Unit 2 Culture, socialisation and Identity:

Culture, socialisation and Identity has been part of our social lives for a long period of
time. We understand that culture and socialisation are part of our identity structure
which is being instilled in us from our infancy throughout our adult life.
Socialization teaches us the cultural values and norms that provide the guidelines for
our everyday life. Culture may be defined as the beliefs, values, behaviour, and
material objects shared by a particular group of people. Culture is a way of life that a
number of people have in common.
Socialization makes an individual more confident. The more people we talk to, the
more topics we talk about, and this in turn widens our scope. Also, we make ourselves
more visible to society and hence people recognize us. Thus, socialization helps in
building one’s identity. Society expects different attitudes and behaviours from boys
and girls. Gender-socialization is the tendency for boys and girls to
be socialized differently. Boys are raised to conform to the male gender role, and girls
are raised to conform to the female gender or role
Our Cultural identity is the identity or feeling of belonging to a group. It is part of a
person's self-conception and self-perception and is related to nationality, ethnicity,
religion, social class, generation, locality or any kind of social group that has its own
distinct culture. A person's understanding of their own cultural identity develops from
birth and is shaped by the values and attitudes prevalent at home and the surrounding,
noting that the cultural identity, in its essence, relates to our need to belong. Everyone
needs to feel accepted and “at home” with a certain group.
The role of socialization is to acquaint individuals with the norms of a
given social group or society. Socialization is also important for adults who join
new social groups. Broadly defined, it is the process of transferring norms, values,
beliefs, and behaviours to future group members.
Socialization prepares people for social life by teaching them a group’s shared
norms, values, beliefs, and behaviours. The role of socialization is to acquaint
individuals with the norms of a given social group or society. It prepares individuals
to participate in a group by illustrating the expectations of that group.
Socialization is very important for children, who begin the process at home with
family, and continue it at school. They are taught what will be expected of them as
they mature and become full members of society. Socialization is also important for
adults who join new social groups. Broadly defined, it is the process of transferring
norms, values, beliefs, and behaviours to future group members.
The concept of identity:
Identity is the qualities, beliefs, personality, looks and/or expressions that make a
person (self-identity as emphasized in psychology) or group (collective identity as pre-
eminent in sociology). An identity relates to self-image (one's mental model of
oneself), self-esteem, and individuality. The definition of identity is who you are, the
way you think about yourself, the way you are viewed by the world and the
characteristics that define you. An example of identity is a person's name. An example
of identity are the traditional characteristics of a being Indian etc.
Identities are the traits and characteristics, social relations, roles, and social group
memberships that define who one is. Identities can be focused on the past-what used
to be true of one, the present-what is true of one now, or the future-the person one
expects or wishes to become, the person one feels obligated to try to become, or the
person one fears one may become. Identities are orienting, they provide a meaning-
making lens and focus one's attention on some but not other features of the immediate
context (Oyserman, 2007, 2009a, 2009b). Together, identities make up one's self-
concept variously described as what comes to mind when one thinks of oneself.
Identities are not the fixed markers people assume them to be but are instead
dynamically constructed in the moment. Choices that feel identity congruent in one
situation do not necessarily feel identity-congruent in another situation.
The distinctive characteristic belonging to any given individual, or shared by all
members of a particular social category or group. Identity may be distinguished from
identification, the identity is a label, whereas identification refers to the classifying act
itself. Identity is thus best construed as being both relational and contextual, while the
act of identification is best viewed as inherently processual.
This concept of Identity formation is also known as individuation, is the development
of the distinct personality of an individual regarded as a persisting entity (known as
personal continuity) in a particular stage of life in which individual characteristics are
possessed and by which a person is recognized or known. This process defines
individuals to others and themselves. Pieces of the person's actual identity include a
sense of continuity, a sense of uniqueness from others, and a sense of affiliation. 
his may be through individuation whereby the undifferentiated individual tends to
become unique, or undergoes stages through which differentiated facets of a person's
life tend toward becoming a more indivisible whole. Throughout each person's lifetime,
they experience different crises or conflicts. Each of the conflicts arises at a certain
point in life and must be successfully resolved for progression to the next of the eight
stages
"Identity versus Role Confusion" stage consists of adolescents trying to figure out who
they are in order to form a basic identity that they will build on throughout their life,
especially concerning social and occupational identities
The formation of our identity are the very core markers in the concept of our identity.
We can understand the values of cultural and identity formed through our socialisation
processes which help us shapes our self-concepts towards the conception of our
identity.

