1. Read the document (theories of identity) provided thoroughy (see eStudio under 'useful documents).
2. Summarise the key concepts and terminology of each theory (Stryker's and McCall/Simmons').
Compare and contrast each and discuss efficacy of each.
3. BLOG TASK: (300-500 WORDS)
DISCUSS SIMILARITIES/CONNECTIONS BETWEEN INTERACTIONIST IDENTITY
THEORY AND PSYCHOANALYSIS (briefly).
SPECIFICALLY:
EGO-IDEAL (FREUD)
DESIRE (FREUD / LACAN)
ID, EGO, SUPER-EGO (FREUD)
THE MIRROR STAGE (LACAN)
You do not need to discuss each of these at length. Discussing one in more detail is better.
1 - Summarise the key concepts and terminology of each theory (Stryker's and McCall/Simmons').
1. The more individuals are committed to an identity, the higher will this identity be in their salience hierarchy.
2. The degree of commitment to an identity is a positive and additive function of
A. The extent to which this identity is positively valued by others and broader cultural definitions
B. The more congruent the expectations of others on whom one depends for an identity
C. The more extensive the network of individuals on whom one depends
D. The larger the number of persons in a network on whom one depends for an identity The Consequences of High Salience
3. The higher in a person’s salience hierarchy is an identity, the more likely will that individual A. Emit role performances that are consistent with the role expectations associated with that identity
B. Perceive a given situation as an opportunity to perform in that identity
C. Seek out situations that provide opportunities to perform in that identity The Consequences of Commitment to Identity
4. The greater the commitment to an identity, the greater will be
A. The effect of role performances on self-esteem
B. The likelihood that role performances will reflect institutionalized values and norms Changing Commitments to Identity
5. The more external events alter the structure of a situation, the more likely are individuals to adopt new identities.
6. The more changes in identity reinforce and reflect the value-commitments of the individual, the less the individual resists change in adopting a new identity.
Contemporary Sociological Theory.
J.H turner - Published 2013
Aims - Understand how to 'close read' an academic text.
How to use a secondary text as an introduction to key theoretical texts
Discuss how identity theories can inform Graphic Design practice.
Herbert Mead - psychologist
In a group we discussed - Stryker (1980)
- Role performances based on information in a given situation
- We adopt identities that compliment others in the current social scenario.
- Self objectification
- The process of learning what identity to adopt in a given social scenario
- Social commitment so if an identity is validated then commitment will increase.
- Social structures (expectations)
- Social structures can be rigid or fluid.
- Salience Hierarchy is the hierarchy of identities based on success and important to the individuals.
2. Summarise the key concepts and terminology of each theory (Stryker's and McCall/Simmons').
McCall and Simmons (1960)
- Self criticism - self review is more important than others.
- Idealised idea of self - ideal self
- Always some dissatisfaction as we hold high standards for ourselves.
- Over perform to begin with then adjustments are made in reaction to others approval/disapproval
- Places to much emphasis on self image
- Ideal image in line with plans and goals.
- Identify as a driving force of behaviour
- 'Exchange negotiations'
How can this relate to Graphic Design?
-Social structure can determine a target audience
- Taking part in crits can reaffirm if your'e doing your work correctly and your'e on the right path
- Helps define your target audience.
- Your design identity should reach out to who you want to design.
Task 3:
Id, Ego and Superego
[ by Saul McLeod email icon published 2008 ]
"Perhaps Freud's single most enduring and important idea was that the human psyche (personality) has more than one aspect. Freud (1923) saw the psyche structured into three parts (i.e. tripartite), the id, ego and superego, all developing at different stages in our lives."
During my experiences at uni and relating to my summer project, I had decided to visit the student councillor about enquiries about my memory, we also got into a conversation about stress and motivation, during this chat she went into great detail about Freud's Super ego complex and helped my understand this in context and relation to my life. I was handed a diagram of how super ego works, consisting of Parent - Adult and child states, which I now look at and understand.
'The super-ego can stop one from doing certain things that one's id may want to do.'
This relates to Freud's theories based around the human Psyche and the complex way in which the subconscious brain works.
Ego ideal consists of 3 stages in the brain, and relate to your adult life as you grow up and change.
Coincidence how the 'creative free child' spans off from the child/ID stage and that we are art students expressive creativity and also independence.
