1.
The Social Construction of Identity
Two general frameworks:
Essentialism
‘Already accomplished fact’
Aspects of identity are innate
Fundamentally unchanged
throughout our lives
Social Constructionism
‘A production’
Identity is product of our
interactions with social
structures, social institutions,
and other people
Moulded within social relations
of power and inequality

2.
Continued…
Social Constructionism
Identity
Socially Constructed
Society Functions
Social Structures
Social Status
Achieved Status
Based on performance
From education, occupation,
accomplishments, abilities,
hobbies, etc.
Have some control of

3.
Ascribed Status
Ascribed Status
Given involuntarily
Not easily changed
Includes ethnicity, sex, age, etc.
Society tends to assign roles to these different
categories.

4.
Role
Social and behavioural expectations
Dynamic aspect of a status
Occupy a status and play a role
Social Status + Roles = Important in social construction of
identity
Structures how we see ourselves
How we relate to others

5.
Socialization
Socialization is “the lifelong process of social
interactions through which individuals acquire a self-
identity and the physical, mental, and social skills
needed for survival in society.”
(Murray et. Al., 2014, pg 93)
Contributes to the development of self – an identity

6.
Agents of Socialization – Socializing
Institutions
- Family - School
- Friends/Peer Groups - Mass Media
- Religious Institutions - Sports Teams
- Youth Groups - Support Services
- Correctional Facilities - Hospitals, etc.
“ Socialize clients to behave, think, and feel as prescribed by the
institutions.” (Shaffir & Pawluch, 2014, p.68)

7.
Looking Glass Self = Identity is derived from perceptions of
others
 Develop identity and self-concept
Charles Horton Cooley

8.
George Herbert Mead
He theorized distinction between
the “Me” and the “I.” in 1930
Me – is oneself as others see
you
I – how one think of themselves
Source of originality, creativity,
and spontaneity
Me + I = develops both identity
and social conscience
Erving Goffman
Coined the term
“dramaturgical approach”
Front stage behaviour – Fake
Back stage behaviour – Real
Both are our real selves

9.
At what point does one’s development come to be a
person from a social constructionist point of view?
Social constructionism over essentialism

10.
STEROTYPES, DISCRIMINATION AND
INTERSECTING IDENTITIES
Unfounded and unwarranted generalizations about particular group
of people
It is not a true statement because it rely on received wisdom or
casual observation rather than
Facts
Once a stereotype exist people selectively notice situation that
seem to confirm it
Stereotype may seem harmless but we must be aware of
particularly when linked to prejudice and discrimination

11.
Prejudice – preconceived opinion about an individual or groups
Prejudice differ from stereotype
Prejudice contain moral judgment about a individual or group, we
judge people without knowing them
When people act with prejudice and stereotype they are
engaging in discrimination deliberate or not
People are treated differently based on preconceived notions
about who they are
Intersectionality – the experience or potential experience of
multiple forms of discrimination based on the intersection of
different social statuses

12.
Stereotypes can lead to prejudice and discrimination on
the other hand the group being
stereotype can start to believe the negative are true about
them
This is called stereotype threat – poor performance in the
face of negative stereotype according
Beilock, 2010 p.102

13.
Sex, Gender and Intersex
SEX: A term used to describe the biological and
anatomical differences between male and females
GENDER: A term used to describe the roles of
masculinity and femininity that we are expected to play,
based on what our sex is.
INTERSEX: Refers to people whose biological sex
characteristics do not fit into the “typical” definitions of
male or female.

14.
Judith Butler
She argues that “gender is the
rightful property of sex” – meaning
that just because you were born a
certain sex, doesn’t mean you are
required to act out to your
assigned roles. ie being masculine
or feminine, simply because you
don’t feel that way.
PERFORMATIVE: Meaning your
gender is constantly produced
and reproduced in ways that we
communicated and present
ourselves.

