of identity in a society built on achieving relative gains with those at the top benefiting at the expense of those at the bottom. The 1990s was a decade of excess , where people became fixated on consumerism, which, characterised the pe riod as one of social disconnection, recklessness and greed , destroying moral values and widening theRead MoreFoucault and the Theories of Power and Identity Essay1366 Words   |  6 Pagesrather as something that works its way into our imaginations and serves to constrain how we act. For example in the setting of a workplace the power does not pass from the top down; instead it circulates through their organizational practices. Such practices act like a grid, provoking and inciting certain courses of action and denying others. Foucault considers this as no straightforward matter and believes that it rests on how far individuals interpret what is being laid down as obvious or selfRead MorePowers of Horror by Julia Kristeva, Questions and Answers1384 Words   |  6 PagesTo what extent are we all ‘strangers to ourselves’, even in our own countries? Answer with reference to Kristeva’s book. Exile, the reality and practice of being barred from a native country, has prolifically influenced many philosophers’ theoretical writings. Indeed, Julia Kristeva being in exile from her native Bulgaria is a foreigner in an unascertained land. Being an outcast influence’s her philosophical, political and sociological extended essay Strangers to Ourselves published in 1991. TheRead MoreIs There a Relationship Between Consumption and Identity?1598 Words   |  7 PagesIn traditional societies, peoples identity was rooted in a set of social roles and values, which provided orientation and religious sanctions to define ones place in the world. In modernity, identity is often characterised in terms of mutual recognition, as if ones identity depended on recognition from others combined with self- validation of this recognition. Identity still comes from a pre set of roles and norms. For example, a motherRead MoreSocialization, Culture, Identity, And Freedom Effect Socialization1051 Words   |  5 PagesSocialization is a process where people learn what is acceptable in the society that they are raised in. This process occurs throughout life. With each new experience and exposure to a new culture, new idea, or new thought pattern we learn more about human behaviors. Each person has a role, an identity, a personality, and a self-concept. Peter Berger states â€Å"Not only do people live in society, but society lives in people† (Anderson, Taylor, Logio, P.76). Therefore, socialization controls individualsRead MoreMember of the Wedding by Carson Mccullers - Context Essay (Expositor y)1748 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Without connection to others there is no me† Throughout our lives, everyone that we share bonds with and interact with on a regular basis, either forms or has some sort of influence on our identity. Consequently, the majority of us naturally find ourselves striving to fit in with these people, especially during the tough transition from childhood to adulthood. It is this part of the human condition that makes us feel as though we must forge ties with something outside of ourselves in order to establish