Term Paper on "Sociology and Psychology"

Term Paper 5 pages (1944 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Sociology and Psychology

Social and Psychological concept of Identity:

Sociology refers to the scientific study of society while psychology refers to the study of individuals. However, psychology can be aptly described as the study of the mind. Conventionally, "Identity" was a personal quality. Erik Erikson, personality psychologist, discovered the term 'identity crisis' in the framework of personal human development when he talked about the ontological suspicions facing the adolescent self. This term, however, got shifted to sociology by taking into account the personal characteristics of groups. In this paper, we will explore the concept of Identity with regard to youth, human behavior and work place behaviors. (Shifting Identity Individuals, Groups, and the Science of Society)

Identity in relation to Youth:

According to Hume, we are just a bundle of experiences. As per this theory, there is no possessor of these experiences, but just a collection of experiences linked by nearness, resemblance and causality. Locke suggested that as we recollect our past, we are same even now as we were earlier; in other words, a collection of memories is identity and it is a purely mental event. Another view of identity refers to physical continuity. Our continuity of physical form provides for our continuing identity. Continuity is possible through recollected experience. We think that we are the same individual as the child we were once, but none of us are precisely as when we were children either physically or psychologically. Our memories generate this belief. Physical form and memory are dissimilar. For instance, physical form refers to the ancestry of the individual or the food that he has taken. In contrast, memory permits for total subjectivity and thus distinctiveness. (Assess the view that Identity is psychological continuity)

As the whole concept of identity relies upon distinctiveness, this is vital, that is, distinctively discriminating one thing is identity. One should be careful with regard to his memories as they can play games. One may recollect his past with rosy glasses, for example remembering every childhood 'summer as sunny and hot month after month'. False identity will result if memory gives us a false or confusing record. If identity is psychological continuity, memory cannot give us a definite measure of perseverance through time. The same is the case for physical continuity. At the same time, we cannot fully accept Hume's bundle of experiences as it denies the reality of identity, which itself is awkward. The significance of identity is social and linguistic. As physical and psychological properties of a person change relentlessly, reliable perseverance of them through time is not possible or meaningful in the literal sense. (Assess the view that Identity is psychological continuity)

Every adolescent tries to find his identity. Adolescence is a psychological phase as well as a socio-cultural phenomenon. Three theorists focus on the identity of youth. Erikson, through the ego-psychological theory, deals with youth as a stage of identity crisis. Marcia relates identity with the obligations of later adolescence: work, occupation, political orientation and he differentiate diverse kinds of types or typologies of adolescents. Erich Fromm concentrates on the socialization of an individual from the viewpoint of his or her struggle for independence; according to him, each individual tries to generate his own identity. The question of "Who am I" is strongly asked during adolescence. During adolescence, understanding of behaviors through keen observation takes place; these understandings lead to the individual personality. (the development of Identity in the cultural context) Socialization of maleism in the Mexican-American boys starts with the cultural expectation that an young boy is and would be a man in future. There are also expectations for with regard to girls that girls need to be respected but that, in comparison to boys, girls need to be submissive and obedient. This is the starting point of machismo and the division of being a man against a woman. (Villereal; Cavazos, 2005)

Identity in relation to human behavior:

Identity theory connects role relationships and role-based conduct of individuals with self-attitudes, or identities and it is a micro-sociological theory. According to identity theorists, self involves a set of identities, each of which depends on engaging in a specific role. If an individual answers the question "who is he" then this answer is his identity. The answers like 'I am a father' connect to the roles a person dwells in; hence they are called "role identities" or just "identities." Similarly, occupational identities might comprise those of accountant or salesperson and familial identities might comprise those of spouse or parent. As each role has a group of linked meanings and hopes for the self, these role identities are said to persuade conduct. While social theory highlights group process and inter-group relations, identity theory stresses role conduct. One more difference between Identity theory and social theory is that the identity theory concentrates on the self as consisted of the many roles an individual engages in, while social identity theory assumes that the groups to which people fit in, to illustrate -- political association, Sierra Club member, ethnic group can give their members a meaning of who they are. (Identity Theory: A Sloan Work and Family Encyclopedia Entry)

