Identity

Question 1

Define identity

Answer 1

Defined as how you see yourself. Identity is both personal and social.

Question 2

What are hybrid identities

Answer 2

Someone’s sense of who they are is a mixture of two or more influences.
E.g:- British & Asian. The term ‘blasian’ is used.

Question 3

Case studies for ethnicity being important

Answer 3

Winston James: argued that the experience of racism drew African Carribeans together - they shared the label ‘black’.

Question 4

Studies for ethnicity not being important

Answer 4

Postmodernists: argue that everyone can create their own identity, therefore ethnicity is becoming less significant.

Also the term ‘cultural hybridity’ suggests that ethnicity isn’t important. Who they are is mixing with different ethnicities.

Question 5

How are ethnic identities changing?

Answer 5

Modood: found that African Caribbean and Asian background felt more British than their parents

Postmodernists: argue that we can make our own identity

Question 6

Nationality and identity

Answer 6

National identity is often expressed through supporting your national team in sport, but also through pride in things such as anthem and flag and language.

Question 7

Are national identities changing?

Answer 7

Sardar: suggests that the world is in the middle of s global identity crisis. Britain loosing its empire makes it unclear on ergh er it should become more American or more European.
In order to develop a more confident identity, we must embrace diversity but also focus on what makes us the same - our common humanity.

Question 8

Gender and identity

Answer 8

Gender identity is something that is fluid and changing.

Today many would argue there are different ways of expressing femininity and masculinity.

Question 9

Gender as a social construct

1. Biological view
2. Functionalist view
3. Feminist view

Answer 9

Biological view
Wilson - argued that men need to be more promiscuous- ‘spreading the seed’. Women need to nurture one child.

Functionalist view
Parsons - females have an ‘expressive role’ in the family. Men’s have an ‘instrumental role’ in the family.

Feminists
Argue that gender is socially constructed by patriarchal society. Male-dominated society creates and reinforces stereotypes of how males and females should be

Question 10

Is Gender identity changing?

Answer 10

Female identity
Rise of the ladette - Jackson: found that girls (ladettes) spent time drinking, smoking and disrupting lessons.
Denscombe: said that young women want to be seen as anything but a stereotype of a woman

Male identity
Connell: hegemonic masculinity (macho, dominant, aggressive, breadwinner) is the most common and the one that’s still reinforced most strongly.
Mac and Ghalil: there has been a loss of breadwinner identity due to the decline of traditional male industries.
Canaan: found that employed men said that he important pat of being a man is fighting drinking and being sexual. However, men who weren’t employed said that having a job was the most important thing.

Question 11

Social class (define) and identity

Answer 11

A division of a society based on social and economic status.

Question 12

Who are the upper class?

Answer 12

Those with inherited wealth, often in the form of lands 
Mackintosh and Mooney: said that a key feature of the upper class is their invisibility. They're in places where it's unknown or inaccessible to the majority.

Question 13

Who are the middle class?

Answer 13

Seen as the majority of the population by many

• middle class is a very diverse group, containing a wide variety of people with very different incomes, attitudes and lifestyle
• Fox: said that there are differences between middle classes; upper middles, middle middles and lower middles.

Question 14

Who are the working class?

Answer 14

Used to form the majority of the population, though its shrinking. Traditionally made up of manual workers and those with trades.

• Hutton: argued that the decline in trade union memberships and the manufacturing sector, and the dispersal of the working class communities, has eroded working class identity.
• Skeggs: found that working class women felt humiliated by others.

Question 15

Who are the underclass?

Answer 15

• often used in a negative way to describe those who rely on benefits and are blamed for their own situation.
• Murray: argues that over generous benefits encourage some people to develop a culture, or set of norms and values, in which they don’t take responsibility for their own actions

Question 16

Changing class identities: does class still matter?

Answer 16

• Postmodernists: suggest that there’s been a shift from the definition of identities. We are now define by what we buy, not what we do.
• however, the ability to make choices and take opportunities depends on money, and some sections of the uk population do not even have access to the internet and are more concerned with struggling to feed their family

Question 17

Sexuality (define) and identity

Answer 17

Sex is the biological traits that society associates with being male or female.

Question 18

Case studies about homosexuality

Answer 18

McIntosh: argued that in western cultures, homosexual male roles involves certain expectations. Once a man accepts the label ‘homosexual’ he will start to fulfil these expectations- this label creates the behaviour.

Weeks: Uganda and Nigeria still don’t allow homosexuality

Rich: argues that women’s sexuality is oppressed by men in patriarchal society, through institutions such as; rape, sexual violence, sexual objectification and marriage.
- argues that lesbian identity is a threat to male dominance and power over women.

Question 19

Are sexual identities changing?

Answer 19

Equality act 2010: makes it unlawful to discriminate against any individual on the groups of sexuality

Question 20

Age and identity

Answer 20

We find that our identity is affected by how our age makes us feel and how other people relate to us.

Question 21

Childhood

Answer 21

• can be seen as socially constructed.
• in some countries, children are married at the age of 12/13, or becoming soldiers etc.
• children are either portrayed as angels and vulnerable victims or as little devils.
• Postman: argues that childhood emerged when parents shielded heir children from various aspects of adult life - this created the ‘innocent’ child.

Question 22

Youth

Answer 22

Between ages 12&25

• Margaret mead: argues that the ‘storm and stress associated with youth is culturally specific and not found in all cultures, though her findings and methodology have been questioned.

Question 23

Young adulthood and middle age

Answer 23

Normally characterised by career and family

• Bradley: argues that it has a higher status than youth or old age - middle-aged people are running the country and hold power at work.

Question 24

Old age

Answer 24

Corner: argued that the media showed age as negative

Question 25

Changing age identities

Answer 25

Feather stone and Hepworth: suggest that as the population ages, more positive images may emerge.

Question 26

Disability (define) and identity

Answer 26

a physical or mental condition that limits a person’s movements, senses, or activities

Question 27

What it the medical model?

Answer 27

• sees disability as a medical problems
• this leads to a ‘victim-blaming’ mentality, where the problem lies with the disabled individual, rather than with a society that hasn’t met their needs.
• Shakespeare: argued that disabled people are often socialised into this way of seeing he selves as victims

Question 28

What is the social model?

Answer 28

• focuses on social and physical barriers to inclusion that may exists, such as the design of buildings etc. - may deny access to certain disabled people.
• society is therefore the blaming factor
• can lead to the view that disability is socially constructed.