Showing papers on "Identity (social science) published in 1987"

Identity Work Among the Homeless: The Verbal Construction and Avowal of Personal Identities

Abstract: This paper elaborates processes of identity construction and avowal among homeless street people, with two underlying and interconected objectives in mind: to advance understanding of the manner in wich individuals at the bottom of status systems attempt to generate identities that provide them with a measures of self-worth and dignity and to shed additional empirical and theoretical light on the relationships among role, identity, and self-concept. The data are from an ethnographic field study of homeless street people. "Identity talk" constitutes the primary form of "identity work" by means of which homeless street people construct and negotiate personal identities. Theree generic patterns of identity talk are alborated and illustrated: distancing, embracement, and fictive storytelling. Each form contains several subtypes that vary in usage according to the length of time one has spent on the streets. The paper concludes by discussing the theoretical implications of the findings and suggesting a number ...

Mental models in cognitive science

Abstract: If cognitive science does not exist then it is necessary to invent it. That slogan accommodates any reasonable attitude about the subject. One attitude-an optimistic one-is that cognitive science already exists and is alive and flourishing in academe: we have all in our different ways been doing it for years. The gentleman in Moliere’s play rejoiced to discover that he had been speaking prose for forty years without realizing it: perhaps we are merely celebrating a similar discovery. And, if we just keep going on in the same way, then we are bound to unravel the workings of the mind. Another attitude-my own-is more pessimistic: experimental psychology is not going to succeed unaided in elucidating human mentality; artificial intelligence is not going to succeed unaided in modelling the mind; nor is any other discipline-linguistics, anthropology, neuroscience, philosophy-going to have any greater success. If we are ever to understand cognition, then we need a new science dedicated to that aim and based only in part on its contributing disciplines. Yet pessimism should not be confused with cynicism. We should reject the view that cognititie science is merely a clever ruse dreamed up to gain research funds-that it is nothing more than six disciplines in search of a grant-giving agency. Cognitive science does not quite exist: its precursors do, but it lacks a clear identity. Perhaps the major function of this conference should be to concentrate our minds on what that identity might be. At present, there appear to be two distinct ideas wrapped up in it: one topic-oriented, and the other methodological. The topic-oriented idea is that workers from several disciplines have converged upon a number of central problems and explanatory concepts. George Miller and 1 became aware of this convergence when we were caught in the toils

Toward a Process Model of Identity Formation

Abstract: A process model for conceptualizing identity formation that is developmental, contextual, and life-span in scope is proposed. The framework is consistent with an Eriksonian approach to identity but focuses more specifically on the process of identity exploration. The framework consists of four major components: individual characteristics brought to bear on the identity process, contexts of development, the identity process in specific domains (e.g., occupation, ideology, values, relationships), and interdependencies among the identity domains. Current research in each area is briefly reviewed, and recommendations for future research are outlined.

Anthropology through the Looking-Glass: Critical Ethnography in the Margins of Europe

Abstract: 1. Romanticism and Hellenism: burdens of otherness 2. A secular cosmology 3. Aboriginal Europeans 4. Difference as identity 5. The double-headed eagle: self-knowledge and self-display 6. Strict definitions and bad habits 7. The practice of relativity 8. Etymologies of a discipline.

The phenomenon of "nonmycorrhizal" plants

Abstract: Most species of plants are normally infected by mycorrhizal fungi, but some plant taxa do not usually form generally recognisable mycorrhizas The identity and relationships of these "nonmycorrhiza

Self and identity : psychosocial perspectives

Abstract: The study of self is a growing concern within psychology and related disciplines, particularly in social and clinical psychology, psychiatry and personality studies. The growth of interest in identity and self concepts, and their implications for emotional processes, cognition, social behaviour and psychological disorder are reflected in the major sections of this volume. The editors' introductions to each section aim to emphasize the coherent picture of self and identity processes which emerge. The themes of conceptual exploration of individual experience, and of the individual/society interface, are fully explored.

Ethnic Role Identity among Black and White College Students: An Interactionist Approach

Abstract: This article examines a structural symbolic interactionist approach to the process of ethnic identity formation among black and white college students. This approach, termed identity theory, considers an ethnic identity (like all identities) to be a portion of the self that contains shared understandings of what it means to be a member of a given ethnic group. Within the framework of identity theory, ethnic identification is hypothesized to be related to self-esteem, identity salience, identity commitment, and other structural characteristics. Using the Burke-Tully method, a black-white ethnic identity dimension is developed and used to measure ethnic identity among a sample of college students. The nature of this identity dimension is discussed and its relation to the other self variables is investigated. The study confirmed that identity salience, commitment, and self-esteem, as hypothesized by identity theory, are related to ethnic identity among students. However, it was also noted that these ethnic i...

Proposed model of lesbian identity development: an empirical examination.

