Showing papers on "Identity (social science) published in 1988"

Food, self and identity:

Abstract: Food is central to our sense of identity. The way any given human group eats helps it assert its diversity, hierarchy and organisation, but also, at the same time, both its oneness and the otherness of whoever eats differently. Food is also central to individual identity, in that any given human individual is constructed, biologically, psychologically and socially by the foods he/she choses to incorporate. This paper is intended as a speculative survey of the ways in which food is related to identity formation.

'Engineering Humour': Masculinity, Joking and Conflict in Shop-floor Relations

Abstract: The focus of this paper is on the organizational significance of shop-floor humour and in particular its relationship to gender identity and working-class resistance. A brief review of the literature on organizational humour is followed by a more detailed examination of the illuminating analysis by Willis of school/shop-floor counter-culture. Although his research provides a strong basis for the case study presented below, it is criticized for a tendency to romanticize working-class culture, humour and informal opposition.In contrast, by means of an empirical analysis of joking forms in the components division of a lorry producing factory, the paper then explores not only the collective elements, but also the internal divisions and contradictions that characterize shop-floor relations. By critically questioning the workers' manifest search to secure a highly masculine sense of identity, the paper is able to highlight a 'darker side' of shop-floor culture, which underpins and ultimately undermines the crea...

Afrocentricity, the theory of social change

Abstract: Discussed in this cross-disciplinary work is the theory of 'Afrocentricity', which mandates that Africans be viewed as subjects rather than objects and is driven by the question: Is it in the best interest of African people? This book looks at how this philosophy, ethos, and worldview gives Africans a better understanding of how to interpret issues affecting their communities. History, psychology, sociology, literature, economics, and education are explored, including discussions on Washingtonianism, Garveyism, Du Bois, Malcolm X, race and identity, Marxism, and breakthrough strategies.

Becoming an ex: The process of role exit

Abstract: The experience of becoming an ex is common to most people in modern society. Unlike individuals in earlier cultures who usually spent their entire lives in one marriage, one career, one religion, one geographic locality, people living in today's world tend to move in and out of many roles in the course of a lifetime. During the past decade there has been persistent interest in these "passages" or "turning points," but very little research has dealt with what it means to leave behind a major role or incorporate it into a new identity. Helen Rose Fuchs Ebaugh's pathbreaking inquiry into the phenomenon of becoming an ex reveals the profundity of this basic aspect of establishing an identity in contemporary life. Ebaugh is herself an ex, having left the life of a Catholic nun to become a wife, mother, and professor of sociology. Drawing on interviews with 185 people, Ebaugh explores a wide range of role changes, including ex-convicts, ex-alcoholics, divorced people, mothers without custody of their children, ex-doctors, ex-cops, retirees, ex-nuns, and-perhaps most dramatically-transsexuals. As this diverse sample reveals, Ebaugh focuses on voluntary exits from significant roles. What emerges are common stages of the role exit process-from disillusionment with a particular identity, to searching for alternative roles, to turning points that trigger a final decision to exit, and finally to the creation of an identify as an ex. "Becoming an Ex" is a challenging and influential study that will be of great interest to sociologists, mental health counselors, members of self-help groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Parents Without Partners, those in corporate settings where turnover has widespread implications for the organization, and for anyone struggling through a role exit who is trying to establish a new sense of self.

The Construction and Confirmation of Identity in Sport Subcultures

Abstract: It is usual in interactionist research to view the process of socialization into subcultures as, in part, a process of identity formation. However, we prefer to examine this process, at least in the case of sport subcultures, as a far more deliberate act of identity construction. That is, through a variety of means, the most significant of which is modeling, the neophyte member begins to deliberately adopt mannerisms, attitudes, and styles of dress, speech, and behavior that he or she perceives to be characteristic of established members of the subculture. Such perceptions among neophytes are usually far from being completely accurate and are frequently stereotypical. Thus, it is necessary to examine also the complementary process of identity confirmation in order to conduct a more complete examination of socialization into a subcultural career. These processes, and neophyte mistakes emerging in them, are examined with respect to ethnographies of climbers and rugby players conducted by the authors, togeth...

Children's Ethnic Socialization: Pluralism and Development.

