Identity

Question 1

What is Identity?

Answer 1

How you see yourself and how others perceive you to be.

We can construct our own identity through the media in terms of how we look, dress and what we buy (postmodernism)

Question 2

What is a Hybrid Ethnic identity and can you give examples?

Answer 2

Refers to a cross between two or more things. Nayak developed the term ‘white wannabes’ at which white British males who dress, act and speak in a way influenced by black hip-hop culture.

Question 3

Explain ethnic identity in terms of resistance with examples

Answer 3

Ethnicity relates to culture which is made up of our religion, language and skin colour. Jacobson found that young Pakistanis adopt a strong Islamic identity as a result of the social exclusion from white British society, giving them a sense of stability.

Question 4

How to evaluate resistance and hybridity in regards to ethnic identities?

Answer 4

1) intersectionality with other aspects of identity e.g Class, Age, Gender
2) Modood found that second generation African-Caribbeans and Asians felt more British than their parents, while still seeing their ethnicity as part of their identity
3) In contemporary society, we are able to devise our own identity as a result of globalisation and media. We can pick and choose and that ethnicity is becoming less significant

Question 5

Explain the concept of National Identity

Answer 5

Refers to the identity of the whole country, e.g what team you support, pride in the flag and through language.

Question 6

Give two examples of national identities

Answer 6

Education: things we learn in school promote British values e.g individuals must score 75% on the Life in U.K. Test to gain British citizenship. Ofsted reported that a school in Birmingham promoted Islamic views rather than British. Michael Gove announced later that all schools should promote British values such as respect for democracy

Media: mass coverage on Middleton marriage to further promote patriotic view and respect for the monarchy

Question 7

Decline of national identity? How can we suggest this?

Answer 7

Due to globalisation, national identity has arguably been in decline as the world has become homogenous and McLuhan suggests there is a global village present

Question 8

Explain Gender identity and the biological approach

Answer 8

It is argued that gender is a social construct.

Biology: Wilson argues that men are promiscuous as they intend to spread their seed to continue human reproduction. Women however, need to nurture one child and stay faithful to the father to ensure they help in his upbringing.

Question 9

Functionalist Explanation of gender identity

Answer 9

Parsons suggest females have expressive role e.g nurturing, whereas men have instrumental role as the breadwinner. These roles are socialised and functional for society.

Question 10

Feminist explanation of gender inequality

Answer 10

Argue gender is socially constructed as females are related to submissive roles and have a lack of ambition. This is a result of socialisation

Question 11

Change in female identities?

Answer 11

Jackson: Ladette is on the rise as girls involved spend their time drinking and smoking engaging in typical behaviours expected by males.

Question 12

Masculine Identities

Answer 12

Connell: Hegemonic masculinity refers to the behaviours that are macho and dominate which is reinforced strongly

Subordinate masculinity: links to homosexual males

Marginalised masculinities refers to those men who are unemployed

Question 13

Changing masculinities?

Answer 13

Mac an Ghail found the crisis of masculinity which means traditional WC jobs are in decline and as a result there has been a loss of the breadwinner identity.

Question 14

Explain social class identity

Answer 14

Economic circumstance of an individuals upbringing. Bourdieu identified the social capital (group membership), cultural capital (knowledge and skills person has giving them higher status) and the economic capital (assets and income)

Question 15

Who are the Upper Class?

Answer 15

Upper Class: those traditionally with ascribed status and inherited wealth. They engage in social closure by sending their children to prestigious schools and leisure activities include opera.

Question 16

Who are the Middle-Class (MC)?

Answer 16

Likely have been to university and is a diverse group

Question 17

Working Class (WC)

Answer 17

Manual work, less disposable income.

Murray suggested that there’s a class below WC called the underclass who rely on benefits from the government and socialise a state dependent culture onto their children.

Question 18

Does Class still matter?

Answer 18

1) postmodernists argue that we are defined by what we are not what we do

Question 19

Sexual identity

Answer 19

Heterosexuality is most common and ideal form of Sexual identity due to its links to reproduction. In 20th century homosexuality was seen as abnormal however, in contemporary society attitudes towards this began to shift. Gay marriage was made legal in 2014.

Question 20

Homosexuality vs heterosexual

Answer 20

Compulsory heterosexuality refers to the idea that society being bombarded with heterosexual images because that is what is regarded as the right sexual lifestyle.

Question 21

Disability and identity

Answer 21

Shakespeare: disabled people are socialised to see themselves as victims due to the medical model which states that disabled people are defined by their disability or impairment. Therefore they see themselves as inferior

Social model shows the physical barriers that disabled people face. For e.g. The design of buildings that debt access to those with mobility problems. Some argue to eradicate the use of disabled and refer to them as ‘differently able’

Question 22

What is learned helplessness and master status in reference to disability and identity?

Answer 22

Due to the media representing disabled people as objects of charity and pity that leads to a self fulfilling prophecy as they internalise the idea that they are incapable of changing the situation and therefore a learned helplessness is formed.

Label ‘disabled’ carries a negative stigma which creates a master status and transcends other aspects of identity as they are only seen as disabled

Question 23

How can disability affect work?

Answer 23

Employers are reluctant to employ disabled individuals and are six times more likely to be refused job interviews and as a result they may become economically disadvantaged as they are more likely to live in poverty

Question 24

Age and identity?

Answer 24

During the war the concept of teenager did not exist. However, Cohen’s study on Mods and Rockers showed the shift in age identities as the media exasperated the deviant acts they were involved in creating a moral panic surrounding youths.

Question 25

Stages of age identities?

Answer 25

1) childhood: innocent and vulnerable time as they are dependent
2) youth/adolescence: postwar saw the emergence of youth culture in terms of fashion, musical tastes and hairstyles. More condemned by the media
3) young adulthood : leaving parental home a state of independence
4) middle age: cannot determine age. Some say 35 and some go as high as 50
5) old age: U.K. Society are not given status as they are retired

Question 26

Change in age identities?

Answer 26

Postmodernists suggest contemporary society that anti-ageing products are used to extend youth showing she is fluid and becoming less significant.

Also media influences children so there is arguably a loss of childhood as they are growing up faster