The Problem of Social Identity - Essay Example

We come to a shared experience with other people of the same group, whether or not we know them personally. I am a mother, a daughter, a grandparent, and a granddaughter. I am the mother of my kids. I am a daughter to my mother. I am a grandparent to my grandchildren. And I am a granddaughter of my grandparents. We are someone to somebody and this is our relationship identity (Deaux, 12). I am a teacher, a special education teacher. This is my occupational identity. Occupational identities are tied to a generic group (Deaux, 13). In my case, my occupational identity ties me with the generic group of teachers. And so I am a teacher. I am a woman. And this is my gender identity, an ascribed social identity. Ascribed identities are given at birth (Deaux, 13). And because I have female organs, I am a woman. And with all of my identities, the most important thing is that I know who I am. I am me. I am someone who loves her children and her family. I am part of my community, I am a part of my life. I create my identity based on my beliefs and I am me because of who I wanted me to be.

And by studying diversity, I aim to understand how these social identities form the different identities of special children, how this impacts their learning, and how the differences between social identities impact their relationship and interaction with me and each other. With this, I will be able to connect with my students better, I will be able to apply appropriate teaching techniques to better educate them and I will be able to adapt better to their perception of themselves.