Abstract: Introduction - Mary Jane Rotheram Definitions and Perspectives in the Study of Children's Ethnic Socialization PART ONE: ETHNICITY AND THE YOUNG CHILD: AWARENESS, ATTITUDES AND SELF-IDENTIFICATION The Development of Ethnic Self-identification and Attitudes - Frances E Aboud Young Children's Thinking About Ethnic Differences - Patricia G Ramsey A Social-Psychological Model of Ethnic Identity Development - Graham M Vaughan Developmental and Social Processes in Ethnic Attitudes and Self-Identification - Phyllis A Katz PART TWO: MINORITY STATUS AND THE CHILD Black Children's Ethnic Identity Formation - Margaret B Spencer Risk and Resilience of Castelike Minorities A Two-Factor Theory of Black Identity - William E Cross Jr Implications for the Study of Identity Development in Minority Children Ethnic Labeling and Identity Among Mexican-Americans - Raymond Buriel PART THREE: LATER CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE: ETHNIC IDENTITY AND ETHNIC GROUP PATTERNS Ethnic Identity Development in Adolescents - Doreen A Rosenthal The Role of Language in the Formation of Ethnic Identity - Monica Heller Ethnic Behavior Patterns as an Aspect of Identity - Mary Jane Rotheram and Jean S Phinney The Ethnic Component in Black Language and Culture - Thomas Kochman Historical Sociocultural Premises and Ethnic Socialization - Rogelio Diaz-Guerrero PART FOUR: THE STUDY OF ETHNICITY: EMERGING THEMES AND IMPLICATIONS Combining Quantitative and Qualitative Components of Research on Ethnic Identity and Intergroup Relations - Janet Ward Schofield and Karen Anderson Children's Ethnic Socialization - Jean S Phinney and Mary Jane Rotheram Themes and Implications

The role of reflexivity in feminist psychology

Abstract: The implications of a number of forms of reflexivity are explored for feminist work within psychology. “Personal” and “functional” reflexivity raise issues relating the identity of the researcher and the form/function of the research, while “disciplinary” reflexivity entails analysis of the nature and influence of the field of enquiry. It is argued that reflexivity, particularly of the disciplinary form, is a potentially powerful agent for change within traditional academic disciplines, such as psychology, in that it can be self-consciously applied to advance the feminist challenge.

Nervenkitt: notes on the history of the concept of neuroglia.

Abstract: The evolution of concepts concerning the identity and the functions of neuroglia is traced. Some of the main ideas in the works of Virchow, Deiters, Golgi, Lenhossek, Lugaro, Ramon y Cajal, del Rio-Hortega, Achucarro, Penfield, and others are highlighted.

Self, ego, and identity : integrative approaches

Abstract: I: Self.- 1. The Self, Adult Development, and the Theory of Biography and Transformation.- 2. A Social-Cognitive Account of the Self's Development.- 3. The Construction and Conservation of the Self: James and Cooley Revisited.- 4. The Adolescent Self-Concept in Social Context.- 5. The Embedded Self: I and Thou Revisited.- II: Ego.- 6. The "New Look" at the Imaginary Audience and Personal Fable: Toward a General Model of Adolescent Ego Development.- 7. Integrity and Aging: Ethical, Religious, and Psychosocial Perspectives.- 8. The Relationship Between Ego and Moral Development: A Theoretical Review and Empirical Analysis.- 9. Ego and Ideology: A Critical Review of Loevinger's Theory.- III: Identity.- 10. Common Processes Underlying Ego Identity, Cognitive/Moral Development, and Individuation.- 11. Identity and the Development of the Self.- 12. Self-Theorists, Identity Status, and Social Cognition.- 13. To Be or Not: Self and Authenticity, Identity, and Ambivalence.- Author Index.

Differentiation and Individuation as Mediators of Identity and Intimacy in Adolescence

Abstract: The primary objective of this paper is to examine the interdependence of individual and family development as these relate to the coemergence of a mature sense of identity and the capacity for inti...

Religion and the Persistence of Identity

Abstract: Because general theories of secularization assume the disappearance of the church, its disappearance is also assumed as a factor in the creation and maintenance of people's identities. Even though the church persists, however, the role it plays in people's identities may nevertheless change with secularization. This paper explores how. It suggests that: 1) persons are differentially involved in both primary and secondary groups; 2) these involvements influence the meaning the church can have; and 3) thus influence the kind of religious identity available. A research project is proposed, and some tentative empirical support for these ideas is offered.

Reflections on political identity

Abstract: "Norton powerfully defends the inevitability and value of `those particular, concrete traits and actions whereby men differentiate themselves from one another.'"--'Ethics.'

Being Black: Aboriginal Cultures in 'Settled' Australia

Abstract: This volume brings together results of research by anthropologists on the social life of people who used to be labelled 'part-Aborigines' or 'urban Aborigines'. Issues discussed include bases of identity, ties of family, structure of community, ways of speaking, beliefs and feelings about country, and attitudes to the past.

Self-Theorists, Identity Status, and Social Cognition

Abstract: Erikson’s (1959, 1968) theory of personality provides the context for most recent work on identity formation. The extent to which identity research actually is based on Erikson’s theoretical views is at least questionable, as Looft (1973) noted: Erikson’s concepts are being operationalized and tested by increasing numbers of researchers…. Most typically, however, any mention of Erikson’s theory in research reports is to be found in the “Discussion” section; it is used as a sort of after-the-fact framework in which to discuss data already obtained. (pp. 40–41) Looft was referring specifically to the utilization of Marcia’s (1966) identity-status approach. The status paradigm continues to be the most prevalent means of operationalizing identity formation (Berzonsky, 1981; Bourne, 1978; Marcia, 1980; Waterman, 1982) and it continues to be criticized. For example, Blasi (1987) argues that status classifications distort and trivialize Eriksonian identity processes. Blasi (1987) is correct, of course. But similar criticisms could be leveled at most attempts to operationalize psychological processes and constructs; at the very least, some degree of conceptual richness gets lost in the translation. Yet, operationalize we must, if empirical research is going to be the basis for investigating identity (see Berzonsky, 1986a, 1986b). When Marcia’s paradigm is considered as a heuristic for generating research, its track record is quite good, even impressive.

