Culture & Identity: Situating the Individual PDF

# Culture & Identity: Situating the Individual ## Chapter 7 ### The Role of Identity - Identity development plays a critical role in the individual's psychological well-being. - Our technology driven world is influenced by perceptions of identity. - Identity is dynamic: throughout life we acqu...

# Culture & Identity: Situating the Individual ## Chapter 7 ### The Role of Identity - Identity development plays a critical role in the individual's psychological well-being. - Our technology driven world is influenced by perceptions of identity. - Identity is dynamic: throughout life we acquire new identities and discard old ones. ### Identity Defined - The reflective self-conception or self-image that we each derive from our family, gender, cultural, ethnic, and individual socialization process. Identity basically refers to our reflective views of ourselves and other perceptions of our self-images. (Ting-Toomey 2005, p. 212) - The concept of who we are. (Martin & Nakayama 2010, p. 162) ### Identity Development The image shows a diagram of the factors that influence identity: *Other’s images*, *Social comparisons*, *Cultural teachings*, *Your interpretation*, and *Self concept*. The image is of four ducklings. - **Other's images:** how do significant others see me? - **Social comparisons:** how do I compare to peers? - **Cultural Teachings:** how do I fulfill them? - **Your Interpretation:** how do I see myself? ### Cultural Teachings The image shows a timeline with a groom and bride centered in the middle, with the words, "For Example: Age you should be Married." It shows that the bride and groom are positioned at 20 years old. - Cultural teachings are how we are taught to be a person in our culture. - By the time we reach adulthood, we are expected to have acquired a certain amount of knowledge about our culture and how to act acceptably by social standards. ### Identity Defined (again) - Identity is an abstract idea. - Identity is dynamic. - A person can have multiple identities. ### Types of Identities - **Human identity:** We are all human beings and share certain common characteristics as a species. - **Social identity:** groups we belong to: racial, ethnic, occupational, etc. These identities are often based on our shared experiences and beliefs. - **Personal identity:** sets you apart from other in-group members and marks you as special or unique: talent, personality, etc. This is a more individualistic form of identity. ### Types of Social Identities The image shows an American flag and a group of people working at their laptops together. - Racial & ethnic identities - National & regional identities - Gender identity - Personal identity - Organizational identity - Cyber and fantasy identity ### Developing and Acquiring Identities - Largely a product of group membership: a process of learning and internalizing the norms and values of one's family, community, and culture. - Family influences: how your family raises you. - Socialization: learning the ways of your culture, including social norms, values, and beliefs. - Personal experiences: the things that happen to you in life. - Begins at a young age: the process of identity development begins early in life. - Family members teach specific behaviors for girls & boys: gender roles are often taught to children by their families. - Extended family teaches age-appropriate behaviors: learning the norms and values of your family and community. - Family instill concept of an individual or group-based identity: learning whether your identity is more individualistic or collective. ### Personal Identity The image shows a quote: "The idea of the self doesn't persist over time. There is no you that is the same person from birth to death." - Personal identity refers to the unique and individual aspects of a person’s self-concept. ### Developing and Acquiring Identities; Phinney - **Unexamined ethnic identity:** characterized by the lack of exploration of ethnicity. People in this stage may not think much about their ethnicity or how it affects their lives. - **Ethnic identity search:** individuals become interested in learning about and understanding their own ethnicity. People in this stage may begin to question their own culture and explore different aspects of their ethnic identity. - **Ethnic achievement:** individuals have a clear and confident understanding of their own cultural identity. People in this stage have come to terms with their ethnicity and feel comfortable with who they are. ### Developing and Acquiring Identities; Martin and Nakayama - **Unexamined identity:** individuals are unconcerned with identity issues. People in this stage may not be aware of their own cultural identity or how it affects their lives. - **Conformity:** minority members endeavor to fit in with the dominant culture and may even possess negative self-images. This can lead to assimilation, where people adopt the norms and values of the dominant culture and reject their own. - **Resistance and separatism:** cultural awakening that stimulates a greater interest in and adherence to one's own culture. This can lead to a rejection of the dominant culture and a focus on preserving one's own culture. - **Integration:** individuals have a sense of pride in, and identify with, their own cultural group, and demonstrate an acceptance of other groups. This stage is characterized by a healthy balance between one’s own cultural identity and the dominant culture. ### Developing and Acquiring Identities: Multistage Identity Development Model - **Unexamined identity:** individuals are unconcerned with identity issues. - **Acceptance:** acquiescence to existing social inequities, even though such acceptance may be at a subconscious level. People in this stage may not be aware of the ways in which their cultural identity affects their lives or the opportunities they have. - **Resistance:** members of the dominant culture become more aware of existing social inequities, begin to question their own culture, and increase association with minority culture members. People in this stage may begin to challenge the dominant culture and advocate for social justice. - **Redefinition & (5) Reintegration:** increased understanding of one’s dominant culture identity and an appreciation of minority cultures. People in this stage have achieved a more complex and nuanced understanding of both their own cultural identity and the dominant culture, and are able to engage with both cultures in a meaningful way. ### Developing and Acquiring Identities: Martin and Nakayama's Biracial Identity - **Phase 1:** become conscious of differences in general and the potential for discord. People in this stage may begin to notice the ways in which they are different from other children and may experience confusion or discomfort. - **Phase 2:** gain an awareness of their personal differences from other children. People in this stage may feel a sense of belonging to two different cultures and may struggle to reconcile these experiences. - **Phase 3:** begin to sense they are not part of the norm; accept duality & become more confident. People in this stage have come to terms with their biracial identity and feel comfortable with who they are. ### Establishing and Enacting Cultural Identity - **Established through rights of passage:** rites of passage are ceremonies that mark a person's transition from one stage of life to another. - **Enacted on in many ways:** - Cultural ways of displaying religious or spiritual identity - Clothing worn - Involvement in commemorative events - Language - Accents ### Identity in Intercultural Interactions - **To communicate effectively in an intercultural situation:** - An individual's cultural identity and communication style should match the identity and style ascribed to him or her by the other party. - It is important to be aware of cultural differences and to make an effort to understand and respect the other person's cultural background. - **But communication styles are likely to be different:** - Participants will have to search for a middle ground, and this search will require flexibility and adaptation. ### Identity in a Globalized Society - **Globalization has increased cultural diversity:** People from all over the world are interacting with each other more than ever before. - Globalization has revived local cultural identities in different parts of the world. - **Multiple cultural identities are becoming more commonplace:** As people from different cultures come into contact with each other, they often adopt aspects of each other's cultures, creating a new hybrid culture. This is being caused by: - Globalized economy - Immigration - Ease of foreign travel - Communication technologies - Intercultural marriage. - **Mixing is producing people who possess multiple cultural identities**.