Abstract: A 42-question written survey was administered to 197 women, approximately 96% of whom were self-identified lesbians, for the purpose of gathering information about their experiences from first awareness of lesbian identity to their current status. Descriptive data are presented which seem to suggest that lesbian identity is present prior to the individual's recognition of incongruency between her feelings and those of non-lesbians, and that the process of self-labeling occurs through interaction with the non-lesbian world. The term lesbian identity is discussed and defined. The findings of this study are, in part, described in the framework of a proposed Model of Lesbian Identity Awareness and Self-Labeling which is currently undergoing further investigation.

The Sambia : ritual and gender in New Guinea

Abstract: This is a cultural and psychological case study of gender identity and sexual development in a New Guinea Highlands society. The text shows the development of Sambia male heterosexual identity emerging from prolonged ritualised homosexuality. The author draws on initiation rites and socialisation studies and contrasts the Sambia with other societies including our own. Each chapter includes an introduction to key social problems as seen by both the anthropologist and the indigenous people, and the author offers psychological and interpretive understanding of his own perspective and role in the culture, bringing the subject to life by allowing students to see how the values and background of anthropologists influence their work.

Assessment of sexual orientation.

Abstract: This paper reviews the multitude of methods which have been utilized to assess sexual orientation. The basic assumption of most of the previous methods of assessment is that sexual orientation is determined by one's gender or genitalia and the gender or genitalia of the individual one is attracted to. This assumption is challenged and the complexity of sexual orientation is illustrated. Consequently, a model for assessment of sexual orientation is proposed which includes nine dimensions: current relationship status, self-identification identity, ideal self-identification identity, global acceptance of their current sexual orientation identity, physical identity, gender identity, sex-role identity, and sexual orientation identity as measured by behavior, fantasies and emotional attachments, and finally the individual's past and present perception of their sexual identity compared to their idealized future.

Anti-social Actions of Committed Organizational Participants: An Existential Psychoanalytic Perspective

Abstract: Anti-social actions of organizationally committed individuals are explained on the basis of the 'ontological function' of organizations. This is the function of providing a sense of identity, or Being, to participants whose identity is in question. The identity that thus develops is threatened by perceived threats to the organization, and anti-social action can result. It is shown how the development of the potentiality for such anti-social action is built into the process of socialization for organizational commitment.

Internalized homophobia and lesbian identity.

Abstract: This paper presents suggestions for therapists working with women who are having difficulty accepting their attractions to other women, lesbian behavior and identity, or both, with the goal of promoting self-acceptance and reducing internalized homophobia. After a discussion of the therapeutic relationship, several coping strategies which have been used successfully by many women are described and therapeutic applications are offered. These strategies include cognitive restructuring, avoiding a negative identity, adopting an identity label, self-disclosure, meeting other lesbians, and habituation to lesbianism. Finally, behavioral indications of success or failure to achieve the goal of self-acceptance are presented.

Identity Symbolism in Housing

Abstract: Upper-middle-class homeowners were asked to rate themselves on an extensive set of bipolar personality and identity dimensions. Photographs were taken of the interior and exterior of each homeowner...

The European Tribe

Abstract: This is a journey across Europe in an attempt to clarify the fundamental questions of identity - to "come to terms with what it is like to feel both of, and not of, Europe". In a series of snapshots, Caryl Phillips provides an account of an exploration of the heart and mind, and Europe.

The Neighborhood, Personal Identity, and Group Affiliations

Abstract: People have lived in communities since prehistoric times. Whether in caves or clustered settlements, congregate shelter has had the same survival qualities found in the flocks, prides, schools, gaggles, and herds of animal species. The survival functions of communities in contemporary times is much more complex than in the past and in many ways is less well understood. This Chapter deals with affiliations with others and the role they play in neighborhood life. It will consider the variety of neighborhood types and their functions from a perspective that includes the physical surroundings, individual development, and social group identity. By looking at the lives of two kinds of people that depart from conventional life-styles, neighboring will be examined in light of the profound social and cultural diversity that marks the fabric of the urban experience.

The Relationship of Black Value-Orientations to Racial Identity Attitudes.

Abstract: The authors investigated content and structure of cultural values for Black Americans. Differences in sex, racial identity, and an Afro-Euro-American mixture of cultural values were found.

Women Writers and Poetic Identity: Dorothy Wordsworth, Emily Bronte and Emily Dickinson

Abstract: How does the consciousness of being a woman affect the workings of the poetic imagination? With this question Margaret Homans introduces her study of three nineteenth-century women poets and their response to a literary tradition that defines the poet as male. Her answer suggests why there were so few great women poets in an age when most of the great novelists were women.Originally published in 1981.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Transracial Adoptees and Their Families: A Study of Identity and Commitment

Abstract: Introduction Where We Are Today: Numbers, Practices, and Policies Recent Court Rulings Looking Back at the Families The Parents' Story The Childrens' Account How the Parents' and Childrens' Accounts Match Up Special Families: A Collective Portrait Effects of Abortion, Birth Rate, and Lifestyle on Inracial and Transracial Adoptions Single Parent Adoption: A Continuing Alternative Intercountry Adoption Concluding Remarks and Recommendations Selected Bibliography Index

Identity of self as infertile: an example of theory-generating research.

