Preview

Society Impact On Identity

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
700 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Society Impact On Identity
Identity is the sense of self and everything that can contribute to that sense. It is something that lies within one's mind and is very subjective. However, certain outside conditions can shape the way an identity can develop. Each person's identity and the way they define what their identity is can rely heavily on the experiences they have, mostly within their environment. While other factors such as gender and language can have a significant impact on identity, they are factors that can be greatly influenced or decided by one's society. Society has the greatest impact on an individual's identity, because it sets up the norms of an environment in which the individual is adapting to in a variety of ways.
Society can have a significant effect
…show more content…
This is a thing that many minorities often deal with, whether it be race, sexual orientation, class, etc., especially within modern media through the form of representation. Society often places a large value on the idea of being “normal”, and for those who are misrepresented or underrepresented, this can make a large effect on one’s idea of self-worth. According to a study done by UCLA, white actors still hold a strong majority over minorities, and racial and gender stereotypes were still existent, though subtle (Darnell, Ramόn). As a minority, seeing less individuals of my ethnicity has influenced my view on the so-called “importance” of my race in comparison to those of white races. This often led me, as well as other minorities whom have been affected by this same issue, to internally believe that minorities hold less of a place in society than those who are not a minority. Society though, is generally becoming more progressive, so as time goes on, minorities are being more and more represented in a positive manner. This is leading to new generations of minorities becoming more empowered and generally respected, as the media can also influence the treatment of minorities. Modern society contributes to changing views of self worth within its …show more content…
Some may assert that other factors, for example, culture, include society within them but generally have a more tremendous impact on identity. To a certain extent, society is based on other factors, especially culture. However, society includes a larger array of one’s environment as a whole, and provides the norms and customs like those in culture for a person to connect with. It is clear that society has a much bigger hold on identity in terms of influence. The many components of society are what provide the framework for an individual’s identity.
Society’s hold on personal values and self-worth is what gives it the power to be a determining factor in the consideration of one’s identity. The influence of society creates the parameters in which an individual can determine how they view their identity and define the significance it has over their life. Existing social conditions within one’s environment are what create the largest effect on the idea of identity as a whole. The significance of society in defining identity can not be ignored, as many of the components of society are what contribute to the meaning of

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Zuckerberg's Hoodie Essay

    • 414 Words
    • 2 Pages

    An individual has no direct influence with the creation of his or her identity, however, identity is a factor of life that is constantly being added onto by the means of the environment, society, and life experiences. In the readings, “Why Is Everyone Focused on Zuckerberg’s Hoodie?” by Somini Sengupta, Alice Walker’s “Oppressed Hair Puts a Ceiling on the Brain” and “What Goes Through Your Mind: On Nice Parties and Casual Racism” by Nicole Chung ; society, personal barriers, and race had apparent effects on each respective author’s views on identity. Identity is not an exact formula, it is instead a constant battle between oneself and the outside world.…

    • 414 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Societal Norm Analysis

    • 1531 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Identity makes us who we are as people. It is made up of how we see ourselves and how we think others see us. According to study.com, identity may include aspects of your life that you have no control over, such as where you grew up or the color of your skin, as well as choices you make in life, such as how you spend your time and what you believe. The literature that we have read this summer has shown us stories of identity in different genders, race, and cultures. Often times, we sacrifice our individuality and uniqueness in order to be more accepted by others. Societal norms are behaviors or actions that are commonly accepted by the majority of people. We question who we are, where do we belong, and why we are the way we are in order to shape the way we want others to see us. We change who we are and what we do in order to fit into societal norms, as well as to be accepted and more easily understood.…

    • 1531 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    American society immensely affects my current identity in various ways. The competitive nature of the American society, especially in the school system, has greatly increased the aspects of my life that already influenced my current identity such as expectations and college goals. These aspects alone positively shape my identity, but the added pressure by American society sometimes becomes exceedingly overwhelming. Through this experience I have learned how to see problems as opportunities. This perspective of problems, which resulted from the difficulties of the American society, has ultimately benefited me by giving me a problem-solving mentality whenever an obstacle arises. All these personal experiences and qualities have created my diligent nature and molded my current individual…

    • 800 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Identity is who a person is. Identity is a complexly layered subject that allows people to either distinguish one from others, or generally organize a group of people who have similarities. Identity is made up of a lot of factors, but the most influential factor has to be gender.…

    • 548 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Identity formation is an intricate notion. It usually is affected in 4 different ways in our society. The micro, meso, macro, and global levels of social interaction all play a key role in identity formation. These levels are always present, however, we may think we define ourselves by our own value or we believe that society plays a role in our own identity formation. We must look at the everyday groups we fall into such as male, female, heterosexual, bisexual, homosexual, freshman, sophomore, senior student, working class, upper middle class, white, black, Christian, Muslim, young, old, foreign, American or many others. These levels closely intertwine to form identity, at the conscious or sub-conscious level, with or without our agreement. I agree with Okazawa-Rey and Gwyn Kirk (2006) in their book titled Women 's Lives Multicultural Perspective when they write that, "each of these levels involves the standards—beliefs, behaviors, customs, and worldwide—that people value" (pg.62).…

