The Cultural Construction of Identity The Importance of Self society Society is a collection of social identities distributed over a landscape o Social Identities Views that people have of their own and others positions in We group people into categories based on such criteria as gender female male ethnicity Irish Italian Chinese personal characteristic short tall husky thin and so on Nobody is anybody except in relation to somebody Question 6 1 How does the Concept of Personhood Vary from Society to Society o In whatever form a name takes it represents the self o Americans are highly individualistic o Individualistic A view of the self in which the individual is primarily responsible o The relationship between the persona and the group or the person and his or her social for his or her own actions position is holistic o Holistic A view of the self in which the individual cannot be conceived of as existing separately from society of apart from his or her status or role The Egocentric and Sociocentric Self o The egocentric view typified in many ways by the western view adopted in American society each person is defined as a replica of all humanity the locus of motivations and drives and capable of acting independently from others o For westerners the individual is the center of awareness a distinct whole set o In the egocentric view of the person a high value is placed on the individualism and self against other wholes reliance o From a sociocentric view there is no intrinsic self that can possess such enduing qualities as generosity integrity or beauty Such qualities can only apply to concrete social situations Personhood in Japan and America o Japanese children are not trained to be self reliant as American children are o They are taught interdependence between the person and the family or group is more important than independence o The Japanese new of the self is expressed in their language o It expresses how the self is defined relative to a specific social interaction o Japanese language lacks vocabulary that is status neutral o The sociocentric Japanese also differ from the egocentric Americans in their approach to social interaction o Americans believe that is it desirable for people to stand out and take charge Japanese believe that social interactions should be characterized by restraint or reserve o The Japanese do see themselves as separate entities o They are attached to their personal names o Japanese believe in self development o For the Japanese the autonomy if the individual is established not in social situations where they actively distinguish themselves from others as Americans do but away from society where self reflection and introspection are legitimate Question 6 2 How Do Societies Distinguish Individuals from One Another o Some characteristics of persons of the identity toolbox so to speak are almost universally used to differentiate and to group them o Identity Toolbox Features of a person s identity such a gender age or personal appearance that he or she chooses to emphasize in constructing a social self o In traditional societies kinship is the central organizing principle the main determinant of a person s social identity o Language is spoken is another important identity marker that is sometimes viewed as essential for the maintenance of a group identity o Northern Ireland also illustrates the importance of having either a positive identity or a negative identity o Positive Identity The attribution to people of personal characteristics o Negative Identity The attribution of personal characteristics believed to be believed to be desirable undesirable o In Northern Ireland people often do this by comparing themselves with the other religious group Catholics to Protestants and Protestants to Catholics Constructing Male and Female female o Gender is a cultural creation that is different standards apply to being male and being o An infant is given a gender appropriate name dressed in properly designed or colored clothing and spoken to in gender appropriate language o Parents and other caregivers then teach the male children that it is manly to endure pain and to be strong and tough Male children are discouraged from expressing discomfort and encouraged when they can withstand it o Females are taught to be caring and helpful o Schools in the United Sates reinforce gender roles in areas such as sports participation Language Gender and Race society o Language is one of the tools that people have to signal how they wanted to be placed in o For example voice pitch does tend to differ because men s vocal tracts are longer thus giving men a deeper voice Children will unconsciously lower or raise their pitch to conform to gender expectations o Grammar can signal gender o What is said may also convey gender o In English the third person singular he and she forces us to differentiate gender o Profanity is reserved largely for males and is prohibited for women and children o Whether or not to speak can convey language o Among the Araucarias of Chile men are encouraged to talk because it is a sign of masculine intelligence and leadership whereas the ideal woman is submissive and silent in her husband presence Question 6 3 How Do Individuals learns who they are We are not born with an identity it is something we learn Arnold van Gennep introduced the concept of rites of passage o A term for rituals that mark a person s passage from one identity or status to another There are three phases in the rites of passage o First the ritual separates the person from an existing identity o Second the person enters a transitional phrase o Finally the changes are incorporated into a new identity Transition is a major part of initiation ceremonies marking the passage of a person from say childhood to adulthood The Transition to Adulthood some kind of test of courage Ceremonies that mark the transition of a male from boyhood to manhood most involving o Ex For a Massai male a cattle herding people of East Africa to obtain identity of a worthy man he must own cattle be generous to others and be autonomous and independent capable of defending his homestead and his honor He must also demonstrate bravery on cattle raids against neighboring groups The central feature of the Massai initiation is circumcision Circumcision is intensely painful because the cutting which may last up to four minutes is done with no anesthetic You must remain absolutely still and silent The slightest movement on