Identity Self-Identity or Self-Concept Is a Multidimensional

Identity

Self-identity or self-concept is a multidimensional personal construct that refers to one's individual perception of themselves in relation to a number of different characteristics or situations such as gender role, sexuality, racial identity, and so forth (Shavelson et al. 1976). Social-identity is the portion of the individual self-identity that has to do with perceived membership in a personally-relevant social group or social-identity can refer to the collective identity of the group (Turner and Oakes 1986).

Personal possessions have always been used by anthropogists to help to understand the personal and social identities of people living in different cultures, present and past; however, in the postmodern era, the notion of separate social identities is somewhat marred by the ability of consumers to connect with other cultures and possess items of a cross-cultural nature (Solomon 1983). Self-identity is something that people in the postmodern era create at least partially through their consumption and ownership of material goods (Solomon 1983). The search for self-identity is one of the main goals driving post modern consumption of goods and the consumer's self-identity can be understood via their possessions.

People exercise their own free will to form images of who they want to be and this sense of autonomy is directed at acquiring possessions. The postmodern notion of the self is a symbolic notion which the person constructs out of symbolic materials and weaves together into who they are (Thompson 1990). Thus, consumption of material goods can be seen as a method of expressing self -- identity. This creation of the self-identity allows the person to distinguish themselves from society but at the same time to connect them with society. Of course this expression depends on how a person defines themselves.

The notion of how people define themselves was suggested by Markus and Nurius (1986) as "possible selves" and by studying material goods one can get an idea of how individuals view themselves and collectively how individuals view their "social selves." The nature of social and self-identities can be quite complex and by study material possessions one can get a sense of the values, desires, and definitions of both individuals and groups of individuals. The consumer possesses various actual selves (or roles) and a variety of possible or ideal selves expressed through consumption.

This is not just a notion of postmodern consumption, as far back as the late 1800s psychologist William James suggested that a person will become whatever they can call their own (James 1890). The self is composed of ideals, talents, opinions, dreams etc. And one social identity is the portion of these. These aspects of one's self are symbolically represented in one's possessions. Because social identities are embedded in self-identities by it is often necessary to look at and compare material possessions between different social stratification must in order to understand different social identities that occur in a society. However, anthropologists have been able to hypothesize regarding both individual and group senses of self in this manner for quite some time (Thompson 1990).

2. Gender role refers to societal and individual expectations of the functions and duties of a particular gender. Sexual orientation refers to a person's private feelings of sexual attraction towards others and gender identity refers to a person's private sense of what particular gender they are (Money 1985). The three concepts can be totally in opposition or can be harmonious. Gender identity is initially nurtured and supported by cultural mechanisms.

For example, a person born as a biological male or female is immediately assumed to harbor and identification with their own phenotype (Money 1985). Because of this, an individual is treated as being of a certain gender (e.g., males are treated as if they believe they are males and vice versa). This gender binary limits the cultural expectations of males and females and interacts with cultural notions of gender roles to influence the child as to their own gender role and gender identity (Gagne and Tewksbury 1998). The gender identity begins is formed around the third year of life before the child believes that their gender is permanent (Money 1985). Gender identity is formed as children search for approval and social cues as to how to act although gender identity can be fluid when children are young cultural pressures discourage such fluidity and encourage binary gender identities and children. The development of gender identity begins early as parents choose sex-specific names, clothing and toys, and even plans for the baby once gender is known. The development of gender identity reaches a critical point in childhood due to such cultural influences (Money 1985).

Through culture children learn to understand the concept of gender, learned gender expectations for roles and attitudes toward the opposite gender, form their own gender identity, and identify with parental notions of gender identity and gender role of (Spack et al. 2012). Gender roles are defined by culture and play a large part in the gender identity of the child.