Social causes and construction of identity:

To agree upon that our identities are socially constructed is to deny that it has the
objective reality ascribed to it. Rather, that identity is the result of beliefs and practices
in society or specialized segments of society and it may or may not have a factual
foundation apart from those beliefs and practices.
Constructing identity literally involves life experiences, relationships and connections,
a solid mental or emotional stamp on a human. Constructing identity figuratively
involves metaphorical or symbolical representation of thoughts or emotions in an
expressive way, creating a conceptual visual representation.
Social causes to identity construction can also be seen as Social comparison, it is a
pervasive and fundamental feature of group life. People compare themselves with
fellow group members, they compare themselves with people in other groups, and
they compare their own group with other groups. From these comparisons emerge
group norms, group structure, and intergroup relations, which in turn provide the
framework for group-based social comparisons.
The concept of identity as a societal construct, it is important to note the two key
purposes identity serves: it is firstly used as a means of establishing individuality and
secondly as a means of forging connections with wider groups. Identity as constructed
is socially a must, at least to some extent, be viewed as a performance, purely because
society and interaction imply the ‘consumption’ of our identity by a separate entity and
it thus follows that identity is ‘performed’ for that entity.
The distinction between performance and performativity will call into question the idea
that ‘the consumption of our identity’ must mean that identity is a performance. To
understand and have a clear idea on the gender binary and female identity through two
significant ideas they are centred around the fact that gender roles are, at least in most
parts, socially constructed through the constant production of performatives over time
and gender binary can be challenged from a social constructivist perspective. The term
‘performance’ could be more accurately replaced with the term ‘performative’ when
explaining its relation to the construction of identity. The basis of this choice of word
lies in Judith Butler’s differentiation of performance from performativity
According to Butler, performativity embraces not only the description of an action, but
also the performance of that action. A performative is different from a performance
because the former is a series of actions, which can be conscious or unconscious, but
which nonetheless continues to categorise people, thus affecting the process of the
formation of their identities. Since those actions are ongoing, they begin to be perceived
as facts over time, whereas the actions that Butler calls ‘performances’ are presumed
to give some kind of agency to the subject. is particularly significant if one finds
performatives to be the main players in the construction of identity. Having seen the
comparison between ideas and Butler’s accounts for performance and performativity
which is evident in her theory.

Theoretical approaches to the role of socialisation in

formation of identity:
Social perspectives and approaches views socialization largely as the learning of
social roles; and symbolic interactionism, which emphasizes the development of self
and identities. Socialization generally refers to the process of social influence through
which a person acquires the culture or subculture of their group, and in the course of
acquiring these cultural elements the individual's self and personality are shaped.
Socialization, therefore, addresses two important problems of social life: the problem
of societal continuity and the problem of individual development. Sociology has tended
to emphasize the latter more than the former, by focusing on the development of self
and identities, and the internalization of roles, motives, and values.

One of the pioneering contributors to sociological perspectives on self-development

was Charles Cooley (1864–1929). He asserted that one’s self understanding is
constructed, in part, by our perception of how others view us—a process termed “the
looking glass self” (Cooley 1902), which was discussed when we first introduced
symbolic interactionism. This concept is central to sociological perspectives on self-
development because it demonstrates the importance of social interaction in the
development of one’s identity.

Later, George Herbert Mead (1863–1931) studied the self, a person’s distinct identity
as developed through social interaction. In order to engage in this process of “self,” an
individual has to be able to view him or herself through the eyes of others. This is not
an ability that is innate (Mead 1934). Through socialization we learn to put ourselves
in someone else’s shoes and look at the world through their perspective. This assists
us in becoming self-aware, as we look at ourselves from the perspective of the “other.”
The case of Danielle, for example, illustrates what happens when social interaction is
absent from early experience. Recall that Danielle had no ability to see herself as
others would see her. From Mead’s point of view, she had no socially informed “self.”

How do we go from being new-borns to being humans with “selves?” Mead believed
that there is a specific path of development that all people go through. During the
preparatory stage, children are only capable of imitation; they have no ability to
imagine how others see things. They copy the actions of people with whom they
regularly interact, such as their mothers and fathers. This is followed by the play stage,
during which children begin to take on the role that one other person might have. Thus,
children might try on a parent’s point of view by acting out “grownup” behaviour, like
playing “dress up” and acting out the “mom” role, or talking on a toy telephone the way
they see their father do.

