Social Identity

A Social Identity is a self-conception based on social relations.

• Context:
  • It can (typically) shape Self Concept through group membership.
  • It can (typically) influence Social Behavior through identity expression.
  • It can (typically) guide Social Interaction through role expectations.
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  • It can (often) evolve through life experiences and personal growth.
  • It can (often) affect self-esteem and self-image.
  • It can (often) involve identity negotiation processes.
  • ...
  • It can range from being a Social Group Identity to being an Social Individual Identity, depending on its identity scope.
  • It can range from being a Self-Chosen Social Identity to being an Assigned Social Identity, depending on its identity origin.
  • It can range from being a Core Social Identity to being a Peripheral Social Identity, depending on its identity centrality.
  • ...
• Example(s):
  • Demographic Identitys (to reflect personal characteristics), such as:
    • Gender Identitys (to express gender experience), such as:
      • Male Identity like identifying with masculine traits.
      • Female Identity like identifying with feminine traits.
    • Ethnic Identitys (to connect with cultural heritage), such as:
      • Cultural Background like identifying with ethnic traditions.
      • Racial Identity like connecting with racial heritage.
  • Social Role Identitys (to fulfill societal functions), such as:
    • Professional Identitys (to embody work roles), such as:
      • Occupational Role like identifying as a teacher.
      • Career Identity like seeing oneself as a professional.
    • Family Role Identitys (to perform family functions), such as:
      • Parental Identity like identifying as a mother.
      • Sibling Identity like relating as a brother.
  • ...
• Counter-Example(s):
  • Personal Identity, which is based on individual characteristics rather than social relations.
  • Biological Identity, which reflects physical traits rather than social connections.
  • Private Self, which exists independent of social context.
• See: Social Group, Belongingness, Personal Identity, Identity (Social Science), Identity Politics, Self-Identity, Social Group, Self-Image, Mental Model, Self-Esteem, Individuality, Gender Identity, Cognitive Psychology, Human Self-Reflection, Self-Awareness, Personal Meaning.

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References

2021

• (Wikipedia, 2021) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Identity_(social_science) Retrieved:2021-5-7.
  • Identity is the qualities, beliefs, personality, looks and/or expressions that make a person (self-identity as emphasized in psychology ) or group (collective identity as pre-eminent in sociology). One can regard the awareness and the categorizing of identity as positive or as destructive. A psychological identity relates to self-image (one's mental model of oneself), self-esteem, and individuality. Consequently, Peter Weinreich gives the definition:

    "A person's identity is defined as the totality of one's self-construal, in which how one construes oneself in the present expresses the continuity between how one construes oneself as one was in the past and how one construes oneself as one aspires to be in the future"; this allows for definitions of aspects of identity, such as: "One's ethnic identity is defined as that part of the totality of one's self-construal made up of those dimensions that express the continuity between one's construal of past ancestry and one's future aspirations in relation to ethnicity".

     Gender identity forms an important part of identity in psychology, as it can dictate to a significantdegree how one views oneself both as a person and in relation to other people, ideas and nature. Other aspects of identity, such as racial, religious, ethnic, occupational… etc. may also be more or less significant – or significant in some situations but not in others. In cognitive psychology, the term "identity" refers to the capacity for self-reflection and the awareness of self. Sociology places some explanatory weight on the concept of role-behavior. Identity negotiation may arise from the learning of social roles through personal experience. Identity negotiation is a process in which a person negotiates with society at large regarding the meaning of their identity. Psychologists most commonly use the term "identity" to describe personal identity, or the idiosyncratic things that make a person unique. Sociologists, however, often use the term to describe social identity, or the collection of group memberships that define the individual. However, these uses are not proprietary, and each discipline may use either concept and each discipline may combine both concepts when considering a person's identity. Social psychologists may speak of "psycho-social identity".

     Neuroscientists draw upon these fields to study the neurobiological basis of personal and social identity. The description or representation of individual and group identity is a central task for psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists and those of other disciplines which see a requirement to map and define "identity".How should one describe the identity of another, in ways which encompass both their idiosyncratic qualities and their group memberships or identifications, both of which can shift according to circumstance? Following on from the work of Kelly, Erikson (1902–1994), Tajfel (1919–1982) and others, Weinreich's Identity Structure Analysis (ISA), is "a structural representation of the individual's existential experience, in which the relationships between self and other agents are organised in relatively stable structures over time … with the emphasis on the socio-cultural milieu in which self relates to other agents and institutions". Using constructs drawn from the salient discourses of the individual, the group and cultural norms, the practical operationalisation of ISA provides a methodology that maps how these are used by the individual, applied across time and milieus by the "situated self" to appraise self and other agents and institutions (for example, resulting in the individual's evaluation of self and significant others and institutions).Individuals' identities are situated, but also contextual, situationally adaptive and changing. Despite their fluid character, identities often feel as if they are stable ubiquitous categories defining an individual, because of their grounding in the sense of personal identity (the sense of being a continuous and persistent self).

2021

• (Wikipedia, 2021) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_identity Retrieved:2021-5-7.
  • Collective identity is the shared sense of belonging to a group.

1992

• (Friedman & McAdam, 1992) ⇒ Debra Friedman, and Doug McAdam. (1992). “Collective Identity and Activism.” In: Frontiers in Social Movement Theory
  • QUOTE: ... … The fact is that SMOS exercise far less control over the process by which the group's collective identity is established than our discussion would suggest … It isn't just the SMO that has a stake in defining the group's collective identity …

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