The Formation of Identity Theory
According to Stryker and Burke in their essay called “The Past, Present, and Future of Identity Theory,” identity theory has diverged into two different yet strongly related strands. The first aspect focuses on how external social structure affects the formation of identity which in turn influences social behavior. The second facet concentrates on how internal processes create identity through the process of self-verification. The authors suggest that the integration of the two theories will develop a more complete and thorough understanding of the formation of identity because each of them provides a key logic that the other lacks.
The idea that society shapes self is rooted back to George Herbert Mead whose writings set a framework for social theory but do not set forth any testable theory. This may be due to the fact that it is extremely difficult to accurately assess one’s identity. Not only is an experiment challenging to design, but defining the measure of the …show more content…
They assemble in the form of behavior; one derives from the macro level while the other approaches from the micro level. Identity is influenced by social structure. It sought verification by finding or creating a setting in which they can be expressed. If the confirmation is successful, not only is that identity strengthened, the commitment and thus salience will also increase. This ensues because when an identity is reinforced repeatedly, it becomes more prominent and people work harder to maintain it. Research also shows that social structure depends on the identities of individuals. When a number of people comes together and confirms their existing identities, they form a bond and increase their dedication to one another. One usually stick with people with similar interests and values because they feel more confident about their identities. Thus, a community is
According to Stryker and Burke in their essay called “The Past, Present, and Future of Identity Theory,” identity theory has diverged into two different yet strongly related strands. The first aspect focuses on how external social structure affects the formation of identity which in turn influences social behavior. The second facet concentrates on how internal processes create identity through the process of self-verification. The authors suggest that the integration of the two theories will develop a more complete and thorough understanding of the formation of identity because each of them provides a key logic that the other lacks.
The idea that society shapes self is rooted back to George Herbert Mead whose writings set a framework for social theory but do not set forth any testable theory. This may be due to the fact that it is extremely difficult to accurately assess one’s identity. Not only is an experiment challenging to design, but defining the measure of the …show more content…
They assemble in the form of behavior; one derives from the macro level while the other approaches from the micro level. Identity is influenced by social structure. It sought verification by finding or creating a setting in which they can be expressed. If the confirmation is successful, not only is that identity strengthened, the commitment and thus salience will also increase. This ensues because when an identity is reinforced repeatedly, it becomes more prominent and people work harder to maintain it. Research also shows that social structure depends on the identities of individuals. When a number of people comes together and confirms their existing identities, they form a bond and increase their dedication to one another. One usually stick with people with similar interests and values because they feel more confident about their identities. Thus, a community is