    • 2933 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Everyone as an individual must have their inner life and interpersonal relationship with others, if they live in a real society. They needs to strive to understand themselves and be understood by others. Thus, they continually derives from any activities in which they participate as the resources to form or reform her identity. General speaking, successful identity formation should involve the integration of personal identity2 and social identity. The former refers to core characteristics of an individual, such as one believes themselves as a smart or a kind person. The latter refers to a view of self in relation to others/groups and social identification, e.g., being a student, a son, an athlete, a writer and so forth. According to Deaux, the formed identity is “integrated [personal and social], internal and reasonably permanent”.3…

    • 2469 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Social Identity Theory

    • 3208 Words
    • 13 Pages

    A social identity is an element of a person’s self-concept, which is a derivative of a supposed membership in a certain significant social group. The social identity theory, as at first put together by John Turner and Henri Tajfel in the 70s and 80s, was able to introduce the idea of a social identity as a means in which to give an explanation about inter-group behavior (Kolak & Martin, 1991). The social identity theory can best be described as a speculation, which is able to predict specific inter-group relationships and behavior based on known group status distinctions, the apparent stability and authenticity of those status distinctions, as well as the perceived capability of moving from one group to the other. As a result, this concept…

    • 3208 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Identity is who a person is. It determines how you act and how people think of you. For example, a person whose identity is bad is often bound for trouble and for others to look down on them, whereas a person with a good identity is often bound for success and treated well by others. A person’s identity can be affected by many things: where he/she was born, the person’s parents, friends and other things. Through my life experiences I have become creative, spirited, and inquisitive.…

    • 568 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    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.…

    • 863 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Thesis: Throughout centuries, the interactions humans have encountered with society is what severely defines who people are and how it influences their identity.…

    • 1572 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Everyone is born with their own unique identity; these identities are largely influenced by the society and culture around them. Society shapes people to believe what is and what isn't acceptable. All throughout history humans have battled with what they believe is their true identity, and what society believes their identity should be. A common theme of literature is to capture the constant struggle between individuals and their communities. This struggle with society can be seen in many works such as: The Crucible, The Scarlet Letter, The Awakening, and "The Birthmark". Society influences the identities of mankind through the expectations and roles assigned to them.…

    • 2170 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Identity vs Society

    • 1047 Words
    • 5 Pages

    We all develop identity from the world around us. Society offers us a wide variety of roles to play, and we are rewarded if we play them as well as possible. We fail to realize that being teenagers, parents, workers, doctors, and etc. are just roles and assume that we are simply participating in a genuine life. No matter how much effort a person puts into his or her own image, in the end it’s all a fraud, psychologically speaking, because so much of our lives is unconscious. From all the things that appeal to us in the world, we create images of how we want to see ourselves. We try to make ourselves seen in the world so our images can be reflected back to us through the desire of others. Individuals will struggle to find their true identity if they fall under the pressure of society or certain religious beliefs. Although we have the complete power over our identities and personalities, if allowed, society or the church can mend each and every individual to be the same. Each individual has the choice to their own paths in life and the choices we make are based on self-realization. The mind is a very powerful thing and sometimes our conscience sends us down the wrong path when under society’s influence. As any individual, learning from our mistakes and having to deal with consequences is a part of life’s everyday struggle.…

    • 1047 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When I think of the word identity, I think of what makes up a person’s soul and persona. What makes them think the way they think and act the way they act? The word identity answers this question, it fills in the blanks of what make every person different from one another. Many times people face forces or personal hardships which shape and mold their own personal identity. In this paper I am going to discuss three social forces that helped build my current identity. These forces include my gender, education and the rural environment I grew up in.…

    • 680 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    In order for a child to move forward and find one’s identity, a child must learn to trust others, gain autonomy, and demonstrate initiative and industry (Zambo, 2010). As humans, we care about what others think about us, where we fit in the world and who we are. Research by social theorists shows that identity is comprised of four elements: the category we place ourselves in, the status we give these groups, the affection we feel towards these groups and the pride…

    • 4756 Words
    • 20 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Better Essays

    A change in environment could cause us to lose our identity to some extent. Everyone's identity is different to a certain extent due to our upbringing and physical appearance. A person's name for example would tell a lot about themselves. The culture and language they have been using and even the meaning to the name is also part of a person's identity. The little details and characteristics of a person influences a person's identity to a certain extent. Thus, how does one lose their identity when their environment changes? This intriguing question has no simple and definite answer. Furthermore, even though we are encouraged to be different and to be proud of who we are as individuals, society still has a whole list of social norms to abide to in order to be classified as 'normal.' There is a large grey area on how different we can be in order to behave socially appropriately and yet be able to display our uniqueness as an individual. Therefore, it is easy to lose our original identity and conform to a new identity when our environment changes. In this essay, I would like to address this issue and also discuss some opposing thoughts on it. Some food for thought would be, is it always a negative effect to losing our identity? Perhaps if we thought about our identity as a piece of soft clay being moulded through a series of events and even a change of environment, it could be thought as a positive situation.…

    • 1427 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays

Related Topics