Sociology is one of the most interesting fields as it tends to discuss on how individuals relate with oneself, others and the
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9th December 2011
Introduction
Sociology is one of the most interesting fields as it tends to discuss on how individuals relate with oneself, others and the society at large. This gives the implication that the field of sociology is great significance to the society because it may be used to resolve the differences which arise between an individual and the society. The field of sociology is inevitable for good social relations to exist. This is because it tends to focus on self identity and the impact of self identity to group dynamics. Self identity is one of the most interesting facts that an individual should have knowledge about. This is because one would be in a position to give reason for certain behavior or attitudes towards the society. The society is structured in such a way that it can accommodate the needs of people from different social groups. These are simply referred to group dynamics and this is where members of the society with similar characteristics in relation to behavior come together to form groups. Since group formation begins from a
drive that generates from an individual, then self identity is one of the most important components of every member in group processes. There are a variety of theories and concepts that tend to define self identity from a deeper perspective.
My experience arises when I first arrived in an Australian school. This was an international school in which half of the students were Asians. I was so excited to mingle with people from different cultures and making new friends. Being a Korean girl I was expected by my fellow Korean girls who liked to segregate themselves and did not want to share with others to join their groups and be like them. I did not want to join them and act like them because I did not see any use of coming to Australia only to study, without learning the cultures and way of life of other people around the world. I wanted to interact and mingle with everyone irrespective of their nationality. This could be a good learning experience for me. My decision to intermingle with others who were not Koreans annoyed my Korean friends and thus avoided me. They often ensured to keep me out of their discussion which really annoyed me.
I really do care about what other people think about me but pretend not to in order to protect myself. I really wanted to know what my Korean counterparts were saying about me but could not since they could not allow me to join them. My Korean friends had begun back biting me since they thought I did not want to stay with them and only wanted to stay with the Australians. Since I lived in a hostel where only international students lived, I felt very alone with my Korean friends ignoring me. I had to quit that school and join another where I could interact with anyone. Now I am happy
Theories and Literature review
The social identity theory is one of the most important theories in defining self identity. The theory tends to focus on the internalized perception of the characters of an individual (Jenkins, 71). In self identity, the roles of a person towards oneself and the society are established. An individual is in a position to behave in a certain way because this is in relation the self identity. The positions that people hold in the societal setting are what structure the social identity of an individual. The expectations held by the society in relation to the position held by an individual trigger the depicting of specific behavior from the individual. The social identity theory reveals that the behavioral structure of an individual result from the social construction formulated by the society. The social identity theory is crucial for every individual in the society because it tends to explain why people react in different ways in different occasions. The theory is also important because it would enable one forecast on how different people react in different occasions.
Another theory that assists an individual in defining the roles of the self in
the society is the identity control theory. This theory focuses on the need to maintain consistency in behavior in relation to ones identity role. The theory proposes that being consistent in ones behavior is of great importance in the societal setting than giving a positive image. The identity theory implies that it is crucial that individuals get to know of their roles and responsibilities in the society (Tajfel, 27). This gives a reason as to why some people will behave in a specific way in different occasions. The identity control theory is of great significance when it comes to establishing group formations. Group formations rely on individuals with consistent behavior merging to form groups based on achieving common goals. Identity control is therefore inevitable in any form of group formation in the society. The society plays an important role in enhancing group formation and this is the reason why identity control theory is of great significance as well. Once people are able to maintain consistency in behavior then group formation becomes simplified.
Methodology
The qualitative method of research would be beneficial in this research. This is because qualitative analysis deals with understanding human behavior from a deeper perspective. This research method is directly linked to studying
the identity and the impacts that identity has on the society. The qualitative
research method tends to give reason behind specific behavior depicted by
individuals (Creswell, 38). This method would give desirable outcomes for the purpose of the research hence why it would be important to exploit it to the fullest. The data collection procedures that would be employed in the qualitative research method would include narratology, ethnography, grounded theory and shadowing. These theories would positively influence the expected results in that they tend to focus on how individuals behave in different circumstances.