Freud's theory relates to both of a person's parents and how one of them usually takes the roll of controlling parent and also nurturing parent, usually the father takes the roll of controlling and mother nurturing but obviously if a person only has one parent, this parent must act as both.
This theory of ego ideal can definitely relate to a work place scenario and also the two theories proposed by Stryker and McCall/Simmons, in a work place environment, the parent roll would be that of your boss and commander, the adult role would be your own independence and the child would be part of your brain which is bored and distracted by the task at hand.
These theories basically relate to the standards of conformity and being a normal and well rounded member of public and doing things which people expect.
In all honesty, I consider my self to have less of a grasp of my own ego ideal and feel that the child sides takes over quite a lot and leads me to reckless and silly behaviour which entertains myself.
This could relate to the fact I didn't live with or see my dad (regularly) from a young age and how my mother acted as the nurturing parent but obviously my father who I see as a role model and also as controlling parent, never specifically first handedly guided me.
In a way though, I think the fact that my personality revolves more around the child stage rather than the adult one, this impacts my design work as I have a lot more freedom to express my self rather than being confound to margins and briefs, In effect, I feel I have a slightly greater capacity to think outside the box and not conform to standards.
Ego ideal Freud
The ego ideal (German: Ideal-Ich) is the inner image of oneself as one wants to become.[1] Alternatively, 'The Freudian notion of a perfect or ideal self housed in the superego',[2] consisting of 'the individual's conscious and unconscious images of what he would like to be, patterned after certain people whom...he regards as ideal'.
This theory massively relates to those of
Stryker and McCall/Simmons as they both talk about the strive for success part of Sheldon Striker's identity theory states that:
'Identity is based on the view of others'*
and also
'The more people that follow an identity the stronger it becomes - stronger in numbers'*
(Those are a sample of my notes which relate to the theories, worded in my own words (*Not a direct quote))
These two quotes by Sheldon Striker relate to Freud's theory of Ego ideal, the entire pieces of academic text relate to this directly.
These are all subjects which I am very interested in, but I definitely show more interest in the psychological sides rather than the sociological writings.
Sigmund Freud's idea of a perfect ideal consists of the individuals conscious and not so conscious image of what they would like to be. This is seen as the perfect ideal in Freud's opinion.
In Freud's "On Narcissism: an Introduction" (1914), among other innovations - 'most important of all perhaps - it introduces the concepts of the "ego ideal" and of the self-observing agency related to it, which were the basis of what was ultimately to be decribed as the "super-ego" in The Ego and the Id (1923b)'. Freud considered that the ego ideal was the heir to the narcissism of childhood: the 'ideal ego is now the target of the self-love which was enjoyed in childhood by the actual ego...is the substitute for the lost narcissism of his childhood'.
"an image of the perfect self towards which the ego should aspire."
The Mirror Stage
The mirror stage is when infants recognise themselves literally in the mirror this can occur at different times for infants but usually from 6 months old its only at the age of 15 to 18 months that infants an distinguish themselves from other infants in mirrors.
Lancan takes the mirror stage further and refers to the mental development of a child. In Lancan's forth seminar he states that "the mirror stage is far from a mere phenomenon which occurs in the development of the child. It illustrates the conflictual nature of the dual relationship".
This relates to the comparison between ego and body. Ego being when the child identifies with his own image. However at such a young age a young baby doesn't have control over their body and lacks coordination, despite this Lacan predicted that the infant can still recognise itself in the mirror before gaining control over their body.
This leaves the infant feeling a fragmented body and this is what can form its ego and aggression.
Desire (FREUD / LACAN)
“Man’s desire is the desire of the Other”?
Desire as a theory by Lacan is simply a desire for recognition from others. Secondly what others desire or what others lack. So our desire is always pushing for recognition and to be recognised.
So the more people who follow an identity the more it becomes stronger as an identity.
'Identity is based on the views of others'
Lacan sums this up in saying: “The object of man’s desire, and we are not the first to say this, is essentially an object desired by someone else. One object can become equivalent to another, owing to the effect producted by this intermediary, in making it possible for objects to be exchanged and compared. This process tends to diminish the special significance of any one particular object, but at the same time it brings into view the existence of objects without number” (Lacan, ‘Some Reflections on the Ego’, International Journal of Psycho-Analysis, 34, 11-17; reproduced in Furman and Levy (eds), Influential Papers from the 1950s, Karnac, 2003, p.295 – 296).
