ipl-logo

Identifying Identity: A Sociology

1503 Words7 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Sociology essay on how identity is constructed

Etymologically the word ‘identity’ is derived from the Latin word ‘idem’, meaning the ‘sameness and continuity’. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) gives two meanings of ‘identity’ – 1. The quality or condition of being the same in substance, composition, nature, properties, or in particular qualities under consideration, absolute or essential sameness; 2. The condition or fact that a person or thing is itself and not something else. The person recognises himself as the same and not someone else across time and place. The OED gives an older meaning of the term ‘identity’ that is still used quite frequently in everyday life but it does not represent our present concept of identity. As Gleason shows in his article “Identifying Identity: A …show more content…

The process of knowing beliefs, norms and values of social behaviour that we are supposed to follow as members of a particular society is called socialization. Each of us is linked to this process and it provides us a sense of ‘self’ which represents our sense of knowing oneself and sense of having a distinct identity set apart from other people in society. We construct a sense of self through our interactions with others in the process of socialization. Sociologist C. H. Cooley developed the idea of ‘looking-glass self’. It means that people acquire their sense of ‘self’ by understanding their ‘self’ reflected in other people’s attitude and behaviour towards them and by imagining what other people think about them. Thus, other people serve as the mirror for reflecting the …show more content…

According to McCall and Simmons, identity is “the character and the role that an individual devises for himself as an occupant of a particular social position.” McCall, Simmons and Stryker state that “individuals have multiple identities due to actions in society and society structure.” The French philosopher Foucault proposed that individuals inhabit multiple identities. Identity, in relation to social practices, is linked to larger structures like class, ethnicity, race, gender and

Show More
Related

David Berreby Tribe

963 Words | 4 Pages

David Berreby’s “It Takes a Tribe” and Thomas Hine’s “Goths in Tomorrowland”, both describe situations of groupings among people. Berreby’s comes from the more biological reasoning behind it and also with scientific evidence. Hine’s comes from the social aspect of the teenage lifestyle. People and teenagers specifically have always struggled with identity. Hine and Berreby both identify the fact that people put themselves in groups.

Read More

The Influence Of Identity In Jerry Spinelli's Milkweed

704 Words | 3 Pages

Someone 's identity defines who they are. There are no two identities that are the same. , Everyone is unique in different ways. Finding oneself may take time and might not be exactly what you are expecting. In the novel “Milkweed” by Jerry Spinelli, the protagonist Jack assumes many identities but ultimately does not know who he is.

Read More

A Separate Peace Identity Analysis

1329 Words | 6 Pages

According to “Authenticity and Identity” by the author, Bob Edelstein, he interprets an identity is classified as values that reflect who a person is. A person having a lack of understanding what their own values are called the term “identity crisis” which is explained by Susan Krauss Whitbourne in the article “Are You Having an Identity Crisis?”. According to Shahram Heshmat, the author of “Basic of Identity”, “Lack of a coherent sense of identity will lead to uncertainty about what one wants to do in the life” (1). This states that if a person has this lack of understanding about their values, can’t fulfil their own qualities. This relates to the characters of A Separate Peace.

Read More

Chris Mccandless Want To Change Your Identity

221 Words | 1 Pages

to me, identity means your uniqueness, everything that makes you different than the individual standing next to you. people may have such a compelling impulse to change their identity because they could be just searching for a change in their life; they could have grown tired of the same thing, the same thoughts and want to change everything about themselves. people could be searching their whole life for who they are because they could feel like they aren't special, they rush the process and when the decide who they are, they soon become burnt out on it and begin searching again. chris mccandless could have wanted to change his name because he had grown tired of it, according to the book chris changed his name to alexander supertramp "to

Read More

Identity Through Time Chisholm Analysis

2023 Words | 9 Pages

Think of the ‘loose’ and popular concept of identity as common sense. If you were to go to a river, step in, then run around a little then go back to that river and step in you would think, “well, I am no mathematician. But I think I count well enough to know I have stepped in this river twice.” Or if you were to get your car battery replaced with a brand new battery, you do not say that you got a new car. These are examples of the ‘loose’ concept of identity.

Read More

Social Stability In Brave New World

1266 Words | 6 Pages

In the Brave New World, a book written by Aldous Huxley,, he writes about a utopian future where humans are genetically created and pharmaceutically anthesized. Huxley introduces three ideals which become the world's state motto. The motto that is driven into their dystopian society is “Community, Identity and Stability.” These are qualities that are set to structure the Brave New World. Yet, happen to contradict themselves throughout the story.

