Definition of social identity and the difference between it and personal identity

Definition of personal identity

The concept of personal identity can be explained as the sense of self that a person develops with age.  This is not a fixed matter, but something that will always vary as the individual finds different directions in life.  However, when it comes to forming the main personal identity, the individual seeks to realize who he is, and for whom.  He belongs, what is his interest, and so on.

Each person has a form of personal identity, and accordingly, he has a way of seeing himself.  Some may see themselves as accomplished while others may see themselves as unsuccessful.  Experiences, context, and people who communicate together all play a prominent role in shaping personal identity.  However, it is necessary Highlighting what each person's concept of identity may not fit with the social concept of self, for example, a person may perceive themselves to be kind and helpful to others, but social perception can be very different from this expectation.  Personal identity deals with who an individual is and what distinguishes them from others.  others within the community.

Definition of social identity

It is considered the opposite of the concept of personal identity, where attention is paid to the differences between the individual and others.  Within the social identity, there is the formation of a collective approach.  Social identity can also be understood as our awareness of who we are and who others are, understanding their identity and mutual understanding.  This sheds light on the social identity is formed when the individual interacts with others and defines himself as a part of society.

Within the same society, it is possible that there will be people belonging to various religions, and there will be ethnic groupings, and there will also be classes, as well as sects, different races, and so on.  This happens by interacting with the social environment.

The roles and responsibilities that the individual takes within society are also prominent when realizing social identity.  Various groups of people have many social roles.  The social role of the mother differs from that of the manager.  These also relate to the formation of this social role.  This sheds light on the fundamental difference between personal and social identity.

The difference between social identity and personal identity

• Personal identity defines a unique sense of self and its relationship to the outside world.  Dictionaries interpret personal identity as the perceived recognition of oneself as having a unique identity.  Social identity is the story that society, i.e. others, tell about a person.  Personal identity is the story a person tells about himself.
• Identity also has two prominent features, namely continuity and variance, and continuity indicates that people can count on a person to become the same person tomorrow as he is today. It seems that people change, but many salient aspects of social identity remain relatively stable, such as gender, surname, language, and race.
• Personal identity also denotes the self-categories that show the individual being a unique person through individual differences among other people, which is belonging to the group.
• Just as everyone has a certain image of himself, beliefs about the type of person a person is, it seems that having a strong sense of identity is something that is desired, and it is something that gives comfort and security, so identity also helps in Making decisions and understanding how to deal, because everyone always faces difficult decisions and circumstances.
• Identity The qualities, beliefs, personality, appearance, or expressions that drive a person or self-identity as explained by psychology or drive group identity are considered an important priority in sociology.  Psychological identity relates to self-image, self-esteem, and individuality.
• Self-identity refers to the consistent and salient boundaries of an individual's self-image.  This refers to the extent to which moral changes are seen as part of a given person's identity, or whether people view themselves as "moral consumers".
• When attention is paid to knowing the difference between personal and social identity, the focus is on how they relate to the experiences, perceptions, and life of each person in general.  Both personal experiences and real-life events clarify and show the difference.

Components of personal identity

• Trust versus mistrust, which occurs in the stage of understanding the psychological and social abyss and appears from birth until the first year of life and is the basic stage of life, since the infant is completely dependent, the development of trust is based on the reliability and the quality of the first education that the person receives, and at this stage of development, the child is completely dependent on other adults for everything they need to survive including food, love, warmth, security, and care.  If these adults fail to provide adequate care and love, the child will feel that they cannot trust or depend on adults for his life.
• Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt It is the second stage of personal and social abyss development and takes place in early childhood and focuses on children who develop a heightened sense of personal control.
• Initiative vs. Guilt It comes in the third stage of psychosocial development and is during the preschool years. At that stage of the psychological and social abyss, children begin to assert their power and control over those around them by directing play and other social interactions.
• Identity versus confusion It is considered the psychological stage that occurs during the turbulent teenage years in many cases, and this stage plays a major role in developing a sense of personal identity that will continue to influence behavior and development throughout a person's life.  Adolescents may need to develop a sense of self and personal identity, and they may succeed in the ability to be true to oneself, while failure remains in role confusion and a poor sense of self.
• Young people also need to establish emotional relationships and connect with others.  Success leads to strong relationships, while failure causes feelings of loneliness and isolation.  Early puberty informs this stage when people discover personal relationships.

components of social identity

It is believed that individuals have many levels of identity that articulate their identity.  At the basic level, individuals identify themselves according to individual personality traits and interpersonal relationships.  This personal identity is said to be, by way of social classification.  Individuals also recognize themselves as members of social groups and take on social identity through membership.  This group, in particular, social identity includes those aspects of a person's self-meaning that are based on their perceived membership in social groups.

Individuals naturally categorize their social environment into those in their group and those in outgroups.  Easy categorization is sufficient to evoke nepotism and discrimination outside the community.  This implies that individuals only need to understand that an outgroup, in the sense that those who do not share group membership with them, are available for them to participate in.  Intergroup competition with those who perceive themselves to be part of their outgroup.

Individuals merge with classification because it contributes to the simplification of the social environment, so individuals will classify people according to the extent of their similarity and differences with each other, also individuals will highlight these perceived differences in a stereotypical way, and see that people are more similar to them or more different from them than they are in reality.