Importance of Social Identity - Essay Example

How Important is Work as a Source of Social Identity? Introduction Social identity is a persons sense of who they are based on their group membership that can be drawn from various places such as family, social class, career state among others. These groups are an important source of pride and self-esteem that gives them a sense of belonging to the social world. Social integration is evident in most parts of the world due to work related issues. It is also true that the workplace is a good arena for identity reproduction and social integration. Some jobs help a person retain recognition while others promote a feeling of non-belonging and exclusion from other members of the society. Therefore, work is a pervasive life domain and a salient source of meaning and self-determination for most people in different parts of the world. It is evident that most individuals form and transform their social identity on the basis of the nature of the jobs they undertake. Every person in this world is viewed under the lens of the job they do to earn a living and how they contribute to the society (Jempsonn 2005 p.271). The Work Ethic Most societies from the west to the east are work-oriented cultures since work is necessary for a living (Conroy & O’Leary-Kelly 2014, p.74). As such, there is a lot of pressure mounted on people, especially those mounted on their religious beliefs demanding them to do some form of work. Christians see work a daily vacation that binds them to the requirements of their God, and some believe that hard and successful work is a sign of salvation (Day & Chamberlain 2006, p.124). In some Christian churches, work is embedded in their doctrines to an extent that they see work and daily employment as a sacrifice to God. Protestant work ethics become so strong that their attitudes towards work become very powerful as they undertake their daily duties. Protestant work ethic became so strong that led to the rise of modern capitalism that characterizes most societies around the world. Since man is the measure of all things, the work he does is important in categorizing him in his social class (Seymour, 2012; Milton & Westphal 2005, p.27). Knippenberg (2000, p.369) also believes that man that gives the work the dignity and not vice versa. Work is a duty that is seen to give an individual the dignity he deserves in the society (Schaubroeck, Peng & Hannah 2013, p.1161). Work and the society According to Jost & Burgess (2000, p.299), a particular type of work, which defines their identity and culture, dominates a particular society. Most of the people are expected to identify themselves with their profession in forums organized by leaders in the society. In developed countries in Europe and America, most people are identified with the work they do and working culture is greatly honored (Lewis 2011, p.974). People are expected to work hard and conscientiously at whatever job they have in order to make money for their families and to contribute positively to the society (Ng & Feldma 2008, p.874). At the same time, work is valued by human beings to provide material improvement, accumulation of wealth, increased social status and influence in making societal decisions. Preparation of the society in which work related values predominate has provided a good platform whereby everybody wants to educate him or herself and provide their children with the best education. Due to globalization, getting a good work in the society depends with the level of education that will also affect the social identity of individuals in the society. Apart from direct employment, profession and trade also enable a person to work and earn a living from it thus increasing his self-esteem in the society. A profession or trade gives a good identity and this is the reason why the education system is structured in such a way that only those who met a particular point are able to enroll for a particular course in the university or in college. A doctor, a teacher, an engineer, a secretary an so on clearly categorizes people in their social identity. In other case, it is also easy for someone to derive a sense of identity simply from being a worker, a participant, or a contributor in any setting of the society. People who work and people who don’t work are viewed differently in the society whereby the former are respected while the latter are less respected (Byron 2005, p.181; Day & Chamberlain 2006, p.123). Therefore, work is not only perceived as a source of livelihood in the society, but also as a source of social legitimacy concerning community matters. People who have a work are held in high esteem in the society and they find easy time to convince their spouses during engagement as they as viewed as responsible persons (Greenhaus, Collins & Shaw 2003, p.524). The notion of employment is believed to shape and guide the notion of people and shape their character in making them responsible people in the society (Hughes 2004, p.533). The value of work The society is very dynamic and as such, the value of work has changed very tremendously in the recent past. Some of the things that have changed in regards to work are the attitudes and the value of work. Some see work as unpleasant chore that is not necessary while other view work as an important aspect of human survival in the current economic set up. Some also complain of a particular aspect of their jobs, but say that work is a good thing in the society. The good thing is that the majority sees work as an important aspect of life, without which the society may fail to provide for its constant needs and even loose meaning altogether (Pratt, Rockman & Kaufmann 2006, p.259). In most developed countries, people hold to the view that work is a main source of life satisfaction and is deeply rewarding making it hard for them to relinquish it. This is the reason why some people are on the record of working for long hours in a day and sleeping for fewer hours. Different career lines provide different professions and people choose their careers based on love for a particular job that they feel comfortable doing for most parts of their lives. In as much as some jobs may make the worker feel disgusted and tired, they hold on with the view that work has other things to offer without which they may feel lost, useless, no identity, and underrated in the society (Ramarajan & Reid 2004, p.631). Whatever the job is, it can provide a sense of belonging that make an individual happy about their lives. Through work, a person is able to be appreciated for doing something worthwhile and making an achievement that can be used to gauge him and provide him with social identity. In some profession, the competition between workers is so fierce that the quality of their production is used to gauge their social identity that can also enable them climb the social ladder. The good thing about work and working environment is that one is also able to get friends, companion, and a social group to belong to that can a source of social support in whatever situation (Rode 2004, p.1214). A person working as a doctor is able to find friends among the doctors than another person from a different profession altogether. Transitions of identities Pratt, Rockman and Kaufmann (2006, p.236) suggest that identities change as one