it is a product of all the experiences you have had through
socialisation, it is formed by family, peers, education, media etc
often defined as how you see yourself,"self concept"
apparently your identity is imoposed on you and failry fixed in relation to your gender
,class,age and ethnicity but others say it is more fluid and can be an active process .these
days we construct our own identities ,we use media for ideas on who to be ,what we buy
and wear
gender is a social construct ,created to set labels ,norms and values to a person because of their
biological sex.
being male or female has a big impact on how you see yourself
and how others see you&relate to you
traditionlally there were clear ideas of what femininity and masculanity
but today there are many ways to be a woman or be a man .gender
identity is changing ,the women are seen &the expectations surrounding
their appearance ,behaviour almost like they have been programmed to
behaviour a certain way,same goes for maless
feminists -=radical .gender equality does not exist argue that gender identity is socially constructed
by patriarchal society,.the male dominated society creates
and reinforces stereotypes of how males and females
should be .the social institutions except from the family
reinforce stereotypical expectations of gender roles
functionalist -GRS-social guidance say male have an instrumental role in the family
which is the breadwinner and protector, this is natural as a result
of their physical strength but also reinforced through socialisation.
whilst females have an expressive role in the family ,this is natural
&based on their child bearing role but is reinforced by socialisation. collective consciousness
Marxism -gender supports capitalism through GRS ,they want women to
reproduce .popular and mass culture distract society from gender
inequality
interactionism and gender :labelling theory gender roles are to be followed .labels could link to such aspects of one ,such as their abilities or sexuality
impression management :people are convinced that they must be on a persona to be accepted into society .fro females ,it is mainly makeup ,dress up etc.
looking glass self -women are persuaded by agencies of socilaisation that they must appeal in a certain way .
age
our identity is affected by how our ages makes us feel and people relate with us.
the world is run by adults ,it is mostly youngers and olders whose identities are most
negatively affected by their age ,normally due to lack of power and satuts
age is often looked at chronogically as in stages in the life course but the problem is that the ages at which they
start and end vary ,they can be seen as socially constructed .individuals also differ ,some keep their youth going for
longer ,others seem old before their time
postmodernists will look at trends such as anti ageing products and the extension of
youth and childhood to show age is fluid and is becoming less significant now.
feminism-society favours young looking women over aged women.
functionalism-age has no matter on social benefits
culture is a way of life of a particular society
sexuality
feminists have pointed out the way women are portrayed through sexuality ,as sexual objects for men
Marxism -society is distracted by popular culture
functionalism -roles ensure that society running smoothly
it is more significant for those who are not heterosexual ,e.g not many will say "i am
heterosexual"in relation to their identity but say "i am gay"
weeks -sexuality is more complex, people may or not participate in sexual activity
with those they are attracted to.
rich-lesbian identity is erased ,it is seen as a threat to males or sexy.
McIntosh-homosexual males are given certain stereotypes on their characteristics {higher pitched voice ,increase in vanity
income -CLASS -a group of people who share similar economic and
social situation.
class identity can be seen as a product of socialisation ,family,education
etc
3 main classes in the UK:UPPER CLASS-those with inherited
wealth&operate in social closure .MIDDLE CLASS-those who have
professional or managerial careers.WORKING CLASS- manual workers
and those with trades
feminism -women earn less and gain less power than men.
Marxism -society benefits rich and powerful ,
functionalism -society benefits everyone of all social classes.
postmodernism -modern life does not focus greatly on class status .
class is a social system used more often decades ago, that separated people due to the different class levels .
ethnicity
hybrid identity
mixture of two more more influences of identity ,nationality and
ethinicity
"brasian"(black british) &"blasian"(black british) are labels to
describe such hybrid identities
feminism-hybrid identities spread equality
Marxism-society benefits those wit the most power
fuctionalism-roles should be kept to allow society to continue smoothly
relates to culture ,made up of our
religion,language,skin colur etc .these affect who we are &how we see ourselves
national identity
an indidvidual has a national identity
which is often expressed through
supporting your national sport but also
through pride in the anthem and
language.
a national identity is socially constructed,though symbols and rituals
others would argue that national identity will become less and less significant in todays globalised society,
feminism-supports equality of all females ,it shouldn't divide them
Marxism-conflict between people due to ethnicity is needed ,when there is equality.
functionalism-society benefits all of any ethnicity
postmodernism-equality is slowly improving
disability
feminism-females with disability are
treated poorer than those who are
able to
Marxism-conflict as being disabled is established as a
medical problem ,clashes with the able
functionalism- society can benefit the abled and the disabled