The growth and modification of personality is the fundamental constituent in the socializing process of human beings. The individual and joint membership in a community typifies the growth of personality. Identity of an individual is set, concrete and steady in a conventional society. Identity was a function of religious restrictions that commanded one's place in the world, already defined social roles and a conventional system of traditions which gave direction and scrupulously restricted the kingdom of thought and conduct. A member of a permanent affiliation system comes to this world and dies as a member of his race and ethnic group. Identity was smooth in earlier societies and is not exposed to expressions or conversations. Individuals neither fundamentally modified their identity nor did suffer identity crises. but, identity became more movable, manifold, delicate, self-reflective, and subject to modification in modern society. This leads to a doubt that an individual in modern society do not know who he is, because, he is bogged down in so many diverse, sometimes contradictory, roles. In such a case, the issue of identity becomes a difficulty, in modern society. In order for an individual to socialize, he needs to rise above his own inactive life, and generate a mood and a need of being alive, that is, he needs to create his identity. (the development of Identity in the cultural context)

Identity in relation to human behavior in the world of Work:

The variety of behavior found in organizational settings is becoming increasingly difficult to elucidate through conventional models of motivation. Our knowledge of organizational behavior is enhanced through aids of goal setting, reward systems, leadership, and job design, but this is not sufficient to understand behavior as these aids are based on the fact that individuals perform in styles to capitalize on the value of exchange with the organization. There exists a range of motivational theories, but none of them elucidate the behavior with a common idea. Some of the researchers have considered self-theory as a substitute to organizational behavior to tackle these issues. Theories like self-presentation theory, self-efficacy theory and social identity theory are based on the concept of self. In order to understand and forecast organizational behavior, we need the addition of self-concept-based structures for the following four reasons: the necessity to explain non-calculative-based work behavior; the need to better explain internal factors of motivation; the need to link dispositional and situational explanations of behavior; and the need to put together existing self-based theories in the literature. (a Self-Concept-based model of Work Motivation)

Traditionally, the view that the self-concept is a steady, widespread, or average view of the self, remained as a barrier for connecting the self-concept to behavior. Recent research imagined that the self-concept is a many-sided occurrence composed of a set of images, formats and models, thereby resolving the above problem. In sociology too, the self is defined in terms of manifold identities. Identities refer to individual personality, features and experiences, and roles and social statuses. Self-representations are being used in both streams of research to elucidate self-concept. In the self-concept model, four interconnected self-perceptions represent the idea of self; these are: "the perceived self, the ideal self, one's self-esteem, and a set of social identities." (a Self-Concept-based model of Work Motivation) an understanding of the self-concept related to stimulating, aiming and supporting organizational behavior is enabled by these four elements.

Self-perceptions can be divided into three general categories, namely, traits, competencies and values. Speech and actions represent the values of an individual. The perceived self refers to a set of values that directs an individual towards his or her decisions and actions. Interaction with environment decides one's self-perceptions. A set of self-perceptions is developed through the processes of attitude construction, attitude transform and self-attribution. While perceived self is the perceptions of an individual about his real traits, competencies, and values, but ideal self refers… READ MORE

How to Reference "Sociology and Psychology" Term Paper in a Bibliography

Related Term Papers:

Psychology Master's Degree: Methodology Degree Concentration Term Paper

Psychology Master's Degree: Methodology

Degree Concentration:
Master of Sciences in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in
Psychology

Degree Rationale:
By establishing a base education in Psychology that is centered in… read more

Term Paper 9 pages (2396 words) Sources: 10 Style: APA Topic: Psychology / Behavior / Psychiatry

---

Psychology of Advertising: Since Early Times Research Paper

Psychology of Advertising:

Since early times, advertising has been a form of exalting or gaining publicity for goods and merchandise. Actually, since the beginning of civilizations, advertising has been in… read more

Research Paper 5 pages (1425 words) Sources: 5 Topic: Psychology / Behavior / Psychiatry

---

Abnormal Psychology General Definition Term Paper

Abnormal Psychology general definition of Abnormal psychology is as follows: "Abnormal psychology can broadly be defined as the application of the principles of psychology to the study of mental disorders,… read more

Term Paper 3 pages (918 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Psychology / Behavior / Psychiatry

---

Human Interaction From a Psychology Perspective Thesis

Psychology - Human Interaction

THE EFFECTS of SOCIAL SITUATIONS on HUMAN BEHAVIOR

Human Behavior in Social Situations:

Human behavior reflects a complex interrelationship between elements of individual psychological development and… read more

Thesis 4 pages (1059 words) Sources: 4 Style: APA Topic: Psychology / Behavior / Psychiatry

---

Psychology Matrix Term Paper

Psychology Matrix

In the workplace, I noticed repeatedly that gender stereotyping is still present nowadays. Stereotyping is most obvious in hiring process. For instance I witnessed a personnel selection procedure… read more

Term Paper 4 pages (1583 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Sociology / Society

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>