In what ways is identity a social construct
“Without social identity, there is, in fact, no society.” -- Richard JenkinsThe idea that beliefs about “who we are” are created in a social context reflects the basic sociological theory that human beings are socially created, not prisoners of instinct. Sociologists see identity as related to the society in which people exist. People, are, in part, socialized into their identities. There are assorted ways that conceptions about individual and group identities are socially constructed. An identity is created against a social background that tries to make social interaction meaningful, understandable and well-organized by categorizing people in various ways. The nature of identity is expressed as a social phenomenon and a dynamic feature of social life. The understanding that “who we are” is socially constructed permits us to account for the fact that how we view ourselves and how others see us is not socially static. The concept of identity narrates an understanding of who and what we are; and what we and other people believe us to be. An identity involves a set of characteristics that define us as individuals, groups, societies and so forth. In order to develop a sense of identity, it
The interactionist view, such as the view held by G. Sociologists have focussed on gender as a learned set of behaviours. Social circumstances and expectations create who we are and cast the identity. The need to feel we belong is significant as it causes us to draw a sense of identity from these groups. Identity is a social construct, in the way that once an individual assumes a particular identity – they acquire and exhibit specific social characteristics. In effect, gender refers to the various ways that culture ascribes all kinds of behavioural differences to biological males and females. There is an important role for material culture – that is, everyday commodities like clothes and food – in the construction of ethnic identities. Sexuality is shaped by the society and culture in which we are a member of. In many ways, these behavioural assumptions are related to things like lifestyle. Yinger (1981) claimed that an ethnic identity allows individual members of an ethnic group to “…share a common origin and to share important segments of a common culture, and who, in addition, participate in shared activities in which the common origin and culture are significant ingredients. It develops after an individual internalises and maintains the characteristics of that ethnicity. This applies to aspects of women’s roles where a woman is assumed to be more emotionally expressive than men – the disparity being due to gender socialization. The existence of gender appropriate norms and gender expectations imply that gender identity is only possible through learning. Therefore, ethnic identity is a social construct in that various cultural heritages exist according to traditions, habits, beliefs and roles. Mead, argue that our identity – our ‘self’, is an ingredient in us, but it is in fact truly socially created.
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