Social Psychology: Understanding Identity

Study Notes

Identity is defined as all the answers to the question "Who am I?" and "Who are you?"
It is a person's perception of self within a particular social, geographical, cultural, and political context.
Identity is socially constructed, meaning it exists because humans agree it exists, and it is created, reflected, and maintained through interactions among people.

Multifaceted: People have multiple identities.
Social and Personal: Identities can be social (shared with a larger group) or personal (unique qualities of oneself).
Salience and Strength: The degree to which an identity is prominent or stands out in a given situation, and the degree of importance of a particular identity.
Fluid and Stable: Social identities take shape according to whom we are talking with and what we are talking about.
Avowed and Ascribed: Avowal is the process of telling others what identity(ies) you wish to present, while ascription is the process of assigning an identity to someone based on what others think it should be.
Passing and Outing: Passing is the act of hiding one's true identity, while outing is the act of expressing one's true identity.
Performance and Expression: Identities can be expressed through rituals, customs, and other forms of performance.

Self-concept is the way you see yourself, including your strengths, weaknesses, abilities, and limitations.
Self-awareness is the extent to which you know yourself, including your open, blind, hidden, and unknown self.
Self-esteem is the self-evaluation of a person about their own self, and it can be influenced by physiological, psychological, and social factors.

Perception is the process of becoming aware of objects, events, and people, and it involves selecting, organizing, and interpreting sensory information.
Influences on perception include physiological, psychological, and social factors, such as the senses, mood, self-concept, and social roles.
Common tendencies in perception include making snap judgments, clinging to first impressions, judging oneself more charitably than others, being influenced by expectations, and being influenced by the obvious.

Identity is important to everyone and is influenced by multiple factors.
Understanding oneself is crucial to effective communication and perception.
Perception is influenced by various factors and is prone to common tendencies that can lead to misconceptions.