Individual Identity - Essay Example

 Individual Identity Introduction Sociology is the subject that discusses social relationship of human beings and their interactions with the society. Every person has his or her own identity and lack of identity can bring confusion. This can lead the individual to be viewed as a misfit or deviant. Individual identity is an individuals own or self perception on who they are and where or what the person belongs to in the society. What shapes an individual’s identity? Is it the social structures like schools, church and culture or is it the social interaction with people in the society like family, friends, environment or workplace? Does both social structure and social interaction significant in shaping of an individual’s identity? Social Interaction: Children are born with an empty slate a term called Tabula Rasa. This means that, at birth, a child can identify with whatever condition he or she is placed. Social identity of an individual can be shaped by social interaction because the people around a person motivate behaviour of the child (Macionis & Plummer, 2012, 144). The people an individual interacts with play a crucial role in the person’s identity because the person will have a sense of belonging whenever the person is in that setting or with those people. Social interaction is in the form of friends, family, environment workplace, political system and many others (Samovar, Porter & McDaniel, 2009, 167). Different homes have their own ways of doing things, thus have different ideas of what is acceptable and what is not. Therefore, a child from one home may feel uncomfortable in another home, since what the child considers the norm might be frowned upon in the other household and vice versa. An example is that a Christian family and a pagan family have different ideas about the church, thus extremely disparate environments. When the child from the pagan house is brought to stay with the Christina family, the child will not identify with this family. This is because activities like attending church services or praying at the table before eating or sleeping will be a strange task. Therefore, this child will identify with other children from pagan families and the same will happen to the Christian child. This is further enhanced by the environment. The environment shapes an individual’s identity in that a person that grows up in a hostile environment grows up to be violent and vie versa. Max and Durkheim argue about the issue of social identify exceedingly differently (Macionis & Plummer, 2012, 150). Max argues that social structures shape individuals identity while Durkheim argues for social interaction. Durkheim says that social interaction with family; church and friends shape an individual to become who they are in the society. He states that these interactions give an individual the bond and the expected way of life. Although these interactions are always meant to be virtuous, Durkheim argues that modernity has eroded the social interactions norm as people are brought up with a set of good values only to become the opposite. He does not blame the social structures for changing human begins but blames modernity and calls the change of virtues a state of anomos. Society of anomie is a state where modern individuals, go from one definition of proper behaviour on the next, without knowing how to behave or if what they are doing is right. It is normlessness little distinction between right and wrong. Durkheim is right because author Travis Kong has done some research on sexuality of the Chinese men. In china homosexuality is not accepted, and no social interaction could have instilled this behaviour in the homosexuals, yet homosexuals exist. In order to fit and have an identity, the Chinese men, as stated by Kong, move from cities of the east to cities of the west (Macionis & Plummer, 2012, 152). They are in a state of anomie, and are trying to fit, and have an identity by looking at the western body of gay men whom they strive to look like. Obviously, these gay men have to identify with people who are like them in order to have a social identify, the reason why they move from places where they are shunned to places where they sexuality is considered normal. Culture is also a social interaction that shapes the identity of an individual. Every person comes from different cultural backgrounds (Macionis & Plummer, 2012, 153). The different cultural upbringing gives each person a unique way of looking at the world (Samovar, Porter & McDaniel, 2009, 163). For example, what a Chinese man finds to be a taboo like looking straight in the eyes of an elder when being scolded or talking back is an abomination while the same is seen as being expressive in the west (Samovar, Porter, & McDaniel, 2009, 167). The Japanese civilisation is archaic to an American like in the dressing code (Macionis & Plummer, 2012, 145). Political system also shapes individuals identity. An example is that people from third world African countries are brought up in corrupt political worlds that it has become the norm. The same notion grows with them such that when they are in a powerful political position they find it absurd to refrain from embezzling funds, and doing other fraudulent deals. Furthermore, this vice is proliferated by the fact that nobody questions the corrupt acts. This is the opposite for an individual brought up in the west developed countries. Corruption is highly avoided and discouraged. The person in this environment cannot abuse public office when in such a position, and as such person from the third world country and the one from the developed country cannot identify with each other because of the difference in values (Macionis & Plummer, 2012, 151). Social Structures: Social structures are the institutions where people come to socialize and network with each other. A church is a social structure and has been known to shape people’s identity. The church doctrines have a set of rules and regulations that believers have to follow: thus non believers cannot mix with the believers. This is because they lack a common ground, and they have different individual identities. According to Max (2012), social structures have been set up by the people themselves and people chose which social structures to identify with in the society (Macionis & Plummer, 2012, 155). Max gives out the example of the workplace where an individual does the exact thing that other workers do since it is the norm. They Queue for long which is tedious, but nobody complains or differs because they identify with the other workers and what they do is right. Max ideologies are right since he emphasizes the role of social structures in shaping identities (Woodard, 2004, 152). School is another social structure that hugely shapes an individual’s identity. This is because people who are literate tend to look down upon illiterate individuals, and only identify with the elite. Lack of association between the literate and the illiterate is the lack of understanding between the two parties. Learned people associate with other learned people because they identify with each other. Reflection: Both Social interaction and social structures play a vital role in shaping an individual’s identity although social interaction plays the gigantic part. This is because both social structures and social interactions become evident in an individual’s life at different times. With social structure, the influence that is directed at individual often carries on and dwell with an individual for a life time, for example, family traditions may be carried by an individual to their adulthood until old age. On the other hand, social structures influence change with time (Woodard, 2004, 152). Social structure influences evolve or fades slowly depending on the social interactions as a person develops. (Woodard, 2004, 153) An example is the church and its teachings. Some people’s identities have been shaped by the church, but as they grow older they encounter experiences that shutter their beliefs, and what matters according to the church. Therefore, they may decide to forgo being believers and live the ways of the world. Author William Foote Whyte’s conclusion of the Comerville Street was because of social structures influence on him. Upon seeing the poor lifestyle of the people of Comerville, he concluded that the place was poor, chaotic and flooded by racketeers. Social interaction through friendship with the locals made him discover the truth about Comerville as a highly organised society. William did not fit in the society of Comerville because he was from a wealthy family, and the members of the society did not trust him until he was introduced by one of their own. This shows that social interaction shapes a person’s identity, and people of different social class have no common base (Samovar, Porter & McDaniel, 2009, 169). Conclusion Conclusively, social structure and social interactions both shape an individual’s identity. Social structures are those places where people come to meet and socialize while social interactions is the influence by family, friends, workmates or people that an individual identifies. Influences by social interactions are life long while influences by social structures change with time. They are not long-lasting or sustainable. Therefore, social interactions are the main shapers of an individual’s identity. References Macionis, J. J. and Plummer, K. (2012) Sociology: A Global Introduction, 5th Edition, Pearson Education Limited England. Samovar, L. A., Porter, R. E., & McDaniel, E. R. (2009). Communication between cultures. Belmont, Calif, Wadsworth. Woodard, K. (2004). Questioning Identity Gender: Gender Class Nation. New York, Routledge. Read More