Sociocultural Factors and the True Self Imagine being a gay child born in a small town right in the middle of the Bible belt. How would you feel? The parent’s religion, values and surrounding norms will have a huge effect on whether the child will decide to cover or expose his True Self to society. Inherently socio-cultural factors in the environment will play a considerably influential role in life choices. As deducted in this example, one’s sociocultural environment is likely one of strict white Christian values, which will most likely force the individual to “cover” his True Self in order to become accepted in his community. In his work, “The New Civil Rights,” Kenji Yoshino incites individuals and society to show more of their True Selves. Socio-cultural factors enable people to cover their True Selves to be accepted by society. In order for people to feel free to express their True Selves, society must change the way it views authenticity. The theory of the True Self and the False Self, developed by D.W. Winnicott, allows people to understand that these two entities live within all people, allowing them to display and cover themselves depending on environmental factors (Yoshino 554). The shadow that covers the True Self is the False Self. This entity that lives within us, sharing its existence with the True Self, is brought to light according to environmental circumstances. These environmental circumstances may include normative gender roles, religious expectations, traditions and even mainstream logic. The ideal health of a person, according to Winnicott, is of a dominant True Self and a recessive False Self. Unlike genes, these two can be controlled gradually by one’s choice of how much and how little exposure of the True S... ... middle of paper ... ...hat things do get better and that things are changing in society. Conclusion It all comes down to fear. Fear causes people to hide because they don’t want to be alone they want to belong to some group in society. Humans are meant to live in groups in order to reproduce and survive. People choose to cover because covering allows them to fulfill one of their main needs. According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, physiological, safety and belonging needs need to be reached in order to achieve self-esteem. Most people reach the first one but the other factors such as safety and a sense of belonging depend directly on how hostile their environment is. In order to change the way American society views authenticity the factors above should cha The fear of not being accepted and in some cases being excluded and even physically abused also plays a huge role in why we cover.
In certain countries such as the U.S, people discriminate against others to a certain extent based off their gender, race, and sexuality. Butler states that “to be a body is to be given over to others even as a body is “one own,” which we must claim right of autonomy” (242). Gays and Lesbians have to be exposed to the world because some of them try to hide their identity of who they truly are because they are afraid of how others are going to look at them. There are some who just let their sexuality out in the open because they feel comfortable with whom they are as human beings and they don’t feel any different than the next person. The gender or sexuality of a human being doesn’t matter because our bodies’ will never be autonomous because it is affected by others around us. This is where humans are vulnerability to violence and aggression. In countries across the globe, violence and attack are drawn towards tran...
All human beings are born with genes that are unique to them and make us the individuals we become. The right to exist as an individual in society achieving the best possible potential of one’s existence irrespective of any bias is expected by most humans. In the essay, ‘The new Civil Rights’ Kenji Yoshino discusses how the experience of discovering and revealing his sexual preference as a gay individual has led to him proposing a new civil rights by exploring various paradigms of the rights of a human being to exist in today’s diverse society. In exploring the vast demands of rights ranging from political or basic human rights we have differentiated ourselves into various groups with a common thread weaving through all the demands which
Those who become marginalized can lose control of their own lives and the available resources they can access; they can become nothing more than stigmas and often negatively treated in public. Because of this, their social contributions are sometimes hampered and this, consequently, causes them to become socially isolated and/or sufferers of low esteem. Approximately, in America, thirty percent of LGBTQ youth were often abused by their parents over their orientation or gender, with an estimated forty percent of homeless youths identifying as LGBTQ themselves. (Chatterjee) These statistics and stigmas can affect those who haven’t fully comprehend their feeling and those who stay closeted (keeping their sexual orientation or gender identity as a secret) because they fear the possible negative reactions from family and
In the “Preface” and a chapter of Covering: The Hidden Assault on Our Civil Rights called “The New Civil Rights,” Kenji Yoshino, the Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law at NYU, questions the traditionally accepted idea of assimilation by bringing about the new idea of ‘covering.’ Covering, as Yoshino, describes it, is ‘to tone down a disfavored identity to fit the mainstream’(540). He recounts how he covers in his everyday life because he is homosexual and how even with the shift in societal views towards his sexuality, he still feels the need to cover due to what he calls ‘covering demands.’ The fact that Yoshino still perceives it necessary to cover his sexuality reflects on how there is wrongly a difference between our civil
By analyzing my very own personal investment in the idea that heterosexuality is normal, I have realized that I am currently and that I used to deliberately present myself in a heterosexual persona to the world at large. Personally, when I was young, I used to be uncomfortable with women who broke the social norms of heteronormativity in public. I remember feeling anxious, and believing that one day soon society would perceive me as a divergent towards the norms because I hang out with women who didn’t present a heterosexual persona. I feared unspeakable things that would happen to me once I lost my privileges of being perceived as the ‘good’ heterosexual female. The lost of my social standing in society scared me; I was already a minority,
