INR3932 FINAL EXAM STUDY GUIDE CHAPTER 8 CATEGORIZATION SUBGROUPS AND IDENTITIES THE MULTIFACETED NATURE OF IDENTITIES o Stuart Hall defined identity as each individual s particular way of identifying her or himself within specific cultural contexts o Identity manifests personal or group characteristics and expresses specific memberships Refers primarily to a person s subjective experience of her or himself in relation the world o Sharing an identity implies that we actively engage part of our being in order to identify with o One s identity is formed through cultural processes which are in turn conditioned by a certain group cultural structures o Identities can be studied at the individual or collective level Individual or Personal Identity Refers to categorizing an individual as distinct from others along with the specific relationships the individual has with others Collective or Social Identity Refers to categorization based on group membership to make groups rather than individuals distinctive Identification with and perceived acceptance into a group involves learning systems of symbols as well as values norms and rules Racial Identity Example of a collective identity o Humans in all cultures desire positive individually based and group based identities o We categorize people based on their group membership o In addition to culture and religion identities can be defined by gender class race ethnicity political orientation social groups occupation and geographic region o Some group memberships are voluntary religion occupation etc others are involuntary sex age etc o Due to our multiple groups subgroups we are always engaged with people from outgroups o Identity is NOT fixed but rather constantly negotiated and reconstructed SOCIAL CATEGORIZATION AND IDENTITIES o Categorization A process of ordering the environment through the grouping of persons objects and events as being similar or equivalent to one another based on their shared features or characteristics o Categorization helps to reduce the complexity of the world and to understand our environment by giving it some structure however it can reinforce stereotypes o Categorization occurs at an individual and group level CATEGORIZATION AND THE FORMATION OF IDENTITIES Social Identity Theory Claims that identity formation is a product of social categorization Hoggs Abrams Through this process society is internalized by individuals on the basis of social categories Social identities connect individuals to society through group memberships which then influences beliefs attitudes behaviors etc Personal Identity Defines an individual in terms of his or her difference to others Individuals create a self image and responds to the image created Others expect the individual to act in accordance with this self image Aspects of P I physical features hobbies interests family relationships social circles age sex nationality religious affiliation etc P I consists of the things that pick us out as individuals and differentiate us from others in some way Social Identity Parts of an individual s self concept which derive from his or her memberships of a group together with the value and emotional significance attached to such membership S I pick us out as group members and distinguish our groups national groups sports groups Influences how we live within diverse cultural contexts and relate to a range of groups or institutions Individuals construct social categories and use their beliefs attitudes feelings an d behaviors as prototypes to differentiate their own groups from others that are salient in the situation Hogg Mulin Argue that individuals are more inclined to align themselves with the norms of their group when they experience a sense of uncertainty o Ex Whites are usually unaware of belonging to a specific racial group but those of other racial backgrounds are more aware due to their minority status Consequence of categorizing people based on group memberships is drawing the boundary between ingroups and outgroups Membership Groups Groups for which one belongs o Voluntary political affiliation religion occupation o Involuntary age race sex Ingroups Represent a special class of membership group characterized by a internal cohesiveness among members Norms behaviors and values shape the behaviors of its members Characterized by some shared experiences and an anticipated shared future Non Membership Groups Groups for which one does not belong o Voluntary or Involuntary Outgroups A non membership group that is salient to the ingroup Seen as distinct from the ingroup and sometimes in the way of the accomplishment of the ingroup s goals INGROUPS OUTGROUPS Ingroup bias occurs long he dimensions by which we compare ingroups and outgroups language proficiency intelligence even though any real difference may be on another dimension altogether national origen We tend to be more tolerant of the behavior of ingroup members than of outsiders creating the distinction between what is known as inside morals and outside morals The reach of morals is called the scope of justice Coleman states Individuals or groups within our moral boundaries are seen as deserving of the same fair moral treatment as we deserve Individuals or groups outside these boundaries are seen as undeserving of this same treatment SUBGROUP MEMBERSHIPS DIFFERENT TYPES OF IDENTITIES Group memberships are NOT fixed o GENDERY IDENTITY Part of a personal as well as social identity Entails social roles established for the sexes while sex refers to a biological category Gender is social interpretation of biological sex Gender roles the norms of behavior expectations and the assumptions associated with them vary across cultures Gender Constancy developed by 5 6 years of age the concept that a child born as a girl will always be female will adopt female roles and grow up to be a woman G I is not limited to male or female another gender is possible defined culturally as Third Gender T G roles are defined and accepted not only by the individuals themselves but also by the wider society in which they live Ex Hijra of India Born with male genitals but do not accept male or female roles specifically Society defines the genders roles Mass media school religion and other social institutions are creators of gender stereotypes which reinforce gender roles o ETHNIC IDENTITY Can be based on national origin race or religion Different from race but as a concept it is often used interchangeably with or