Social Identity

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

• AKA: Collective Identity.
• Context:
  • It can range from being a Group Identity to being a Individual Identity.
  • It can range from being a Self Identity to being an Assigned Identity.
  • It can be influenced by Social Interactions and Societal Expectations.
  • It can be shaped by Cultural Norms, Cultural Values, and Cultural Beliefs.
  • It can include aspects such as gender, race, ethnicity, religion, occupation, and social class.
  • It can evolve over time through life experiences and personal growth.
  • It can affect one's self-esteem and self-concept.
  • It can involve identity negotiation and identity construction processes.
  • It can be studied in fields like Sociology and Anthropology.
  • It can be referenced by a Social Identity Ideology.
  • ...
• Example(s):
  • a Gender Identity, such as: Identifying as male, female, non-binary, or other gender identities.
  • a Ethnic Identity, such as: Identifying as African American, Latino, Asian, or other ethnic groups.
  • a Religious Identity, such as: Identifying as Christian, Muslim, Jewish, or other religious groups.
  • a National Identity, such as: Identifying as American, Indian, Chinese, or other nationalities.
  • a Occupational Identity, such as: Identifying as a teacher, doctor, engineer, or other professions.
  • a Social Class Identity, such as: Identifying as working class, middle class, upper class, or other social classes.
  • a Cultural Identity.
  • …
• Counter-Example(s):
  • a Personal Identity, which is based on individual characteristics rather than social relations.
  • a Collective Identity, which is shared by a group rather than based on individual social interactions.
• 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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