Has contemporary western society contributed to this phenomenon - Essay Example

The 'crisis of identity Has contemporary western society contributed to this phenomenon of The Crisis of identity or the term 'identity crisis' was coined by the famous psychologist Erik Erickson. Identity is an umbrella term used in social sciences to denote the individual's comprehension of the self as a separate and distinct entity in a social framework. In psychological terms, identity refers to the individual's capacity of the self-reflection and the awareness of the self. It is related to the self image or the person's mental model of himself or herself usually denoted as their personal identity. Sociology defines identity from a different perspective. It represents the concept of identity negotiation where a person has multiple identities that are related to the various aspects of the individual's life and personality and constantly 'negotiates' with the environment around him as to the meaning of identity of the self. During research conducted by scientists in 2002, they were amazed at the ability of dolphins to identify themselves in a mirror and it raised a whole issue of debates on 'environmental identity'. The 'self concept' in sociological and political theory In terms of sociology and political theories, the notions of social identity is the individual's identification of themselves as members of a particular socio-political grouping such as a nation, social class, race, ethnicity, gender, employment or professional groups, and so forth. It is in this context that sociologists and historians speak of national identity of a particular coutry and feminists speak of gender identity. Most people are proud of their identity groups which enhances the feeling of community or belonging. They often add specific customs to their groups to enforce this identity. In some cases, sociologists have even recorded that the behaviour wasn't even established through the group but with a Stereotype of Oppressors. Identity has been a central factor of pride in social groupings such as the gay pride or the black consciousness which seek to strengthen the politically weaker groups with the enhanced sense of identity. But most sociologists identify such groupings as a precursor to demagogy, ethnic and racial conflicts and the like. The process of an individual's interaction with the society relative to an identity is known as identity negotiation. The person will have to negotiate separately on each of the identity they possess - for example, the identity of a 'doctor' will have to be negotiated separately from the identity of 'father' of his son. Self concept is essentially a mental and conceptual awareness and persistent regard that an individual an individual holds with regard to his being. Components of the self-identity of an individual thus include physical, social and psychological attributes and are in turn influenced by its attitudes, habits, ideas and beliefs. The History of the self-concept A milestone in the non-physical self concept was laid in 1644, when Rene Descartes published his Principles of Philosophy. He said that the doubt is a principal tool in disciplined enquiry, yet he could not doubt that he doubted. He reasoned that if he doubted, he was thinking and when he is thinking, he exists. Thus existence he argued depended on one's perception. The second milestone was laid by none other than the legendary psychiatrist Sigmund Freud who gave us great insights in to internal mental processes. His views have had a strong impact on the practice of counselling. Lecky Prescott (1945) concluded that 'self consistency is a primary motivating factor in human behaviour. The most eloquent advocate of the self-concept in personality theory by far has been Carl Rogers (1947). Rogers described the self as a 'social product, developing out of interpersonal relationships and striving for consistency'. He maintained that the basic human strives for positive regard both from others and from his own self. He believed that in every person there is a tendency towards self-actualization and development so long as this is permitted and encouraged by a supporting environment (Purkey & Schmidt, 1987). While most self-concept theorists continued to debate and conduct enquiries in to the subject, public interest declined in the 1970s and the 1980s. In an article explaining the likely causes for this decline of public interest in 'humanistic' education, Patterson (1987) presents four likely reasons for the decline. They are: The invasion of the education systems the world over with contrived games, gimmicks and techniques that were introduced and controlled by unprepared professionals An international wave of thought in the developed world towards a back to basic education where concern for the emotional needs of students was viewed as inimical to academic excellence. Poor judgment by counselors and teachers in selecting suitable materials for values clarification programs resulted in public opposition to any attempt to introduce social identity and value educations in school. People objected to any consideration of personal development of students since they believed it to be secular humanism and, therefore, an effort to undermine the established points of religion The impact of identity concepts on social life Most successes and failures of people in life can be associated in most instances to their perceptions of the self and how they have learned to view themselves and their relationships with others. This relationship has three important properties. it is learned - No man is born with a self-concept. It emerges in the early months of life and is shaped by continuous experiences particularly with significance to society. Since it does not appear as a congenital property, it is a social product, it also has a tremendous potential to be developed and actualised. This is a logic that the psychotherapists have been using since the early decades of the present century. it is organised - Most researchers have concluded that the self concept has a generally stable quality that is characterised by orderliness and harmony with the environment. It is particularly evident in the multiple-self models of social life where a same person negotiates for separate perception of the self among separate groups. But if the self-concept were to change readily, then the individual will have an unstable personality. it is dynamic- even for its affinity to remain unchanged and impervious to recent happenings, the person's self concept is ever-evolving. This is achieved by reflecting on the past events, analysing the present and anticipating the shape of the future things. According to Erikson, the identity crisis sets in during the teen ages and only individuals who resolve this crisis becomes successful in life. He suggested that people suffer from identity crisis when they lose a sense of personal sameness and historical continuity. Given today's rapid growth in development of technology, global economy and the emergence of world politics, identity crisis will be more likely to increase than in the past. How to evaluate your identity If you think that you are suffering from an identity crisis, you can look at the seven areas mentioned here in. Time Perspective Can you distinguish immediate gratification from long-term goals Have you learnt to balance between jumping at opportunities as soon as they are presented to you and working steadily and patiently towards your long-term goal Self-Certainty Do you feel consistent in your self-image and the image you present to others Role Experimentation Have you tried different roles in search of the one that feels right to you Anticipation of Achievement Do you believe that you will be successful in what you choose to do -- whether your role is at the work front or home front Sexual Identity Do you feel comfortable being a male or a female, and dealing with others as such Leadership polarization Are you able to become both a leader and a follower, whichever is called for in a given situation Ideological convictions Have you found a set of basic social, philosophical, or religious values that your outlook on life can be based upon (adapted from wickipedia) Cultural Identity Cultural identity is identity of a group or culture, or organisation or of an individual as far as he is influenced by his belonging to a group or culture. Common characteristics and ideas may mark the organisation of the group. But cultural identity factor depends very much on social dynamics. Suppose a group of people were living in an isolated island in a far-away ocean, then their identity is not much of a problem since they have not and will not probably see any other people or come in to contact with other cultures. But in other cases, people of different groups come together and interact on a daily basis, there is dynamics involved. They may compare themselves with members of another group and that adds to the reinforcement of their identity factor. When there is no inter-cultural interaction, you do not perceive yourself as a culture. Cultural identity and the modern world Identity crisis has increased in the modern day. This is due to many factors. The key factor is that modern society has become so demanding and the stress factors involved in coping up with the pressure of demand has led to broken identities or self-perception. Interactions between people have become so intense and frequent that a retrospective analysis of the self does not happen on a real-time basis. In short, the relaxed pace of life is no more around us. A shift toward individualism and economic freedom has led to the belief that social acceptance relies on one's professional success and the economic status of the individual. This has led to serious problems with social organisation. Groups like the family, the church have taken a decline and people have no place to look for their identity. The rise of the hippie culture in the west is an example of this incidence. The number of rising teenage criminals in the west can be attributed to this growth in instances of identity crisis. Establishing a positive cultural identity is the need of the hour. This will lead to people carrying forward the good ideals of organisations and nations. References Anderson, Benedict (1991). Imagined Communities. London: Verso. 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