progresses in his career ladder. Therefore, as one climbs the social ladder by tackling various jobs, the social identity of that person also changes drastically. Throughout the careers, individuals move into new roles thus subjecting him into different sub identities in accordance with the level of transition. They also argue that whenever a person changes the work environment, either absorption, determination and exploration and replication happen, his social identity changes. After staying in a particular workplace for a particular time, the worker cooperates with group members and in doing this, they form social identity groups that may differ with the fist one (Milton & Westphal 2005, p.192). Work and wealth Society exhibits ambivalent attitudes towards those who are rich in relation to those who are poor (Thompson, Harred & Burks 2003, p.569). The rich are constantly envied due their good works and the respect they attract whenever they visit. Those people with little or no wealth are perceived as lazy and unwilling to work leading to low ranking and respect in the society (Terry & O’Brien 2001, p.277). In most places, children are taught to work hard in order for them to enjoy a happy life in the future. Unemployment Since work is highly valued, those who are unemployed are under constant pressure to seek employment from their families and friends. Some even make the sacrifice of leaving their regions and travel far and wide in search of work to do in order to reduce the pressure mounted on them. The pressure for people to find work is usually enormous to the extent some are ready to risk their marriage and families just to find something tangible to do. People who have lost their jobs find it difficult to manage their social identity because their former roles that used to construct their self are no more (Haslam 2005, p.217). Loss of a job to a worker disrupts an individual attempt to sustain consistent and positive self-image thus marking the beginning of a transition of social identity. Such a transition mainly presents a change in a persons social identity and it completely changes his role as a friend, spouse, or a parent for the better or for the worse. It is evident that the loss of a job challenges the identity of an individual by interfering with his self-esteem to the extent that it even alters the network of friends and social support.This is because friendship is largely maintained by proximity and when a person leaves his organization, the network of friendship in that organization reduces drastically. The identity of a person is largely sustained by their social roles as the provider, spouse, or a parent that is greatly changed whenever one loses work to do (Hogg & Terry 2000, p.131). Sickness and inability to work Since people are expected to have something to do, inability to find something to do can be associated with sickness and this can be very damaging. Since the people value work, so much, some people with disability have their work crafted in such a way that they can do it comfortably. Sickness is a universal certification means by which the society may exempt someone from doing work, and thus, anyone who is not working is viewed as worse than a sick person is (Kreiner, Ashforth & Sluss 2006, p.622). For a person to be given a sick leave at the work place, they have to be certified by a qualified doctor to ensure that he is not in a position to deliver his duties effectively. In certain companies, they assess a persons medical condition before employing them to minimize cases of sick leaves that can hinder their progress (Link & Phelan, 2001, p.371). People with disability cannot work in any way, even though some of them have good abilities to perform specific duties. Ability to work for people with disability greatly depends on the environment, circumstances, and attitudes of the society (Meyer, Becker & Van Dick 2006 p.672). Identity in the society is the most important issues since its evident that people with disabilities face a considerable amount of discrimination as lacking possibilities of identifying them with a certain profession in the society. They are thus constantly labeled as disabled, thus bringing worst stigmatization in them making them uncomfortable to perform most tasks in the society. In some instances, the people with disability are alienated from other members of the society whereby they attend their own schools and are treated in their own hospitals to prevent them from interfering with other able members of the society. Job loss influences the individual sense of personal and social identity since unemployment come with a stigma that negatively affects the life of the victim (Pettit & Lount 2010, p.16). A loss of job is sometimes believed to occur due to incompetence and this easily erodes a person’s social identity as he interacts with members of the community. In order for a person to increase their social status in the society, they ensure that they keep their jobs intact by working hard and honestly. Gender Historically, most work related activities apply to men, but things have changed in the recent past (Chattopadhyay & Tluchowska 2004, p.197). When it comes to gender, roles to be performed in the society were divided based on the nature of the task. Today, worker identity still remains a problem for many women who are trying undertake every role a man does in the past. Traditionally, a woman was expected to take the role of housewife while performing little tasks that are house related (Gray & Kish-Gephart 2012, p.688). On the other hand, the man was expected to handle tasks that could be performed outside and fend for the family. For this reason, some of the jobs are strongly associated with men rather than women, even though, things are changing. Since the traditional notion is quickly being washed away, women are currently training and pursuing all careers that were formerly dominated by men (Castano, Yzebyt & Bourguignon 2003, p.744). Retirement The idea of retirement is a modern concept that mainly characterizes industrial societies in as much as being a social identity (Ashforth & Kreiner 2002, p.231). In the pre industrial societies, the equivalent of retired were older people, whom their role and expectations differed greatly from other members of the society. In this regard, the work done by a person is also determined by the physical strength (Dutton, Roberts & Bednar 2010, p.277), which reduces as one becomes older. In this way, some jobs are associated with the young while some are for the old and this provides a platform for determining their social identity. Retired people in modern societies have more roles compared to the younger generation in the same society. They are also honored and respected for their achievement in their workplace and are likely to be recalled for a particular task or consulted on any other issue. In some industries, people are expected to retire early, since the old are perceived uncreative and lack good health to continue working (Hamilton, Sherman & Castelli 2002, p.154). Conclusions Work is an important source of social identity due to societal expectations that are linked to it. The type of work we are doing has a great importance on our social, psychological, and spiritual dimensions. 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