Transcript Diapositive 1 - Coach in VET

Sociological Theories of Identity
- The idea of personality comes from the Ancient Greek
Theater.
-The term “personality” derives from a Latin word “persona” and
is itself an adaptation of an Etruscan word which designated a
mask.
- In the Ancient Greek Theater the mask represented a character
with psychological features.
- This character should be immediately recognized by the
audience as soon as he appeared on the stage. These characters
were a real symbolism for the Citizens.
Examples of Ancient Greek masks from Louvre Museum
Old Woman Mask
End of IVe siècle B. C.
Peasant Mask
approx. between 300 and 280 B.C.
Material : Terracotta
Dionysos Mask
Young Man Mask
IInd – Ist century B. C.
Bearded Mask
(pornoboskos or procurer)
IIIrd - IInd century B. C.
Young Man Mask
(« effeminate soldier »or « blond young man »)
About 150 B.C.
The 2 families represented in the Ancient Greek Theater
House of Atreus
House of Labdacos
Plays acted during :
-Dionysia = March
-Lenaia = December
Chorus
Celebrating Dionysos
Comments about the events
-History of the
Greek City
- rules and
duties to be
respected by
the citizens
 The Chorus represents citizens
 The actors represent the divinities and some other
secondary characters of the story
The plays show what happened to the famous characters when they
didn’t follow the prescription of divinities
aim sanctimonius = give an example to the citizens
Ancient Greek Theater is cultural and religious
Personality is something :

closely interrelated to a group  for instance the community

it is directly related to a set of characteristics

it depends on a rule

which iself depends on :
 a position in the city
 the relationships engaged toward protagonists
 age, sex…
Sociology  Many theories using the concept of identity or giving
definition of identity
Link between identity and personality :

The identification :
 To a group = whish to belong to a group
 To a character = parents, friends, teachers, famous
persons…
 To an ideal = features corresponding to what we
suppose to be necessary, or commendable…
good/bad, beautiful/ugly, loveable/abhrorrent…
All that is also :
 closely interrelated to a group
related to a set of characteristics
depending on a rule
Main differencies between sociological theories of identity :
 one point of view first considering social pressures
 a second point of view considering individual’s social actions
Both of those 2 approaches can be seen on three main points of view :
 macro-sociological  considering institutions, norms and laws prescribed…
 meso-sociological  considering middle groups,
relations between them
between those groups and institutions,
rules, organizations, conventions…
 micro-sociological  considering individuals and their relations with
groups, institutions, with the rules, the
organizations, the conventions, the laws, the
norms, etc. and how they can change or influence
them
2 principal approaches - a process of evolution
Social links under different levels of consideration
Society
Individuals
Institutions
Superstructures
(Political institutions, Laws,
Religion, Philosophy, Ethics
and Morals,
Middle groups
Small groups
Substructures
(Social relationships, Social
classes, …)
According to the points of view and the approach :

More or less power is supposed to be possessed by Institutions, or
Groups, or Individuals

More or less choices for individuals to move in society
Historical process of construction of
sociological theories
Historical process
of societal evolution
(Economy, Politics,Thought…)
(Paradigms)
Production relationships
Capitalism, Industrialization
Constraints
Social classes (Marx)
(Subtructures)
(Superstructures)
Theories of middle and small groups
Mass Production and consumption
Erosion of Social Conscious
Micro sociology
And theories of « actor »
Mass Education
Individuality
Three interpretations of the process :
-Karl Marx
Revolution process
from capitalism to communism
As liberation from high class domination
-Max Weber
Rationalization process
from Community to Society
Gemeinschaft // Gesellschaft
change of social relationships
constraints to contract
- Norbert Elias
Civilization process
from collective forms to
individualised forms
symbolic forms of identification
(Ourselves//Myself)
What does-it mean concretely ?
From
to
Collective forms and conceptions
Individual forms and conceptions
« We, Us, Ourselves… »
« I, Me, Myself… »
Domination of collective illustrations
Domination of private or individual
illustrations
Domination of Collective processes
of socialization
Collective Identifications and
Identification to collective forms
(groups, classes…)
Domination of« Individual » processes
of socialization
Individual Identifications and
Identification to Individual forms
(persons, « individual »
constructions…)
Roughly, two opposite considerations :
 A strong social belonging
 Social relationships based upon
negotiation or special interest
 The Individual’s identity is only
determinated and prescribed by
the collective wish
 The Individual’s identity is
determinated by values consciously
selected
 complete subordination to
social code
 social and individual codes
depend on rationality
 no transgression admitted
 some transgressions are admitted
 any deviant has no choice but
suicide or voluntary exile
 deviants can create some
changes in social habits
Those 2 forms are supposed to correspond to an historical
evolution from « primitive societies » to « modern and
advanced sociology »
This rough opposition has been abandoned
because it didn’t reflect the reality
Forms of identification are mixed :
- part of collective prescriptions and identifications
- and part of individual considerations and identifications
But Identity is constructed by several steps which represent
different process, or different phases of socialization
Sociology generally distinguishes 2 forms of socialization :
- Primary socialization
mainly by family and relatives
during childhood
- Secondary socializations
different places and moments :
shoolship, friendship,
relationships
neighbourhood,
and
work, other
such as
associations, sport
leisure, politics commitment…
So, many symbolic summons and injunctions
are transmitted by those places, means, institutions
Which symbolic forms, for instance, can be considered as an
injonction in modern European societies ?
-Fashion, for instance is not a duty, a law or even a rule.. But it is not
possible to avoid it completely…
- Language : could you use any level and any style of language ?
-Ways of being, of walking, of speaking, of standing, of behaving,
of dressing speak about you and your social belonging
Those elements = habitus concept from Pierre Bourdieu
What does-it mean for the individual’s identity ?
Identity = social construction
• Personality usually considered as an intimate
issue
• Combining different psychological features
• For instance :




Way of speaking, walking…
Values mainly influenced by tastes
Tastes influencing choices
Temper
• Elements which are considered as natural
• Those elements enter in the definition of
habitus and they are considered by
sociologists and anthropologists as :
– Social
families, groups, institutions
– Cultural
main cultures and subcultures
– Historical
moving in time and historically
constructed
A typical example of something
considered as natural
Directly linked with
– Personal and individual choices
– Unavoidable = no control possible
Love/union= wife/husband choice
In fact, marriage is a social matter
• The idea of a natural choice is constructed upon
the myth of romantic union
• In the Ancient monarchies existed a real
• spatialisation on unions
Sociologists usually that unions are still
homogamies
In the same circles
• People choose according to : values for instance
• They often meet at
– Work
– School/university
– Parties organised by friends
– Weddings
• So, they still meet persons who
– Look like them
– Have the same values, habits
– Frequent the same places
• Furthermore what constitute habitus is a
social element of judgement to choose
relations, friends and wife/husband
• The way women/men speak, the way they
walk, their dressing habits, their leisures,
their knowings…
= social codes translated consciously or
unconsciously
In vocational guidance how does it work?
• Same process
• Choose profession/training according to
social criteria depending on :
– Families positions in society
– Examples of different professions
– Historical changements
What else?
• Sex/Gender for instance
= discrimination criteria
Society organised upon
sexual division of Work
Men = production / outside / hunting, building…
Women = reproduction / inside / « care »
Going against = transgression / deviance
From their identity
Social and historical constructions
always disappear
behind a principle / a process
of essentialisation
2 main dangers for coaching :
• Essentialisation / naturalisation of tastes wishes /
choices…
• Too much attention to social origins
– Notion of « social handicap » (sex, social class,
ethny)