Social Psychology of WorkLecture 7

Work Identity

Learning Objectives

• What is social identity?• Why is it significant• Why is it relevant to work?

References

• Erikson, E, Identity Youth and Crisis

Identity (& Identity Crisis)

• Is a– Social Role– Conscious Self Image– Image given to others

Identity

• It is a process at the core of the individual• simultaneous observation and reflection• a process that takes place at all levels of

mental functioning• by which the individual judges himself,

herself• in the light of what he/she perceives to be

the way others judge him/her in comparison to themselves

Freud – Defence Mechanisms

• Projection• Repression• Denial• Displacement• Rationalisation

These tie into both identity and anxiety

Critique of Freud

• All psychic phenomena have their roots in physiological process

• Viewed the person as a dynamic physiological system

• Humans moved by forces according to the physical principles of energy conservation

• Ie the person is isolated, physiologically driven, seeking satisfaction of inner drives

• Therefore the concept of ego is weak at the service of three masters – id, superego and reality

Erikson and Idenity

• Freud’s view of identity looks too much at the individual and not enough at their context

• Group identity is part of individual identity

• Identities can be fragmented– Body– Social– Occupational etc.

Genesis of Identity

• Human Growth – resolve inner and outer conflict

• Life presents challenges (identity crises)– Can emerge with an increased sense of identity

unity• How you face these challenges is dependent

on your development

Erikson’s Stages of DevelopmentAge Psychosocial Crisis Existential Question

0-2 Trust v Mistrust Do I trust the world?

2-4 Autonomy v Doubt Is it OK to be me?

4-5 Initiative v Guilt Is it OK to do, move and act?

5-12 Industry v Inferiority Can I be successful?

12-19 Identity v Role Confusion Who am I? Who can I be?

19-39 Intimacy v Isolation Can I love?

40-64 Generativity v Stagnation Can I make my life count?

65-death Integrity v Despair Is it OK to have been me?

Stages of Development

• Early Childhood– I am what I imagine I will be

• School Age– I am what I do

• Adolescence is more complicated

Adolescence

• Youth is a period where people try and find their role in society

• It is a period of many crises (think in terms of turning points) where identity is either rejected or affirmed

• After rejection – change• After affirmation - development

Adolescence

• Search for ideals and ideal self

• Refer to both peers and adults

• “to be inspired by worthwhile ways of life”

Adolescence and Work

• Work is a big part of identity (discussed on Thursday)

• Adolescence is a period where we decide on what work to pursue

• This has diminished over time as work has become more unstable

Identity Formation

• It’s a process that is always changing• awareness of significant others’

perceptions • can’t separate personal growth from

communal change

Identity as a Dynamic Process

• Identity is never established, its an achievement

• German term Umwelt– denotes an environment which surrounds you but is

also within you

• It is a combination of how you perceive yourself in the world, how that impacts how the world perceives you, which shapes how you perceive the world etc.

Identity in Society

• can’t separate the identity crisis (crucial turning point where development must go one way or the other) in the individual from the contemporary crisis in historical development

• For Eriksen – “The Bomb and The Pill”– “ideology is a product of the machine age”

Identity

• Identity as the ‘real me’ – Active tension in what it is

• Complicated because– People are dynamic – identity always unmade and

remade (internal)– People find themselves in different circumstances

(external)– These play off each other.

Identity Crisis

• Concept as used by Erikson

• Implication of impending catastrophe is not correct

• Can be a positive or negative event – one which causes a challenge to their current identity

Healthy Identity

• Mastered One’s Environment

• Unity of Personality

• Perceive Self Correctly

• Perceive the World Correctly