sociology the self Flashcards
what is identity
characteristics by which the person is definitively known or recognisable- how they view themselves or how others view them
what is personal identity
the individual uniqueness of a person- how the individual feels on the inside or how they view themselves
what is social identity
refers to the identity that is portrayed to the outside world or to the groups that the person belongs to
what is self identity
refers to the perceptions we have about our own abilities flaws status and worth
how do functionalists see identity as
as the product of socialisation and meritocracy
what did parsons (functionalist) argue about the self
various social institutions allocate peoples roles based on the principle of best fit (education does this through meritocracy- those who put in the most effort or have the higher ability will receive higher qualifications but davis and moore argue this is done because of a system of unequal rewards- people put in the effort to get the higher qualifications because they know it will lead to higher pay)
pre-industrial society had an ascribed status (their position in society is based on the social characteristics they were born with) and the opposite of this is achieved status (their position in society is earned through their own efforts and achievements) which is the norm in contemporary society through meritocracy
what does merton (functionalist) argue about the self
manifest functions (those that are recognised and intended)
latent functions (unrecognised and unintended)
education system assume higher social classes will go on to have higher paid jobs- not an intended sequence of the system but an unintended consequence
what do marxists
significant part of their identity is their social class- impacts the way the person views the world
how do marxists see the self
as being shaped by capitalism- an individuals relationship to the means of production
constructed by the ruling class and imparted through ideology- through this people develop a sense of themselves marx sees as being removed from the material reality of their economic position
what did marx (marxist) argue about the self
capitalist system alienated subject class from each other and from the products they created - lack any sense of pride in creating something
what do some neo marxists argue about the self
hegemony- allows ruling class to create and transfer beliefs morals and values to subject class
organic intellectuals- develop and lead counter hegemony- an alternative culture that can help to break down the hegemony
how do feminists see the self as
gender identity constructed through patriarchy- follows forms of socialisation- constructed through social forces rather than something created by individuals
what did simone de beauvoir say about the self
women are persuaded through socialisation to see a patriarchal concept of womens identity as being their own
point to stereotypical ideas of female identity- based on male gaze (women viewed from a male perspective) which become so embedded in the culture that women believe such ideas to be their own self identity
how does interactionism view the self
self are social constructs- not simply something we are born with it is defined or created by society
still see a greater agency from the individual than society
what did berger and luckmann argue about the self
refer social constructionism as the principle that all reality and meaning is subjective and created through dynamic interactions with other individuals and groups
identity is not handed to us by processes outside our control- we play a part in its creation
we develop a concept of self through learning how others see us
what is cooley’s the looking glass self
our self image and our behaviour is affected by how we think others see us
we become the person we think others believe us to be and behave accordingly
we pick up on how others see us through our interactions with them
we build a sense of whats normal through these interactions - part of our sense of self is a sense of how we are different from other people
what is beckers labelling theory
label can become our master status and be internalised- people can take on characteristics of the label applied to them
he doesnt remove agency from the individual
can choose to reject the label
what is meads i and the me theory
attempt to explain the difference between the self constructed through social interactions and active self that can make choices
me- social self, constructed by social interactions
i- can act creatively and react to the me
the me can react to the i
what is goffmans the presentation of the self in everday life theory
dramaturgical approach- analogy between social behaviour and the theatre
when we present a self to society we are acting a part
a successful part results in the audience as accepting the performer as having the identity they intended to convey- impression management carefully construct ourselves to others in order to manage their impression of us
front stage- put on performance to society
backstage- let down our guard, parts of us we hide when on front stage can be uncovered
successful performance features- belief in the role, presenting an idealised version of a role to meet audience expectations
role distance- the gap between front stage and back stage
can perform multiple roles and that these roles can come into conflict
how do postmodernists see the self as
choose our identity
consumers of identity and can pick n choose the identity we want in the marketplace and even identities biologically determined can be chosen eg gender
there is not a single self but hybrid- can change whenever they like and take on multiple identities
what did baudrillard say about the self
identity shaped by our behaviour as consumers- purchase commodities that become our identity- we are what we buy
what is the evaluation to interactionist views on the self
is our interactions significant to form identities- not useful or helpful in determining the formation of the self