Discussion
The extent to which self identity impacts on the society and the formation of groups in the society is large. This is because for groups to be formed, people with characters with similar characters or personalities have to converge. The self identity theory which is greatly influenced by the status of the society has a positive influence when it comes to group dynamics (Hornsey, 242). This is because individuals have to share a common aspect for group formation to occur in the societal setting. The hip hop culture is an example of a group that is popular in the United States of America. For the effective formation of this group, members with similar behavior had to converge hence resulting to the formation of the group. This culture involves members from the African-American communities who embrace street culture which includes dancing and rapping on the streets. The members of the hip hop culture have their self identity strategies in that they have a dress code that is different from other members of the society. The dress code is what is used as a symbol of unity and also as a way of establishing their loyalty.
Self identity can be seen to be of great significance when it comes to group formation. The members of a particular group within the society have to acknowledge the similarities they possess in relation to their behavior. This is what acts as the base in determining the objectives of the group when being formed. Group dynamics involves the convergence of people with a common goal relating to various aspects of life (Tajfel, 38). Self identity enhances an individual’s capabilities of identifying different goals in life. Therefore in the case of group formation, the people who form the groups have common goals in life. They have to possess a great sense of self identity if they have to execute the operations for the welfare of the groups successfully.
The identity control theory is also important when it comes to the group formation processes (Jenkins, 46). This is in the sense that, the theory advocates for consistency in behavior for an individual. Since groups rely on people with common behavior traits, then consistency in the depicted behavior becomes of great significance. The identity control theory reveals that being consistent in behavior enables one fully establish the self identity. Social groups need consistency in behavior for them to prosper. Without identity control therefore, it would be difficult for groups to be formed. Identity control theory reveals that the power of maintaining behavior is within the individuals. The society has little or no role to play when it comes to identity control. The consistent behavior depicted by an individual in identity control is what structures the society in a particular way. Formation of groups in group dynamics is seen to be highly reliant on the consistent behavior of the members. The hip hop culture in the United States of America requires consistent behavior from the members in reference to the dressing code amongst other factors. The identity of the group is revealed through the behavior of its members and this is the reasons why the aspect of the identity control theory becomes of great significance.
Conclusion
The society constitutes of people from different social, cultural and religious backgrounds. These people converge to form groups on the basis of social interests. These social interests are enhanced by the fact that these members of the society have social identities. Social identities can be fully explained through the social identity theories. Social identities of these members of the society enhance the formation of groups which have a common goal in the societal setting. Social identity is therefore considered to be of great significance when it comes to the formation of societal groups. Apart from the social identity theory, there is also the identity control theory where different individuals tend to show consistency in the depicting behavior in the society. The identity control theory is the reason why various social groups in the society remain strong and exist for very long periods of time. This is because consistency in the behavior of group members means consistency in the overall behavior of the groups.
Works cited
Creswell, J. W. Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. 2003.
Funder, David C.; Joachim I. Krueger. HYPERLINK “http://web.mac.com/kstanovich/Site/Research_on_Reasoning_files/SocialBBS04.pdf” “Towards a balanced social psychology: Causes, consequences, and cures for the problem-seeking approach to social behavior and cognition”. Behavioral and Brain Sciences 27: 313–376. HYPERLINK “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PubMed_Identifier” o “PubMed Identifier” PMID HYPERLINK “http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15736870” 15736870. 2004.
Hornsey, M. J.; Hogg, M. A. “Subgroup Relations: A Comparison of Mutual Intergroup Differentiation and Common Ingroup Identity Models of Prejudice Reduction”. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 26 (2): 242. HYPERLINK “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_object_identifier” o “Digital object identifier” doi: HYPERLINK “http://dx.doi.org/10.1177%2F0146167200264010” 10.1177/0146167200264010. 2000.
Jenkins, R. Social identity, London: Routledge, 2008.
Tajfel, H. Social Identity and intergroup relations, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010.