What is identity?

Socialisation and social control are important processes because they result in the
internalisation of society’s expectations, rules and standards. The individual is
therefore transformed into a social being whose identity, outlook, motivation and
desires are shaped by the society to which they belong.

Personal identity is a concept which refers to the sense of self, that is, how people
see or judge themselves in terms of their individuality and difference from others.
People construct their unique sense of identity by adopting particular values,
priorities, desires and moral outlooks and by choosing to look or to behave in
particular ways. In summary then identity or the self refers to how you see
yourself.

Some sociologists argue that the self can be broken down into the ‘I ‘and ‘Me’. The
‘Me’ is the way you project yourself to the world – your outgoing personality that
you wish other people to see and interact with. The ‘I’ is your private self which is
only revealed to your closest relatives and friends. It may be at odds with the ‘Me’
in the sense that a confident and extrovert outgoing personality might express to
close friends that their outgoing personality masks a lack of confidence and
insecurity about their ability in dealing with others.

Social identity refers to the social roles and statuses that society assigns to people.
These may be family roles (father, mother, children and so on), community roles
(lovers, friends, students, associates, neighbours and so on) or occupational roles.
Each role a person performs has cultural expectations attached to it, that is, society
expects that role to be performed to a particular standard. The successful or
unsuccessful performance of social roles can impact on personal identity because it
can reinforce positive or negative feelings of self-worth. In other words, social
identity refers to how other people see you.

Social identity is the net sum of all the socialisation experiences a person has been
through. In that sense, it is shaped by the family, peer group, education, religion
and workplace. During socialisation, we internalise all the social expectations
associated with social roles in the family – we learn how children, friends, pupils,
believers and workers are supposed to behave and adjust our social identity
accordingly. When we reach adulthood, we have normally acquired a social identity
that fits social expectations about what constitutes a beloved family member, a
trustworthy friend, a respectable citizen and a reliable worker. Some sociologists
argue that aspects of our social identity are imposed on us by social forces such as
social class, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, age, nationality and disability.

Collective identity refers to the process of identifying with a larger social group
and experiencing a sense of belonging or community.
Bradley identifies two types.
 A passive or ascribed identity is usually acquired involuntarily via birth and
socialisation
 Active identities are a matter of choice – people may choose to identify with
a particular football team, a political cause, a spectacular youth culture and so
on.

Some postmodern sociologists claim that people are now rejecting traditional
sources of identity such as those shaped by social class and ethnicity in favour of
hybrid identities formed by choosing to mix and match styles and influences from
a wide range of media and global sources. It is argued that young people are
choosing to construct unique identities which celebrate globalisation, cultural
diversity, consumerism and individuality. However, critics argue that this argument
is exaggerated and that the traditional influences on identity such as ethnicity,
religion, class, masculinity, femininity, and so on are still very influential today.