Past and present : the construction of aboriginality

Abstract: This book examines Aboriginal identity in various forums: in discourse, education, juvenile institutions, geographic locations, myths, and land-rights actions.

Becoming Feminine: The Politics of Popular Culture

Abstract: This book looks at popular culture, especially mass media as an area of struggle for the identity and definition of women.

Dance, Sex, and Gender: Signs of Identity, Dominance, Defiance, and Desire

Abstract: "Ambitious in its scope and interdisciplinary in its purview. . . . Without doubt future researchers will want to refer to Hanna's study, not simply for its rich bibliographical sources but also for suggestions as to how to proceed with their own work. "Dance, Sex, and Gender" will initiate a discussion that should propel a more methodologically informed study of dance and gender."-Randy Martin, "Journal of the History of Sexuality"

I: The Philosophy and Psychology of Personal Identity

Abstract: This is a challenging book about how we come to be what we are - about our need to create an identity. The author argues by drawing on philosophical and psychological points, that we create our own identity by reacting to the way others see us or how we would like them to see us.

The Changing Self: Using Personal Documents to Study Lives

Abstract: In this paper we describe a technique for coding expressions of preoccupation with aspects of the adult self in personal documents and retrospective autobiographical writings In particular we explore the value of this approach by analyzing themes of identity, intimacy, and generativity expressed in Vera Brittain's diary and correspondence, written during her adolescence in World War I, and in her retrospective autobiographical account of that period in her life Analyses aim to use Erikson's theory of personality development to describe her psychological experience at the time and to compare that account with the later one

Colonial identity in the Atlantic world, 1500-1800

Abstract: The description for this book, Colonial Identity in the Atlantic World, 1500-1800, will be forthcoming.

The "American Creed" and American Identity: the Limits of Liberal Citizenship in the United States:

Abstract: IN 1915, President Woodrow Wilson told a group of newly naturalized citizens that they had just sworn allegiance "to no one," only to "a great ideal, to a great body of principles, to a great hope of the human race" (Harrington 1980: 678). The view of American citizenship Wilson thus expressed has a distinguished historic lineage, recently reaffirmed by Samuel P. Huntington. In American Politics: The Promise of Disharmony, he maintains that for most nations, "national identity is the product of a long process of historical evolution involving common ancestors, common experiences, common ethnic background, common language, common culture, and usually common religion."' But citing an impressive list of authorities, Huntington argues that the United States is different. American civic identity has been based on "political ideas," on shared allegiance to the "American Creed" of liberal democracy (Huntington 1981: 23). Huntington, like most of his authorities, also implies that this is more or less the way it should be.2 He believes that whenever the United States becomes severely divided, the nation's liberal democratic ideals serve to restore unity more inclusively than a focus on common ancestors, language, or religion would permit (1981: 230-31). Many past and present critics of liberalism agree with Huntington that American political culture is overwhelmingly liberal, but they dispute his normative judgment. They contend that a public philosophy and public law which strive to rest national political identity simply on acceptance of liberal principles reflect a thin, one-sided conception of the human personality. Liberal pol-

The Other Side of Dialogue: On Making the Other Strange and the Experience of Otherness

Abstract: The central assumption of phenomenological and related approaches holds that the possibility of mutual understanding and communication in interpersonal relations in contingent on the supposition of the sameness of self and other. Under this assumption, the otherness of the other is conceived as an obstacle to achieving mutual understanding. Thus, the categories of stranger and strangeness are not considered constitutive of interpersonal communication and, consequently, are analyzed either in terms of social role or as a methodological device. The present paper examines this assumption by focusing on the process of "making the other strange," which involves the disengagement of the other's presence from his or her familiar, taken-for-granted identity. The other is thereby rendered. "other," that is, opaque and irreducible in his individuality. This suspension of the taken-for-granted understanding opens up the possibility of a creative and critical search to understand the other and allows distinguishing a...

Locke and the Scriblerians: Identity and Consciousness in Early Eighteenth-Century Britain

Abstract: Through a wide-ranging study of primary sources, Christopher Fox identifies and details a decisive moment in the history of the concept of the self. A key figure here is John Locke; the crucial document, his chapter on Identity and Diversity added to the second edition of "An Essay Concerning Human Understanding" (1694). Locke s new concept of identity of consciousness was hotly debated for the next half century in philosophical, theological, and literary circles, and Fox makes a significant contribution in drawing attention to this controversy. By situating "The Memoirs of Scriblerus" in the debates, Fox also brings needed attention to a Scriblerian performance that deserves to be better known today. Fox s book is necessary reading for anyone interested in the eighteenth century, in Locke and the Scriblerians, and in the larger history of the concepts of self and consciousness. "