Importance of Class Identity - Article Example

Name Tutor Course Date Importance of Class Identity Introduction Social identity mainly describes the status of an individual in relation to a particular class in the society. According to Vryan, different classes are found in the society which includes the high class which is mainly comprised of rich people (372). The middle class is comprised of people who are neither rich nor poor. The low class is comprised of poor people in the society who cannot afford their basic needs and have to undergo a lot of struggle. Individuals are thus identified according to the class they come from in the society. In Britain, the situation is not different and all the social classes are found there. The class that an individual comes from can easily determine their future lives. This is mainly because of the ideologies that exist in the different classes. The paper thus discusses the importance of social class in relation to a film called the up series which was first filmed in 1964 (Bray 7). The Film The up series is regarded as one of the longest series in the film and television series. It was firm filmed in 1964 featuring fourteen children (Bruzzi, 4). The aim of the film was to determine whether the social class in Britain has any impact on the future of the children. The fourteen children were selected from different social classes and their lives focused after every seven years to determine whether they are fulfilling their goals and objectives in life. The series continued for forty nine years with the latest version being filmed in 2012. The participants were involved in most of the series which actually brought their social and economic status to the public light. The film also targeted the social situation of Britain in the year 2000. This was mainly because the social class of the children was considered as the major contributing factor to their future and success. In some of the series, the participants did not participate due to personal reasons. As the series continued, the aims and objectives of some of the participants were realized while some did not realize their objectives. The social class also played an important role in determining the success of the participants. Of the fourteen participant, only one from the low class managed to become a scientist and very successful in his career. Most of those who came from the low class did not achieve great success in terms of their careers with some ending up doing manual duties like brick laying and taxi driving. However most of those who came from the wealthy families were very successful in their careers with some taking up executive positions. One of the participants from a wealthy family who did not excel in education still managed to get married to a wealth husband. The social lives of the participants were also highlighted in the film. Most of the participants from the low social class ended up in difficult situations in marriage with some leading to divorce. The participants from the high class did not have much divorce rate in the series. The film was thus able to relate the importance of class identity depending on achievements of the participants (Apted 68). Importance of Class Identity Class identity plays an important role in determining the future success of an individual. In the film, the class identity determines the type of career the participants took and the quality of life they lived. Saunderson notes that the careers of the participants were based on their class and each made different decisions (4). Those who came from the high class were more ambitious than those who came from the low class. This can be attributed to the fact that the people from the high class always want to achieve more and as a result they become more ambitious. The desire to be successful in life is also one of the factors that makes the people fro m the high class more aggressive as compared to those who are from he low class. This leads to a lot of exposure to the children who in turn would want to emulate the examples of their parents and become successful as well (Tretheway 10). It is for this reason that most of the children from the high class at the beginning of the series were more ambitious. The children from the low class were less ambitious and even their careers was evident. The people in the low class are always associated with low Morales in life. To most of them, achieving great successful is impossible and can only be compared to a dream. The lack of exposure to good life further worsens their situation and thus their failure to become ambitious. The will power is also low and as a result they end up achieving very little. This is passed over to the children who end up thinking that the high class life is a preserve for a few individuals and not them. This affected the lives of some of the participants in the film. The class identity thus played and important role in determining the success of the participants (Meyers 8). The class identity also played an important role in determining the social lives of the participants. In the 49 up series, the divorce rates among the participants was very high. The divorce rates from those who came from the low class and the middle class was higher compared to those who came from the high class. The social lives of individuals are always shaped by the society they live in. In most of the low class society, the families are usually faced with a lot of challenges. The challenges results to frustrations which make the people engage in drug use, crime and domestic fights and quarrels (Tangney, 6). These actions have a lot of impacts on the growth and development of the children. The psychological effects that the problem exposes them results to future problems with socialization. This results to marital problems which includes the divorce and poor characteristics in terms of child upbringing and socialization (Brubaker, 28). This could be a reason for the social problems witnessed at the 49 up. Family values are always cherished in the high class societies. This is mainly attributed to the lack of frustrations that have huge impacts on the family lives. Most families thus end up living happily and develop respect for one another. The children in such families will always adopt the god family values and always ensure their families are living happily. Brockmeier argues that lack of initial experience to domestic violence and other social problems thus makes them more responsible and positive towards marriage life (30). It is for this reason that the high divorce rates were witnessed in the 49 up. Very few characters from the low class background were able to maintain their marriages to the time of the 49 up series. Most of those who came from the high class society were able to maintain their marriages which proved the point. The class identity is thus important in the series in determining the social lives of the participants. Class identity also plays an important role in portraying the social gap that exists among the people of Britain. The class identity also portrays the perception of the people towards the different classes that exist in Britain. This is clear from the fact that the Main aim of the series was to prove that the low class people have very little chances of succeeding in future compared to the people from the high class (Dunier, 3). The quality of life in Britain is quite tough for the members of the low class. This combined with the high cost of living makes life more difficult and hence the low class people experience a lot of discouragement. However despite this, the 49 up series showed that most of the participants were successful in their careers they undertook regardless of how low it seemed. It is however evident that the class of an individual determines how successful they may end up being or not. The gap between the high class and the low class is thus quite practical in Britain and it plays an important role in the lives of the citizens (Brubaker 4). Conclusion In conclusion, the identity of an individual is mainly determined by the social class in which they belong. The social class according to the film, plays an important role in determining the success of the individual. The chances of the people from the low class becoming successful in life are quite slim in Britain. This is due to the barriers and perceptions associated with it. The social lives of the individuals are determined by their social class. This is mainly because the society exposes the individuals to different experiences. The experience gained by an individual in the early age determines the characteristics of the individual in future. The divorce rates in the film are high and it shows that family values are also determined by the social class of the individuals. The gaps in the social life in Britain have also been highlighted by the film. The results and observations from the film are quite real since the show involved real characters. References Dunier, M. Michael Apted's Up! Series: Public sociology or folk psychology through film? Ethnography, 2009, 10 (3): 341–45. Tangney, J. et al. Handbook of self and identity. New York: Guilford Press, 2003. Bruzzi, S. Seven Up. London: British Film Institute, 2007. Apted, M. Michael Apted Responds. Ethnography, 2009.10 (3): 359–67.  Tretheway, A. Fracturing the Real-Self-Fake-Self Dichotomy: Moving Toward Crystallized Organizational Discourses and Identities, 2005. Bray, Z. Living Boundaries: Frontiers and Identity in the Basque Country. Brussels: Presses interuniversitaires européenes, Peter Lang, 2004. Brubaker, R. Ethnicity without Groups. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. , 2002. Brockmeier, J. et al. Narrative and Identity: Studies in Autobiography, Self and Culture. Amsterdam/Philadelphia, 2001. Brubaker, R. et al. Beyond 'Identity. Theory and Society, 2000, 29: 1–47. Meyers, D. Being yourself: essays on identity, action, and social life. Feminist constructions. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2004. Vryan, K. et al. Identity. pp. 367–390 Handbook of Symbolic Interactionism, CA: AltaMira. (2003). Saunderson, W. Analyzing Identity: Cross-Cultural, Societal and Clinical Contexts. London: Routldge. (2003). Read More