Abstract: This article presents results of a study using grounded-theory methodology to explore the meaning of infertility to those persons experiencing it. Thirty-two persons were interviewed, including 15 married couples and two married women whose husbands were either unable or unwilling to participate in the study. Forty-five semistructured interviews were conducted, as each person was interviewed separately and 13 couples were interviewed conjointly. Through the ongoing process of data collection and analysis, a substantive grounded theory was generated, with a core concept being that as persons experience unwanted infertility they take on a central identity of themselves as infertile. The process of taking on and managing this identity is described.

Gender issues in the interface of family experience and adolescents' friendship and dating identity.

Abstract: This study focuses on the role of family experience in adolescents' conception of the self in the context of friendship and dating relationships. Three issues are addressed: the extent of sex differences in adolescents' friendship and dating identity, how links between family experience and friendship and dating identity might differ for males and females, and whether mothers and fathers play distinctive roles in such development. A sample of Caucasian two-parent families, each including an adolescent who was a high school senior, was observed in a family interaction task designed to elicit the expression and coordination of a variety of points of view. Each adolescent was also given an interview assessing exploration and commitment in friendship and dating identity. Only one sex difference was found in identity, with females more committed in their conceptions of dating relationships than males. The key finding of the study concerns the distinctive patterns of family interaction associated with friendship and dating identity. For females, separateness in family interaction was related to their friendship identity exploration, whereas for males, the links between family interaction and exploration all involved connectedness. The different contingencies may reflect the interplay between different societal patterns of support and restriction of males' and females' exploration.

Self Definition by Rejection: The Case of Gang Girls

Abstract: I use material obtained from a two-year participant observational study of girl gang members to examine now their structural position as poor, Puerto Rican, and female affects their self presentation in social talk. Much of their sense of individuality results from their rejection of aspects of identity associated with that social position. Their self definition is realized not through the construction of a fully integrated “deviant” personality but through piecemeal rejection of various components of stereotypes about poor, Puerto Rican women. I suggest that closer examination of gossip and “put downs” can illuminate how one's one identity is constructed through the vilification of others' actions and character.

The earnings of Canadian immigrant and native-born males

Abstract: This paper examines the economic attainment of Canadian immigrants. Although foreign-born males initially earn less than the native-born, their earnings rise more rapidly with Canadian labour market experience, and after 14years their earnings equal and exceed those of the native population. It is also shown that the use of Mincer's identity leads to biased results when estimating the earnings of the immigrant population.

Openness to Experience and Development of Adult Identity

Abstract: The formation of ego identity through exploration of alternatives and formation of commitments is a central issue in the transition from adolescence to adulthood (Erikson, 1959, Waterman, 1982) In 59 adults ranging in age from 18 to 30, independent identity scales were found to be positively correlated with age The construct of openness to experience was hypothesized to account for individual differences in identity development As predicted, openness to experience was positively correlated with ratings of current and past identity exploration, and negatively related to intensity of identity commitment A comparison of two methods of measuring ego identity showed that identity rating scales provide a more differentiated assessment of psychosocial development than does the identity status scoring method

The identity of Tarsius pumilus, a pygmy species endemic to the montane mossy forests of central Sulawesi. American Museum novitates ; no. 2867

Abstract: In 1917, Henry C. Raven obtained a small-bodied tarsier from upper montane rain forest in the mountains of Central Sulawesi. Miller and Hollister (192 lb) designated the specimen as holotype of Tarsius pumilus, included two others collected from lowland evergreen rain forest, and pointed to small body size as one ofthe diagnostic specific characters. Subsequent faunal checklists and taxonomic revisions treated pumilus as a subspecies of the widespread Sulawesian Tarsius spectrum until 1985 when Niemitz advocated recognition of specific status for pumilus based upon the original series and recorded vocalizations. But only one ofthe three specimens discussed by Miller and Hollister is an example of T. pumilus, and the calls said to be those ofthis species were probably made by T. spectrum. Tarsiuspumilus is distinctive, but it is known by only the holotype and a second example from montane forest in Central Sulawesi. The morphological and biogeographical limits of the species based upon these two specimens are documented here. The definition of T. pumilus is set within a context of morphological and geographical comparisons among T. bancanus (Sunda Shelf), T. syrichta (southern Philippine islands), and T. spectrum (Sulawesi and nearby islands); and subsequent comparisons between these three and T. pumilus. Information is provided on habitat and faunal associations of T. pumilus. The species is also contrasted in greater detail with morphology, habitats, and regional as well as altitudinal distributions of T. spectrum. A hypothesis of phylogenetic relationships among the four species of tarsiers is briefly discussed.