Socially Constructed Identities

The question ‘who am I?’ raises speculations about who we are as human beings and why we behave the way we do. This is of great interest to social psychologists. One particular theory about this social identity is that it is not fixed or innate but that it is something that changes over time and is constructed through our social interactions with other people. This essay will explicate the idea of socially constructed identities and consider the evidence for and against this view with examples of research studies from both social constructionism (Phoenix, 2007) and Social Identity Theory (SIT) (Turner and Brown, 1978).

Here, the term ‘identity’ refers to the individual personality (behavioural and characteristic) of a person. It is what differentiates us from each other. The way we think about ourselves and the way we are viewed by others are things that shape our identities. Social constructionists believe that humans form identities through experiences, language (discourse) and learning and are particularly interested in the ways in which people behave in social settings. This use of language can be a great analytic tool and can give better understanding and meaning to more general behaviour through, for the most part, subjectivity and insider viewpoints. In contrast, SIT is interested in minimal groups and uses an outsider viewpoint. Both constructionism and SIT do, however, focus on individuals albeit in different context.

Both SIT and social constructionism are historically and culturally specific as different historical times and different cultures use different language. Both perspectives are similar here as we are able to define ourselves through language and relationships (sometimes within a group culture). The way we u...

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...nging as we negotiate positions in social situations. There seems to be the familiar, age old, argument of nature vs. nurture which is no doubt part of a much wider debate.

Works Cited

Bruner, J. (1990) Acts of Meaning, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press.

Gergen, K. (1999) An Invitation to Social Construction, London, Sage.

Hall, S. (1992) ‘The question of cultural identity’, in Hall, S., Held, D. and McGrew, T. (eds) Modernity and Its Futures, Cambridge, Polity/ The Open University.

Keith, L. (2007) DSE212 Exploring Psychology [Audio programme 2], Milton Keynes, The Open University.

Phoenix, A. (2007) ‘Identities and Diversities’ in Miell, D. Phoenix, A. And Thomas, K. (eds) Mapping Psychology 1, Milton Keynes, The Open University.

Turner, J. And Brown, R. (1978) ‘Social status, cognitive alternatives and intergroup relations’, in Tajfel, H (ed.).