15.
-We are socialized into our gender roles. We are taught
as children how to be based on our born sex.
Ie play with dolls, vs wrestling.
-all roles are CONSTRUCTED
“Attitudes, behaviour, and activities are learned through
the socialization process.”
(Murray et al., 2014 p.306)
Sex, Gender and Intersex

16.
Unequal perceptions, treatment, and status of
groups based on their gender category. This
is recognized in all aspects of life, including
workplaces, homes, institutions (schools) and
even in politics.
Gender Inequality

17.
An individual’s sexual preference, or orientation.
-In today’s society, it is far more socially acceptable
to be attracted to the same sex, however, much
oppression still exists surrounding this topic. Back in
1974, homosexuality was considered to be “a serious
psychological disorder” in North America. (Lenton,
2014, p79)
Sexuality

18.
Oppression exists when:
-People refuse to conform to gender roles.
-People want to deviate from acting out their innate
gender role.
-People attempt to react toward their beliefs of gender
equality.
-Homosexuality exists/refusal of conformity toward
heterosexuality is present.

19.
THOUGHT PROVOKING
QUESTION:
Why do you think obviously
incorrect gender stereotypes, like
that all girls like pink, remain in
society when there has been so
much progress in society
surrounding gender roles in
the last few decades?

20.
Racial and Ethnic Identities
What is race? How does it define the way we see
ourselves? The book describes race as a socially
constructed classification of human beings based on
skin colour that became popular in the 18th century.
Political and Social factors, played a huge role in the
designation of different races, which led to the
domination and subjugation of minority races.

21.
The book describes and clarifies two separate concepts.
Race as a process and Ethnic Identities as sets of
relations. What this means is that race and ethnicity have
links when it comes to inequality or the poor and uneven
distribution of power. One quote says that “The
substance of race is essentially an act of consciousness
which means that it can never be concretely defined or
decided”. This means that race is something that humans
have conjured up and moulded into something that helps
or advances one “master-race” of society and demeans
the value of the others. This power struggle leads to
many conflicts that keep us in a cycle of inequality and
racism.

22.
The Ancient Egytians, Jews, Greeks, and Romans placed
importance on difference, however race wasn’t one of them. In
Ancient Greece and Rome, distinctions were based primarily
on cultural grounds and how a society function differently than
their own. Race became more popular overtime only for the
purposes of slavery and colonization.
Ethnocentrism is the state of mind where your own
culture is superior to others in comparison. For example, in
Ancient Greece, non-Greeks were considered savage,
however if you adopted their culture it became viable to shed
your “barbarian” status. In regards to slavery, there were no
direct connections to race in the minds of Hebrews, Greeks, or
Romans. They even described Africans positively by saying “a
respect for their way of life and admiration for their military and
political roles in the Mediterranean world” (Hirschman, 2004, p.
390).

23.
The Old and New Testaments of the Bible described different
conceptions of race. Ethnic identities were not absolute as
people conformed to and joined other groups by interacting
with them all the time. Marriage was even used as a means
for political and economical advantages. For example
Alexander the Great encouraged his soldiers to intermarry
and learn other cultures.
Religious affiliation also played a role in identifying as
someone or a group of people. Christianity is seen as the
leading religion in society and religious views that are not
shared are often combated with disgust or disapproval.

24.
I found that the more I read into this
section of the chapter, the more biases
and generalizations I found. I noticed
that all the races they portrayed had a
clear “black and white” connotation
surrounding it. They made it seem as if
the Romans, Hebrews and Greeks as
all understanding, and that race didn’t
play a factor, which has an once of truth
to it but race doesn’t have to be based
strictly on the colour of your skin. It
revolves around many other factors
such as physical and genetic traits. I
also found that they omitted or failed to
incorporate the accomplishments of
black rulers. They mentioned Alexander
the Great but couldn’t somehow
incorporate King Khufu, the builder of
the Great Pyramid.

25.
How does race determine the experiences you will face in
life, and how could those experience shape your values and
beliefs?
My Question