Developing Identity' Sex role identity' Identity and adolescence

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Developing Identity. Sex role identity. Identity
and adolescence

• 07. 03. 2008.
• Nóra Domján

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Identities

• People do not have only one identity
• Self-concepts with many aspects
• It is determined by group memberships, social
  roles
• Innate biology and social experiences interact
• The sense of identity begins to develop early in
  life, it changes through the whole lifespan
  (children use external attributes, adolescents
  rather inner characteristics)

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Sex role identity

• First children learn if they are girls or boys,
  so sex identity is the first to develop (at the
  age of 3)
• It is the most pervasive, almost in every
  stiuation there are different expectations
  towards men or women
• Men should be assertive and logical (rationality)
• Women should be expressive and warm (sociabilty)

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Developement of sex identity

• The first step is that children can tell to what
  gender they belong
• They learn later that this is not changing
• By the age of 3 they are able to discriminate
  between different classes of toys (boys tools,
  weapons girls dolls, dishes)
• By the age of 5 they can tell which professions
  are dominated by men or women

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What are real sex differences?

• Hormones affect the build up of body and brain
  and this determines functioning and capacities
  (biological viewpoint)
• Sex differences can have evolutional background
• Social learning and expectations play important
  role in acquiring sex roles (environmental
  viewpoint)
• The differences between the two genders are
  dimensional (psychological androgyny)

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Men Women

• Rearing children, doing the housework
• Usage of the left cerebral hemisphere (verbal)

• Hunting, working, earning money
• Use the right cerebral hemisphere (spatial)

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Valuation of sex roles

• In Western cultures male roles and attributes are
  more highly valued than female ones
• People attribute different reasons for identical
  performances by males or females
  (external/internal)
• Women are thought to be more prone to mental
  illnesses (they are powerless, very emotional)

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The importance of adolescence

• Increasing independence from the family, peers
  and the world becomes more important
• Parents values are reconsidered
• Physical changes (sexual interest appears)
• Self definition is needed

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Erikson's Eight Stages of Development
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5.  Learning Identity Versus Identity Diffusion
(Fidelity)

• During the fifth psychosocial crysis almost
  everyone experiences identity diffusion
  (experimenting, rebellion, doubts)
• The young person acquires self-certainty as
  opposed to self-consciousness and self-doubt
• Adolescents learn how to achieve
• Clear sexual identity - manhood or womanhood - is
  established
• They choose the most suitable role and ideals for
  them (at the end of the moratorium)

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Career

• Usually the choosen job defines the personality
  (first question when talking to a stranger)
• A good job contributes to mental health
• Family and peer group influence the choice
• Informations about the self, the job
• Models
• Facilitators of decision-making

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Self-esteem

• Self-esteem develops from the evaluation of our
  identities
• Through our social environment we learn to attach
  values to specific characteristics (cultural
  differences e.g. beauty)
• Low self-esteem can lead to medical,
  psychiatrical problems

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Stigma

• The negative site of stereotypes
• Groups are stigmated because unusal appearance or
  behaviour (e.g. mentally ill people, subcultures)
• Causes avoidance and social distance
• Stigma can be felt or enacted
• People expect negative reactions
• They are treated different really

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Distress caused by stigmatisation

• Stigmated people feel shame, anxiety, lack of
  confidence and depression
• This leads to social restriction
• With proper coping mechanisms these can be
  overwhelmed, social support is important too
• Without good coping serious mental illnesses can
  develop

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Mental illnesses connected to low self-esteem

• Depression
• Anxiety disorders
• Eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia
  nervosa)
• Misperceptions of body image
• Anxiety about lack of control over eating
• AN self-induced weight loss
• BN gross overeating and purging

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Improving self-esteem

• In the case of phisycal distortions plastic
  surgery can help
• Assertiveness trainings
• Emphasis on acceptance of responsibility for
  choises and behaviour
• Acknowledge needs and make requests openly and
  directly