SAC Personal and Social Identity

Shaped throughout life

Intro: Personal identity

the sense of self developed through factors such as family, peers, and individual choices

Intro: Social identity

how a person is defined in relation to groups, institutions, and wider society, including roles, class, ethnicity, and culture.

Intro: What are ways personal and social identity are shaped?

Family + peers and cultural institutions + social expectations

Intro: How is identity shaped?

Through the combination of personal choices and cultural and social structures 

P1: Family

Earliest framework for an individual’s values, beliefs, roles, and sense of belonging. Primary agent of socialisation. 

P1: Peer groups

Significant during adolescence; influencing appearance, behaviour, and communication styles. 

P1: Examples

Australian: family expectations on career choices, peer influence on clothing styles or uptake of social media.

P1: Erik Erikson

Psychosocial development highlights adolescence as a critical period where identity is negotiated through family guidance and peer appearance. 

P2: Culture

Norms, values, language, and traditions that create a collective identity.

P2: Social institutions

Education, religion, and the law reinforce cultural frameworks and determine roles, and responsibilities

P2: What do these institutions establish?

Social control and continuity which shapes identity.

P2: Japan Example

Collectivist societies have their identity shaped by group membership, harmony, and conformity, reinforced through schooling and workplace culture

P2: Australian Example

Individualist cultures have their identity shaped by independence, achievement, and self-expression.

P2: What do these cultural patterns highlight?

How social identity is not only personal but embedded within broader structures of power and cultural values. 

Conclusion: What are the ways in which personal and social identity are shaped?

Micro-level relationships and meso-level institutions