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Introducing Socialisation, Culture and Identity

The concept of identity, ethnicity and nationality

  • 3 things to know
  • Component 01

Overview

Recall questions on the concept of identity, personal and social identity, ascribed and achieved identity, Jenkins's internal-external dialectic, Goffman on managing identity, ethnic identity and the difference between ethnicity and race, and national identity as Anderson's imagined communities.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

What do sociologists mean by identity?

Key term

Distinguish between personal identity and social identity.

Key term

What is the difference between an ascribed and an achieved identity?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What do sociologists mean by identity?

    Model answer

    Identity is a person's sense of who they are and how they are seen by others, made up of the characteristics, group memberships and roles through which they define themselves and are defined.

  2. 2

    Distinguish between personal identity and social identity.

    Model answer

    Personal identity is what makes someone unique as an individual, such as their name, biography and personal traits, while social identity comes from membership of shared categories such as gender, class or ethnicity.

  3. 3

    What is the difference between an ascribed and an achieved identity?

    Model answer

    An ascribed identity is given at birth or assigned by others and is not chosen, such as sex or inherited title, while an achieved identity is earned through a person's own actions, such as a qualification or occupation.

  4. 4

    What does Jenkins mean by calling identity an internal-external dialectic?

    Model answer

    He means identity is produced by the interplay between how we see ourselves and how others categorise us, so an identity must be negotiated with other people and validated by them rather than simply claimed.

  5. 5

    How does Goffman describe the way we manage identity in everyday interaction?

    Model answer

    In his dramaturgical approach we perform roles in front of audiences and use impression management, controlling appearance, speech and setting, to present a favourable version of ourselves.

  6. 6

    What is ethnic identity, and how is it expressed?

    Model answer

    Ethnic identity is a sense of belonging to a group that shares culture, language, religion, history and traditions, expressed through things such as dress, food, festivals, worship and language use.

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Introducing Socialisation, Culture and Identity
Families and Relationships
Youth Subcultures
Media

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Murdock identified sexual, , economic and educational functions.
reproductiveemotionalpolitical

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AVictims may fear reprisal, or feel shame or economic dependence.
BAbuse in the home has historically been treated as a private matter.
CMany incidents are never reported or recorded.

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Assemble a full-mark answer from its marking points, in the order an examiner wants them.

Sex refers to the biological category of male or female.
TrueFalse

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Spot the fault in a statement. The traps are the mistakes students actually make.

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Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.

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