During the game stage, children learn to consider several roles at the same time and
how those roles interact with each other. They learn to understand interactions
involving different people with a variety of purposes. For example, a child at this stage
is likely to be aware of the different responsibilities of people in a restaurant who
together make for a smooth dining experience (e.g., someone seats you, another
takes your order, someone else cooks the food, while yet another clears away dirty
dishes).

Finally, children develop, understand, and learn the idea of the generalized other, the
common behavioral expectations of general society. By this stage of development, an
individual is able to imagine how he or she is viewed by one or many others—and
thus, from a sociological perspective, to have a “self” (Mead 1934; Mead 1964).

The focus of the theoretical perspectives on socialisation process in identity formation

was in shaping the behaviours of human beings, sociologists tend to look outward at
social institutions, cultural norms, interactions with others to understand human
behaviour in the concepts of our personal self and social identities.

Managing Emotions in Public:

Managing emotions in public is literally, it means moving from inside out. It is a human
characteristic used to deal with external situations by choosing between many possible
reactions. It is learnt from family and other sources; a healthy emotional stage can
help the individual to experience the best of everything and to deal with bad
circumstances in a more mature way. But, when an individual faces a point of
experiencing unhealthy emotions, it is possible that even the best situation becomes
the worse experience in his life. Emotions are reactions to anything that happens, so
they are present at every step. Effort, success, influence, recovery and changing, are
all affected by the reactions we have towards what happens around. In other words,
by emotions.

How to manage emotions in Public- Looking at the ideas of Success or contentment

in career. Keeping friends and using time in a worthwhile way. Dealing with stressful
situations. Being healthy mind and body and Staying in self-esteem are some of the
positive ways to keep our emotions in-tact and healthy.

Another way of keeping a check on our emotions are the method of transference, It is
when you identify a certain wrong emotion and you replace it with another one, or
some other action. For instance, you know you can’t shout against your boss, so you
start to make ironic comments about him to other people. It is important to
acknowledge the emotion you feel and look for advice from an expert on how to deal
with it in a healthy way.

Self-control is the stage where you can manage an emotion before it comes into action.
It requires a deep knowledge of the self and an efficient tool for access. After sometime
working on the self, a manager is able to face a crisis in her company by being calm
and focused. Even though it is something apparently more difficult, it allows the person
to manage emotions in a totally different level. After controlling the self, the individual
becomes his or her own leader. Emotions cease to exist as reactions and the leader
allows his feelings to be expressed. A mother instead of reacting towards the insult
spoken by her daughter-in-law, decides to give her love and compassion.  Only by
being a leader of the self, emotions will not create damage.

Remedies for bettering our emotions- Focus -Mind works better if it is focused, that
is, the thoughts and emotions that emerge have a clear meaning for the self and a
clear purpose. Control-The real control is on the intellect, so that the best decision is
made. Meditation -Meditation technique enables the mind to be focused in a very easy
way. yoga meditation provides an interesting and effective method to control the
intellect. Managing emotions are an important factor in organisations. There are many
ways to do it. Through yoga meditation can help to achieve both, self-control and
mastery over the self. Working towards a healthy state of mind can also facilitate better
emotions and managing them in public spaces like our work place and in the
secondary institutions.

Stigma:
Erving Goffman described stigma as a phenomenon whereby an individual with an
attribute which is deeply discredited by their society is rejected as a result of the
attribute. Goffman saw stigma as a process by which the reaction of others spoils
normal identity. In Goffman's theory of social stigma, a stigma is an attribute, behavior,
or reputation which is socially discrediting in a particular way: it causes an individual
to be mentally classified by others in an undesirable, rejected stereotype rather than
in an accepted, normal one.
Goffman defined stigma as a special kind of gap between virtual social
identity and actual social identity: While a stranger is present before us, evidence can
arise of his possessing an attribute that makes him different from others in the category
of persons available for him to be, and of a less desirable kind—in the extreme, a
person who is quite thoroughly bad, or dangerous, or weak. He is thus reduced in our
minds from a whole and usual person to a tainted discounted one. Such an attribute
is a stigma, especially when its discrediting effect is very extensive It constitutes a
special discrepancy between virtual and actual social identity. (Goffman 1963:3).
The stigmatized, the normal, and the wise
Goffman divides the individual's relation to a stigma into three categories:
 1. the stigmatized are those who bear the stigma;
2. the Normal’s are those who do not bear the stigma; and
3. the wise are those among the Normal’s who are accepted by the stigmatized
as "wise" to their condition (borrowing the term from the homosexual
community).

