Social Identity
A
Identity is what describes who we are, how we behave, the manners we portray, and our thoughts. In society, every person has their identity, which can be described as their perception in a nutshell. Therefore identity is the price tag of an individual since it bears the actual characters of a person and their distinct opinions. Identities are categorized according to what influences them. For instance, gender identity is influenced by the sex of an individual as a result of the treatment received from parents, relatives or friends. Age identity is subjective to the age of a person; class identity is inclined to the various socioeconomic status, spiritual identity is affected by the varying denomination, the uncontrollable traits of an individual, such influence personal identity as skin colour and personal choices, and finally national identity which is influenced by the citizenry of an individual to a country (Noonan, 2019). Technological advancements have significantly affected people’s identity.
The identity of a person is affected by societal values and norms. The society dictates their opinion on how people should lead their lives hence influencing their identity. My experience within a box that does not fit meant that the society’s expectation of how we are supposed to live does not fit with our perspective of how we see life. For instance, gender identity is much influenced by the society’s perspective such that in terms of sports males are supposed to engage in soccer while females in dance class and indoors sports that do not require much energy (Hogg, 2016). In terms of dressing code, women are not supposed to put on trousers because society states that a violation of culture.
Managing such a situation that negatively affects our identity requires one to shift their focus away from public opinion and mind about their opinion. In conclusion, an individual should be optimistic about public opinion so that we can shift our thinking to a flexible and separate way of intelligence.
B
Communities are defined as a social group of individuals that have similar values, morals, religion, and customs and are located in the same geographical location or share the same communication platform. Every community has its cultural values and social norms which guides people on how they should live. I live in a community where values and norms determine much how we should lead our lives. These cultural values are distinct social classes, different age groups, different spiritual path, and gender differences. In the community where I reside, age identity is substantially upheld such that the elderly should be highly respected (McCoy, 2018). Class identity is described by the different social status of people in the community. Gender identity is portrayed in various ways, such as in sporting and dressing code. Males are entitled to sports such as soccer and other outdoor sports while females are entitled to dance classes and indoor sports that do not require extra energy. These cultural values are the main determinants of our identity in the community.
The community that I live in is oppressive because the society dictates values that force individuals to live in a certain way of life. These values have a significant influence on our identity because people are forced to live according to the community’s expectation. People get oppressed, and they get exposed to misconducts such as classism which discriminates people based on their social classes, heterosexism which is based on segregation against homosexuals, ageism which is oppression based on the difference in age, and finally sexism which defines which is influenced by the gender differences (McCoy, 2018). The oppressions are portrayed when people are seen undergoing suffering. In conclusion, our identity is influenced by oppression.
C
In our day to day life, we interact with people from different walks of life. They have an impact on our lives whenever we interact with them, either positively or negatively. Therefore interaction is an essential element of human life because it is necessary for mental health, which in turn relieves stress. Interaction is the direct connection between individuals or a group of people to establish a good relationship and strengthen bonds. During an interaction, people inquire and share new ideas from their distinctive cultures (Bousfield, 2018). An interaction takes place in an environment, whether it is physical or virtual, and therefore this environment influences the perception and understanding of emotions and objects. In modern society, the context for interaction has shifted to a virtual platform due to technological advancements.
Interaction between members from the same community does not affect the identity of a person because there is no exchange of values since people from the same community have similar values and cultural norms. Interaction of people from different communities affects the identity because there is an exchange of cultures and values, which in turn changes the perspective and understanding of people. Interactions enhance the relationship of individuals and communities regardless of their racial aspect, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and political position (Bousfield, 2018).
To sum up, interactions form the main factor of identity such that interaction between two different communities will results to exchange of values hence enhances exposure which in turn affects the way of thinking and perception of things in the society. Interaction between people from the same community does not have an impact on identity because there is not exposed to new ideas and values.
References
McCoy, S. Z. (2018). The intellectual war zone: An autoethnography of intellectual identity development despite oppressive institutional socialization. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 11(3), 325.
Bousfield, D. (2018). Face (t) s of self and identity in interaction. Journal of Politeness Research, 14(2), 225-243.
Noonan, H. W. (2019). Personal identity. Routledge.
Hogg, M. A. (2016). Social identity theory. In Understanding peace and conflict through social identity theory (pp. 3-17). Springer, Cham.