Read More

Aboriginal Identity Essay

1190 Words | 5 Pages

It is not because those people did not have identities, but the fact that modern societies have been shifted to multicultural, and one’s recognition becomes more competitive than the previous time and should be acknowledged. It is Nelson Foote who has used the term first in the academic arena and the word has become popular in the second half of 20th century. During this period, the concept of identity has been deployed in numerous ways in the field of psychology, social sciences, anthropology, humanities and literature. Several academic debates have been used as platforms for refining this concept and contributed to this field. Erikson, Stanly Hall, and James Marcia are the main proponents and their contributions in negotiating identity formation theory are appreciated.

Read More

Identity In Lubrano's At Night At Home

957 Words | 4 Pages

After carefully reading the well-written pieces on identity, I believe the main subject is the change of identity. According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, the word identity is, “the distinguishing character or personality of an individual.” Along the way, individuals experience setbacks with the disconnection of themselves and others. For example, in Alfred Lubrano’s piece of writing, he explains his personal struggle between balancing college education and family. “At night at home, the difference in the Columbia experiences my father and I were having was becoming more evident.

Read More

Derek Parfit's Theory Of Personal Identity

1354 Words | 6 Pages

Identity is simply all-or nothing. The second belief that he targets regards the importance of personal identity; important matters involving survival, memory and responsibility.

Read More

The Color Of Water Identity Analysis

402 Words | 2 Pages

The definition of someone’s identity is the distinct personality of an individual. There are a lot of factors that determines someone’s identity. Things such as your race, role in society, and your faith. Throughout our lives, we seek out people who we can identify with. We reach out to others and learn from interests they have and we evaluate their responses to us.

Read More

Lord Of The Flies Identity Analysis

1092 Words | 5 Pages

Identity is something people tend to think of as consistent, however that is far from the case. The Oxford English dictionary states that the definition of identity is “ The characteristics determining who or what a person or thing is.” The allegorical novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding tackles the issue of identity while following young boys from the ages twelve and down as they struggle with remembering their identities when trapped on a deserted island. Identity is affected by the influence of society and how individuals influence society based on their identities. By looking at Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the Stanford Prison Experiment, and Sigmund Freud 's philosophical ideas, it becomes clear that identity is affected by society through peer pressure and social normalities.

Read More

Essay On Descartes Theory Of Sameness Of Consciousness

1813 Words | 8 Pages

The problem with identity is defining the criteria for which identity is based off over time. Many philosophers attempt to understand the way humans reason through life. This tends to lead to multiple conclusions, that overlap each other, due to the variety of background of the philosophers. Therefore, the way a philosopher chooses to identify themselves varies from person to person. Basically, there is no concrete conclusion behind how to define identity.

Read More

Synthesis Essay On Identity

500 Words | 2 Pages

In Mcleod’s article, it said that people “‘think about, evaluate, or perceive’ themselves” (Mcleod 1). Mcleod talks, in the article, about how people thinking, evaluating, and perceiving about themselves is call self-concept. Whenever people think about themselves, most of the time, people are confused about whether or not they are pursuing right actions for their future, especially people with low self-esteem . Furthermore, people get more confused if their actions dramatically differ from others. However, again, people’s actions determine who they are, so even if their actions are dramatically different from others, it may be a path for that person’s success.

Read More

Personal Identity In A Raisin In The Sun

825 Words | 4 Pages

Identity is who someone is as a person. People have different views of what identity is and what can be done to find it. Identity can be your actions and thoughts. It’s what makes someone unique and different from anyone else. The Bible has its own view of identity as well.

Read More

Sociology Essay On Race And Ethnicity

957 Words | 4 Pages

Introduction The concept of identity has been a notion of significant interest not just to sociologists and psychologists, but also to individuals found in a social context of perpetually trying to define themselves. Often times, identities are given to individuals based on their social status within a certain community, after the assessment of predominant characteristics that said individual has. However, within the context of an ethnicity, the concept identity is most probably applied to all members of the ethnical group, and not just one individual. When there is one identity designated for the entire group, often times the factor of “individuality” loses its significance, especially when referring to the relationship between the ethnic

Read More

More about Identifying Identity: A Sociology

Related Topics

Open Document