Sociology 3321F/G Chapter Notes - Chapter 6: Late Modernity, Impression Management, Inflectional Phrase
30 Apr 2018
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Chapter 6- Identity Capital: Strategic Adaptions to Late-Modern Societies:
• Identity capital model (ICM)- study ways people strategically manage various elements
ego, personal and social idents
• Strat management dev, managing and executing “portfolio” resources suitable various
institutional contexts in given society
• Basic premise ICM certain context-specific resources part important in societies many
roles and statuses no longer strictly ascribed and little norm structure to replace ascriptive
processes
• ICM integrated and interdisciplinary social-psych framework based on:
o Symbolic interactionist models ident management techniques in presentation self-
people meaning seeking, prob solving and goal oriented= use adapt env practical
ways overcome obstacles and take adv opp
o Soc conceptions late-modernity- trad norm structures diminished requiring
individualize idents in face certain risks and opp
o Dev psych approaches ident formation (esp Erikson)- people seek resolve
conflicts in growth-prod ways meaningful make through periods life ass w
specific role-based societal demands
Origins of the identity capital model:
• ICM owes origins part Cote lived experiences moving among various cults contexts and
through certain social struct barriers, esp exp moving working class (factory worker) to
middle class (prof academic)
• Learning and exhibiting new forms cult capital requires certain cog and impression
management skills, including ego-synthetic and ego-executive skills Erickson argued imp
basis agency
• Cult capital can be considered part of ident capital when combined w other forms capital
(resources) negotiate passage through various “identity markers”
• Integrated Paradigm of Student Dev- own personal efforts can help transcend/ overcome
struct barriers through specific forms of active edu involvements
• Unis can be open enough in certain respects some people overcome barriers ass w social
class and other forms disadv by adapting dev efforts to compatible contexts
• Parental edu level, not income, strongest predictor of uni attendance and sig increase uni
attendance among first-gen uni students
• Contem uni setting in many countries still constitutes “middle-class exp”- most students
have parents occupations range lower-middle class service occ through upper-middle
class prof ones and most professors have middle-class/ higher backgrounds
• Social class difs min uni context, thereby constraining infl struct factors, study uni
students allows better examine individ variations in influence psych factors like agency
• Edu-status competitions among social classes largely undertaken primary and secondary
levels, even in societies where class barriers not obvious, middle-class students in effect
in comp w each other at uni level, imp examine other variables relv intra-class comp
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• Bring issues dis/advantage more pragmatic level where concern for ultimate welfare of
all individ students, not categories students def by background- helpful parents advise, as
well as academics who asked by young people facing uni-work transition what is best for
them to do
• More specific and definite than offering critique late-modern edu systems/ pointing out
complexities of structure-agency debate
• After learning what gives dif types people currently involved in status-comp context edu-
to-work transitions adv/ disadvantages, position recommend works/ doesn’t
• Status comp not nec zero-sum game- exception aiming gain specific occupations (high
comp)- intention understand how people can best mobilize own personal resources so
find most suitable person-context fits
• Most cases not high-status prof occ even if parents hold some sort prof status- better
taking selves out of status comps b/c beset-fit occ may be elsewhere (trades, fine arts/
crafts)
• ICM doesn’t advocate people mindlessly pursue materialistic goals/ fit themselves into
careers alienating and/or exploitive
Fundamental assumptions of identity capital:
• Result global economic and political changes- most recently neolib capitalist ones- have
eroded trad normative and comm structures, life course late-modern (contemp Western)
societies has become more individualized
• Individualized life courses can involve lifestyles and values based on personal prefs and
choices- compels people dev themselves self-det, indep “individs” esp terms negotiating
own life courses (setting and achieving goals)
• Default individualization- go w flow to developmental individualization- proactive and
strategic approaches personal growth and life project, can lead finding well-suited niche
in adult comm
• Understand range agentic pots and variations how active people can be in taking adv pot
bens “open” dev contexts facilitate agentic penetration of structures, such as unis
• Explicitly take into account agency= more nuanced view struct barriers than those emph
structure w/o taking into account either capacity agency/ person-context interactions
occur in those structures
• Contexts can vary by institutional ethos, teaching philosophy etc and within each setting
can be variety opp self-exploration and self-dev
• Regardless social class origin/ prior ability level, growth can take place if individ finds an
edu setting well suited characteristics
• ICM recog although requirement individualize idents clearly presents pot bens, also pot
risks- more freedom from trad norm constraints (sexual orientation) little help overcome
obstacles ass w social class and other older struct barriers
• Individualization involves freedoms from norm constraints and some idents were in past
ascribed/ stig, not freedoms to pursue activities indep systemic barriers such as social
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Chapter 6- identity capital: strategic adaptions to late-modern societies: Icm doesn"t advocate people mindlessly pursue materialistic goals/ fit themselves into careers alienating and/or exploitive. Fundamental assumptions of identity capital: result global economic and political changes- most recently neolib capitalist ones- have eroded trad normative and comm structures, life course late-modern (contemp western) societies has become more individualized. Icm recog although requirement individualize idents clearly presents pot bens, also pot risks- more freedom from trad norm constraints (sexual orientation) little help overcome obstacles ass w social class and other older struct barriers. Erickson associated w ego-executive abilities, including impression management skills and social skills: can manipulate tangible resources project image approp certain contexts, using as passports into desired social, cult and institutional spheres. Internet minimizes importance how socialized, power thoughts and knowledge and how presented becomes more important than degrees and kind of care/ number clubs belong to.