helps us to behave within society rules. With that being said I believe it encourages people to have a sense of moral beliefs along with guidance. Which leads me to have faith that people are capable of separating there right from wrongs. Making themselves aware and in control of their own futures. For instants when I am faced with a difficult situation I know that it is up to me to make the choice not only to benefit myself, but to be concerned of those around me as well. It also ties in with the way we act, this is known as behaviorism the claim on minds and/or mental events in which they can be expressed in terms of behaviors (“Ontology”) studied by
From society to family to media, external influences never seem to disappear from everyday life. These outward forces tend to leave a lasting impression on us for as long as we live. Because they are so prevalent in our daily lives, exterior factors will have a significant influence on us, specifically our sense of self and happiness. When defining our sense of self, it eventually comes down to how we interpret our individual self-image. In most cases, we do not truly know who we are from our own mindset. Therefore, we take into account the reactions that those around us have an influence on our actions and decisions. From these external effects, we create the persona of who we are. In his article, Immune to Reality, Daniel Gilbert explains
This purpose paper examines the proper self by deconstructing and analysing the following videos/ads: “Seeing Sociologically-Marginality and Crisis, “Date Rape” and “Eating Disorders.” Sociological perspectives enable us to see things from four points of view: see the general in particular, see the strange in the familiar, seeing society in everyday lives and lastly seeing sociologically-marginality and crisis. The later (marginality and crisis) has two perspectives which are important to us. The first point to the perspective is living on the edge; whereby being an outsider brings to your knowledge the social forces that shape an individual’s life; the poor and minority groups. The second point to the perspective revolves
Erik Erikson composed a theory of psychological development that was composed of eight stages. Erikson’s theory focuses on how personalities evolve throughout life as a result of the interaction between biologically based maturation and the demands of society. According to Erikson, “Each stage of human development presents its characteristic crises. Coping well with each crisis makes an individual better prepared to cope with the next.” (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2013, p. 314) According to Erikson’s eight stages of development, I have only been through six of the eight stages.
The act of "coming out" is a complex political tool. Its use is open to ambiguous possibilities, ranging from subverting social order to reinforcing those power structures. Of course, it is undoubtedly an empowering act for many non-heterosexual persons to identify themselves as such. Even if the categories of "heterosexual" and "homosexual" are entirely socially constructed (as Michel Foucault argues), that does not mean that they are not real categories of thought that shape the way we live our lives. Indeed, my computer is entirely constructed, but is still undeniably real. Since many non-heterosexual people do live their lives identifying differently from heterosexual people, they may find "homosexual" (or a similar label) an accurate description of their identities and daily lives, however socially contingent that description is. That said, I do not wish to make a judgement call on whether or not someone should or should not come out. Rather, I wish to examine the complicated space represented by "the closet" and the multifarious effects that "coming out" has on the larger social structure.
I am a person of true values and beliefs with a determination to succeed. Traits and a person’s faith are what make him or her, a true human being. Faith is important to sprout the lively roots of hope and virtue. Hope is what I use to keep persevering through the rugged trials of life. I build my life on certain principles consisting of the elements of how to deal with real life situations. I am a virtuous type of person and I believe in three quotes which will help me succeed in life in the future.
The first agent of socialization that people encounter is their family, who are the people who provide care and teach their children basic functions of life, values, and norms (Macionis et. al., p. 95, 2016). They are often the first to reject family members because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, which can also result in abuse, homelessness, and a halt in a youth’s education, especially if the family is conservative (Subhrajit, p. 320, 2014). If the individual comes from a more open and liberal family, they would receive a more positive and supportive acceptance from
In our daily lives, we always mention love and experience love. However, no one can truly, completely know what “love” is. That is the reason why love has been a topic that many philosophers, psychologists or common people keep discussing for decades. Besides, we often talk about “self”. There are classes to teach people how to build up their self-esteem and self-confidence. Also, the importance of self-discipline is taught at schools. In this essay, I am going to talk about how love and self are related to me with my personal experience as explanations.
Hi, my name is Rob Geis and I am currently in grade 12. I have been at County High School for a year now; I joined at the start of 11th grade, and have thoroughly enjoyed myself here. The school is great, the people are fantastic and the atmosphere is one that makes you actually want to go to school. Before I joined ASB I was studying at the Singapore American School for two years and prior to that I was at the International School of Kuala Lumpur for two years. I was born and raised here in Bombay city and grew up here.
People all around the world go through miscellaneous experiences in their lives. Every situation can affect a person in any type of way. The resulting effect does not always need be dissatisfactory; sometimes is a combination or both good and bad. Many aspects in my life have influenced my personality and how I live my life. Getting bullied in middle school has affected my life intensely, however managed to make me stand for myself, a stronger person, and not scared of what anyone says about me.