Physical stigma refers to physical deformities of the body, while stigma of group
identity is a stigma that comes from being of a particular race, nation, religion, etc.
These stigmas are transmitted through lineages and contaminate all members of a
family. Goffman discusses a number of responses that stigmatized people can take.
For example, they could undergo plastic surgery, however, they still risk being
exposed as someone who was formerly stigmatized. They can also make special
efforts to compensate for their stigma, such as drawing attention to another area of
the body or to an impressive skill. They can also use their stigma as an excuse for
their lack of success, they can see it as a learning experience, or they can use it to
criticize “Normal’s. Stigmatized individuals can also turn to other stigmatized people
or sympathetic others for support and coping. They can form or join self-help groups,
clubs, national associations, or other groups to feel a sense of belonging. They might
also produce their own conferences or magazines to raise their morale.

Stigma Symbols:

In chapter two of the book, Goffman discusses the role of “stigma symbols.” Symbols
are a part of information control; they are used to understand others. For example, a
wedding ring is a symbol that shows others that someone is married. Stigma symbols
are similar. Skin colour is a stigma symbol, as is a hearing aid, cane, shaved head, or
wheelchair.

Stigmatized people often use symbols as “disidentifiers” in order to try to pass as a

“normal.” For instance, if an illiterate person is wearing ‘intellectual’ glasses, they might
be trying to pass as a literate person; or, a homosexual person who tells ‘queer jokes’
might be trying to pass as a heterosexual person. These covering attempts, however,
can also be problematic. If a stigmatized person tries to cover their stigma or pass as
a “normal,” they have to avoid close relationships, and passing can often lead to self-
contempt. They also need to constantly be alert and always checking their houses or
bodies for signs of stigmatization.

Goffman discusses the rules that stigmatized people follow when handling “Normal’s.”

1. One must assume that “Normal’s” are ignorant rather than malicious.
2. No response is needed to snubs or insults, and the stigmatized should either
ignore or patiently refute the offense and views behind it.
3. The stigmatized should try to help reduce the tension by breaking the ice and
using humour or even self-mockery.
 4. The stigmatized should treat “Normal’s” as if they are honorary wise.
5. The stigmatized should follow disclosure etiquette by using disability as a topic
for serious conversation, for example.
6. The stigmatized should use tactful pauses during conversations to allow
recovery from shock over something that was said.
7. The stigmatized should allow intrusive questions and agree to be helped.
8. The stigmatized should see oneself as “normal” in order to put “Normal’s” at
easy.

Through all the shifts in stigma over the past half century, one category identified by
Goffman has endured: the ‘urban unrepentant poor’, ‘those members of the lower
class who quite noticeably bear the mark of their status in their speech, appearance
and manner’. Goffman found that ‘in their relations to the public institutions of our
society’ they were ‘second class citizens’, and second-class citizens they remain. Their
disqualification from full social acceptance is closely associated with their persistence
in smoking and tendency towards obesity, the twin stigmata of the contemporary
underclass (entirely unrecognised in Goffman's seminal study).

While challenging stigma in areas where it is no longer a social force, the academic
discipline plays a leading role in promoting stigma where it continues to sanction
discrimination and social exclusion.

Conclusion:
Socialization plays an important role in mediating cultural influence on human

development, particularly in areas characterized by social initiative and self-control.

Cultural norms and values guide the social interaction processes in the family, the

peer group, and other socialization settings, which in turn affect the patterns and

outcomes of individual development. The cultural practices, historical events, and

social institutions shape what we do and say, what we value, and who we become.

Our self-concept, identity, and sense of self-worth are derived from our interactions

with other people. We are especially tuned into the reactions, real or imagined, of

others.

Socialization is the process by which individuals learn their culture and learn

to live according to the norms of their society. Through socialization, we learn how to
perceive our world, gain a sense of our own identity, and discover how to interact

appropriately with others. This learning process occurs within the context of several

social institutions—schools, religious institutions, the media, and the family—and it

extends beyond childhood. Adults must be re-socialized into a new galaxy of norms,

values, and expectations each time they leave or abandon current positions and

enter new ones.

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