social construction of identity

Question 1

historical view of identity

Answer 1

premodern societies - up to 15th - god given identities - position you were born into - reflect will of god

enlightenment/ early modernity - 16th-18th - distinct, rational identity, Descartes - I think therefore I am

industrial / urbanisation - 19th to late 20th - centred, fixed identity - increasingly complex society - organisations and structures - tried with class, religion, occupation

late modernity / postmodernity - late 20th to now - fluid - fragmented identities - unstable - choice

Question 2

socially constructed

Answer 2

interactionism - we create identity through impression management - manipulate others impressions of us to prevent social stigma \

postmodernism - identity through consumption, leisure, cultural products and symbols - create and re-create our identities

Question 3

socially caused

Answer 3

marxism - governed by class inequalities

feminism - governed by gender relationships

functionalism - governed by cultural values that exist in the system

Question 4

criticisms of structural views on identity

Answer 4

interactionists - view of identity is determinists and fails to acknowledge active role played by individuals in constructing their identities

postmodernists - view is no longer valid - structures on which it is based no longer exist

neo-marxist - structure and action are in play when understanding how an individual identity is created

structuration theory - action takes place within a structural framework

Question 5

marxist views on identity

Answer 5

identity socially caused by social class - social inequality and identity - fixed

ruling class impose identities on working class through agents of socialisation - transmit dominant ideology and teach us what identities are suitable for our class

Question 6

marxist rval

Answer 6

other sources eg gender more important

neo-marxists - traditional marxist view does not allow for resistant identities

Question 7

feminist views on identity

Answer 7

identity socially caused by gender - fixed - agents of socialisation transmit patriarchal ideology - teaches us what identity suitable for our gender

Oakley - gender role socialisation

Question 8

feminist eval

Answer 8

criticised for focusing on gender to the exclusion of other social statuses

difference feminism - other sources of identity and inequality are more important eg ethnicity ad sexuality

Question 9

postmodernist views

Answer 9

modernist views are outdated

culture too fragmented to influence identities - social institutions have diversified and lost power

complete freedom in construction - consumption and leisure

Clarke and Saunders - we are what we buy

Question 10

postmodernist eval

Answer 10

overemphasise fragmentation of society and blurring of divisions between social groups

inequalities between social groups continue to exist

social position remains key source of identity

Question 11

interactionist view

Answer 11

3 types - personal, social and the self
personal - how you feel uniquely from others eg name, signature
social - personality that associate with social roles or groups
self — internal sense of identity

mead - self - children develop sense of themselves - interaction with others - begin to see how people respond and develop

cooley - looking glass self - image is reflected back to us like a mirror

goffman - impression management
3 forms of stigma - physical defects, personal weaknesses, social stigmas

becker - labelling

Question 12

postmodernist eval

Answer 12

goffman - identities constructed - we can negotiate

overstating degree we have control over identities - even those without obvious stigma may have limited control