Explain Three Structural Influences On Identity
Identify and describe three structural influences on identity
The term identity refers to who we are; what we have chosen to be and that from which we are different. “Identity is marked by similarity… and by difference” (Woodward, 2000). Our choices throughout our life shape our identity, we will have multiple identities and these in turn may change over time. In that sense, our identity reflects our history. We are free to choose some aspects of our identity, however, these choices or personal agency are constrained by social structures. There are many different social structures, among the most important are the role of the state, gender and class. This essay sets out to describe these three structural influences on identity and to outline their main characteristics.
We present …show more content…
The UK state, through its capacity to make and enforce law, regulates what we can do and constrains our personal agency. It defines who can be a citizen. It is only within that definition that individuals have agency to choose their citizenship, for example, through emigration and immigration. Government statistics provide an official view of racial and ethnic groups; these groups change over time through collective action and negotiation. There are clear interactions between social structures and personal agency. UK legislation in the 20th century has legalised homosexuality and, recently, civil partnerships between couples of the same sex. The change in legislative context has supported a change in the social roles that homosexual couples can take up, moving from a more covert identity signalled through a discrete choice of symbols to sympathetic groups within society, to an open identity recognised by the state. Individuals can influence the state, often through collective action or party association, acting to modify policy through the political
The term identity refers to who we are; what we have chosen to be and that from which we are different. “Identity is marked by similarity… and by difference” (Woodward, 2000). Our choices throughout our life shape our identity, we will have multiple identities and these in turn may change over time. In that sense, our identity reflects our history. We are free to choose some aspects of our identity, however, these choices or personal agency are constrained by social structures. There are many different social structures, among the most important are the role of the state, gender and class. This essay sets out to describe these three structural influences on identity and to outline their main characteristics.
We present …show more content…
The UK state, through its capacity to make and enforce law, regulates what we can do and constrains our personal agency. It defines who can be a citizen. It is only within that definition that individuals have agency to choose their citizenship, for example, through emigration and immigration. Government statistics provide an official view of racial and ethnic groups; these groups change over time through collective action and negotiation. There are clear interactions between social structures and personal agency. UK legislation in the 20th century has legalised homosexuality and, recently, civil partnerships between couples of the same sex. The change in legislative context has supported a change in the social roles that homosexual couples can take up, moving from a more covert identity signalled through a discrete choice of symbols to sympathetic groups within society, to an open identity recognised by the state. Individuals can influence the state, often through collective action or party association, acting to modify policy through the political