What is meant by 'the self' in sociology?

The self refers to an individual's sense of their own being, personality and characteristics that distinguishes them from others.

Identity refers to how individuals see themselves and how they are seen by others, encompassing personal characteristics and social group memberships.

What two perspectives does identity encompass?

How individuals see themselves and how they are seen by others.

What is meant by 'difference' in relation to identity?

Difference refers to the ways in which individuals and groups are distinguished from one another based on social characteristics and categories.

What does it mean to say that identity is socially caused?

It means that social structures, institutions and processes shape the identities available to individuals.

What does it mean to say that identity is 'socially constructed'?

It means that the meanings attached to identity categories are created through social interaction and cultural processes, rather than being natural, biological, or fixed.

AQA A-Level Sociology 7192

Education

Topic overview The role and functions of education Class differences in educational achievement Labelling, subcultures and processes within schools Gender and educational achievement Ethnicity and educational achievement Selection and marketisation Privatisation and vocational education Educational policy, equality and globalisation

Methods in Context

Topic overview Access, gatekeepers and research ethics in schools Choosing methods for research in schools Data, theory and validity in educational research

Theory and Methods

Topic overview Research design and choosing a method Sources of data and types of data Positivism, interpretivism and research ethics Consensus, conflict, structural and social action theories Modernity and post-modernity Is sociology a science?Objectivity, value freedom and social policy

Culture and IdentityOptional topic

Topic overview Conceptions of culture Socialisation and the agencies of socialisation The self, identity and difference Identity, age, disability, ethnicity, gender and class Identity, production, consumption and globalisation

Families and HouseholdsOptional topic

Topic overview Functionalist views of the family Marxist and feminist views of the family The New Right, postmodernism and family policy Marriage, cohabitation and divorce Family diversity and the personal life perspective Conjugal roles and domestic labour Power relationships and domestic violence The social construction of childhood Birth rates and death rates Family size and the ageing population Migration and globalisation

HealthOptional topic

Topic overview The social construction of health and models of illness Class and gender inequalities in health Ethnic and regional inequality, and access to health care Mental illness and the power of the medical profession The sick role and the globalised health industry

Work, Poverty and WelfareOptional topic

Topic overview Poverty: definitions, explanations and distribution The welfare state and welfare provision The division of labour and the control of work Work, worklessness and life chances Globalisation and the global division of labour

Beliefs in SocietyOptional topic

Topic overview Ideology and science as belief systems Functionalist views of religion Marxist and feminist views of religion Religion as a force for social change Churches, sects, denominations and cults New religious movements and New Age movements Religion, gender, ethnicity, age and social class Secularisation Believing without belonging and postmodern religion Globalisation, fundamentalism and religion worldwide

Global DevelopmentOptional topic

Topic overview Theories of development and underdevelopment Globalisation, transnational corporations and aid agencies Aid, trade, industrialisation and urbanisation Environment, conflict and human development Population, gender and postcolonial critiques

The MediaOptional topic

Topic overview The new media and its significance Ownership, control and media globalisation The selection and presentation of the news Media representations of social groups Media effects and models of the audience Reception analysis and selective filtering

Stratification and DifferentiationOptional topic

Topic overview Theories of stratification Life chances and dimensions of inequality Defining and measuring social class Changing structures of inequality and globalisation Social mobility

Crime and Deviance

Culture and Identity

The self, identity and difference

3 things to know
Paper 2

Overview

The self, identity and difference, and the debate between identity as socially caused and as socially constructed.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started

Key term

What is the difference between identity and the self?

Key term

How does the meaning of an identity category vary, and what debate does that raise?

Process

How do socially caused and socially constructed identity differ?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
What is meant by 'the self' in sociology?
Model answer
The self refers to an individual's sense of their own being, personality and characteristics that distinguishes them from others.
2
What is identity?
Model answer
Identity refers to how individuals see themselves and how they are seen by others, encompassing personal characteristics and social group memberships.
3
What two perspectives does identity encompass?
Model answer
How individuals see themselves and how they are seen by others.
4
What is meant by 'difference' in relation to identity?
Model answer
Difference refers to the ways in which individuals and groups are distinguished from one another based on social characteristics and categories.
5
What does it mean to say that identity is socially caused?
Model answer
It means that social structures, institutions and processes shape the identities available to individuals.
6
What does it mean to say that identity is 'socially constructed'?
Model answer
It means that the meanings attached to identity categories are created through social interaction and cultural processes, rather than being natural, biological, or fixed.

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Education

Methods in Context

Theory and Methods

Culture and Identity

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