Lecture eight, identity and socialisation

Effective from September 2015 | F_Soc USIC Sociology week 7 - Society
Review of Lecture Seven:
Last week, we looked at the media and social theory and examined
three sociological perspectives on how media contents are
received by its audience: Functionalism, Pluralism and Conflict
Theory.
We also developed debates on media ownership and media
representations.
sheffield.ac.uk/international-college 2

 Identity
 Structure and Agency
 Primary and Secondary Socialisation
 Conclusion
 Homework

Identity
 Definition: The sense that someone has of who they
are and of what is most important about them.
(Haralambos and Holborn 2013: 729).
 Identity involves making comparisons between people
and establishing similarities and differences between
them. Those who are believed to be similar share
aspects of their identity.

 Important sources of identity are likely to include:
nationality, ethnicity, age, sexuality, gender, religion and
social class.
Example:
An individual can be British-Asian, heterosexual, female,
Hindu, young & middle-class.

Types of Identity
 Personal Identity: refers to how a person thinks about
him/herself.
 Social Identity: refers to how individuals are perceived by others.
Therefore personal identity is an individual’s view of themselves while
social identity is the society’s view of the individual.

 From its very outset, sociology showed great interest in the fast pace
of changes and transitions experienced in modern societies.
 Some examples: changes in gender roles, work patterns,
technology, globalization, mass migration, environmental
degradation… etc.
In the early 20th
century gender roles
were clearly marked by the clothes
men and women wore to the roles they
played in the society. Men worked and
were seen as the breadwinners.
Women stayed home and took care of
the children and the home. These
behaviours and actions shaped
societies’ interpretation of masculine
and feminine behaviour.

How are identities formed?
Debates on identity tend to take place around a central question:
How are identities formed and to what extent do we shape our own
identities?
oPeople actively shape and change their own identities, for example people
have a great deal of choice about which social groups to join, through
forms of consumption… etc.
oAt the same time however, societal factors play a significant role.

Structure and agency debate
Identity is formed through a combination of individual
agency and structural restrictions.
Agency is the capacity of individuals to act
independently and to make their own free choices.
 Structure refers to those factors of influence e.g. social
class, gender, ethnicity, culture, etc that determine or
limit an individual’s decisions.

Identity and Culture
 Identities can be formed through the cultures and sub-cultures to which
people belong, however, different theoretical viewpoints see the
relationship between culture and identity in different ways.
 According to Structuralist views ‘identity’ is formed by people’s
involvement in particular cultures and sub-cultures.
• e.g. people who identify themselves as Christian would be
expected to have a strong Christian Identity.

Identity and Sociology
There are different arguments proposing how identities are formed.
George Mead (1863-1931) an American philosopher and sociologist argued that
human development involves imagining the way others view us. Our identity is
linked to the external identity others bestow upon us.
Erving Goffman (1922-1982) a Canadian-born sociologist and writer saw the
social world as a play. Individuals put on a performance for others to convince
them of who they are. By presenting themselves in particular roles individuals
develop identities.
Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) an Austrian neurologist believed that childhood
experiences, often unconscious, were vital for the development of identities in
adulthood, particularly gender and sexual identities.

Effective from September 2015 | F_Soc USIC Sociology week 7 - SocietyEffective from September 2015 | FY10 Sociology week 2 - Society
Identity & Socialization
 Socialization describes the process of how we are taught the
behavioral rules we need to become both a member of a particular
society/culture and a competent social individual.
Young children for instance are
expected to learn the roles,
norms and values they will need
to function in society from their
family and school; these
elements are not inherent in
children but taught.

Effective from September 2015 | F_Soc USIC Sociology week 7 - SocietyEffective from September 2015 | FY10 Sociology week 2 - Society
Forms of Socialization
 Primary Socialisation: takes place within the family where children
learn common goals, appropriate behaviour and gender roles.
 Secondary Socialisation: takes place outside the home, mainly in
schools and in the community. Here children learn to treat each other
according to certain rules that apply to everyone (e.g. sharing,
respect) and to conform to these rules.

o Parents, schools, peer groups and the mass media
are among significant socializing agents.
o Differences in adults’ backgrounds mean that not all
children-even within the same family- are raised
with identical norms and values.
o Differences in culture, language, values, beliefs,
norms and traditions influence the socialisation
processes.

Summary
Identity refers to the sense that someone has of who they are and of
what is most important to them. Important sources of identity are
nationality, ethnicity, sexuality, gender and social class. There are two
types of identity: Personal Identity and Social Identity.
Identities can be formed through external influences or socialization.
Debates on identity enable us to gain greater awareness into why
people behave the way they do and what factors cause people to
behave in certain ways, how people are socialized, how they perceive
themselves and how society perceives them.

 Review lecture and prepare questions for seminar one
 Read Giddens and Sutton, Sociology (2015) pp.334-344 and
take notes.
Homework

Lecture eight, identity and socialisation

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