casual conversation
Last year while at the park, I heard a guy talking in a language that I thought was quite intriguing with an exotic accent. After the guy got off the phone, I casually inquired what language he was speaking, and he told me Xhosa. We got into a casual conversation and learned that we were studying in the same college and were interested in a lot of similar activities in school. As a result, we became acquittances; thus, we said hi when meeting on campus and occasionally met for drinks.
I found Sam, the chosen reference name in the assignment, to be the best candidate for the study as he is from a different part of the world thus has experienced different factors that have developed his personality. Moreover, from the interactions we have had, he seemed open and jovial therefore, I figured he would share more information about himself.
Interviewing Sam was a pleasant experience as he was talkative and shared a lot about his background and aspects that have been crucial in building his identity. Moreover, the interview process was easy as he was willing to give additional information whenever I asked him. I am confident in the information offered by Sam as it tallied with some of the data I had researched about the community, and he showed several photographs that backed up some of the experiences that he described in the research.
My informant was very specific on not relying or asking stereotypical questions about the community he came from. He wanted me to ask questions that allowed him to express his identity and social factors that contributed to the development. As a result, I strived to make him comfortable by asking open-ended questions and made the interview conversational, thus allowing us to bond and share the differences in our cultures.
I was open to Sam about the purpose of the interview. I explained that the interview was for a course assignment and was not to be used maliciously. Sam was willing to share the data as he saw it as an opportunity to help me develop the best final paper. By the end of the interview, he expressed that he was honored to help me with the assignment. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
Informant 2
The second informant who I will refer to as Kevin has been a good friend since middle school. We grew up in a similar society, and it was a pleasure to finally end up in the same college. As a result, we continued to be friends and close as we navigated in the world of college and adult responsibility.
Despite being friends for a long time, Kevin has always been different from me in terms of social interaction, creating bonds and activities that he draws fun. As a result, I thought he would be a good candidate for the assignment as he would be free with me and express some of the things that I did not know about him.
It was interesting to interview Kevin as he is talkative and open with me. Moreover, the interview was more of a conversation; thus it was not difficult to understand the different things he explained. As a friend, I was able to identify to vouch for the ethos of the informant as some of the experiences he explained we had experienced together. Similarly, I have always known Kevin as honest and truthful with was expressed in his body language during the interview.
I made Kevin comfortable in sharing his information with me by reminding him of some of the shared experiences growing up. At first, he was nervous, which melted when I reminded him that we are friends first. Moreover, I made him feel comfortable by avoiding intrusive questions that I knew would make him feel uncomfortable.
Before setting up the interview, I explained to the informant the type of research and the use of the information collected. I made sure to attach a copy of the prompt in the email sent to him to prove what the data collected was for and how it contributed to my course. As a friend, he was willing to participate, citing it as ‘a small favor for an old friend.’
Description of the informants
The first question in the research was to understand the understanding of the interview about identity. Sam described identity as who he was based on his experiences and culture. He added that identity for him is a concept that changes progressively base on his environment and interactions. On the other hand, Kevin defined self-identity as the internal values of a person that make them unique and different from the rest of society. Their definitions of identity were somewhat similar, but the definition of the factors leading to the formation was different.
For Kevin, he believed that his self-identity is inborn. He explained that he has been confident and adventurous since he could remember. He mentioned that his parents would always get mad at him for trying different concepts that he learned or read in a variety of books. Moreover, he explained that his world view was based on the issues that he believed to be right within him rather than the society around him. He reminded me of the time in school where a new student was isolated by everyone, and he found him intriguing; thus, they became friends. He described himself as being different and embracing this indifference from the people he knew. Moreover, the informant expressed that the family status had played a part in the development of his identity. He illustrated that his family was on the higher side of a middle-class family. As a result, the parents were often working and spend less time with him, thus forcing him to develop the ability to make his own decisions. In the same way, he became social as he strived to see the good in people and form a stronger social bond. Nonetheless, Kevin highlighted not having any gender role beliefs or expectations as he had grown up in a household where both parents worked and, at times, was expected to take on all kinds of roles.
On the other side, Sam expressed his self-identify as being influenced by the culture and the society in which he grew up. He expressed the community he grew up as being communal in terms of sharing meals, basic needs, and interacting. As a child, he did not remember having any values or beliefs about the world and himself. However, the structure of the society started impacting him with certain aspects as they were viewed as acceptable. He explained that his ideals of how a man should be, what he should do, and the social responsibility were based on the information he received from the people around him. He gave an example that being from a patriarchal community, he believes that a man should go above and beyond to care for his family. In the same way, he expressed his self-esteem was illustrated as being high based on the social achievements and responsibilities he carried from a tender age. Moreover, Sam highlighted his experiences as being instrumental in the development of self-identity. He mentioned that traveling and meeting new people has shaped his understanding of self as he has discovered interests in sports and other physical activities.
On the question of any dangers of the identity formed, Kevin and Sam had different experiences. Sam highlighted that his identity as a social person, caregiver, and provider had created an idea of being dependable; therefore, he was often exploited by friends. Similarly, he made a joke about being branded as a sexist and patriarchal man, especially in the US. On the other hand, Kevin explained that his character had led to having too many friends and acquaintances. He explained it made it difficult to understand his true friends and the people that he had crossed paths with as he felt the pressure to be there for many people. However, e did not regret having the identity and character as it made him joyful and often allowed him to meet new people and learned from different people.
Analysis
The culture is expressed as a major part of the development of identity. Cultural beliefs and practices influenced the understanding of self and perception of the world. In research conducted on 227 teenagers in Canada on the development of personal identity, the authors conclude that “Our conceptualization of EI status emphasizes identification with indigenous and mainstream cultures. This involves an expectation leading to commitment rather than exploration” (Gfellner and Armstrong 231). The EI, which signifies the ethnic identity, is linked to the development of the identity of commitment rather than exploration. For Sam, the development of identity was influenced directly by the concepts that were defined and acceptable in the community he grew up in. On the other hand, the less definitive culture in Kevin’s childhood encouraged exploration rather than the aspect of commitment.
Similarly, the concept of social experiences shaped the identity of a person. The social expectations and way of doing things influenced the self-identity formed over time. As the author of The Production of Realities explains, “primary socialization creates in the child’s consciousness a progressive abstraction from the roles and attitude of specific others to roles and attitudes in general” (O’Brien 190). That is the socialization with others in society aid in the building of the attitude and perception of others. In a study published in 2016 based on the study of 173 Finnish girls and 196 boys up to the age of 50, the authors explain that “the overall identity was determined for the majority of participants by a dominant status” (Fadjukoff et al. 17). In that, the dominant status established in a society tends to influence the identity formed by a person. This was evident in the identity formation process of Sam. The social structures and obligations influenced his understanding of self. Coming from a collectiveness-based society, he was drawn to helping and being there for others in the community.
Nonetheless, personal experiences were critical in the advancement of a person’s identity. Based on the theoretical study on youth identity development, the author explains that “individual adolescents will present a preference to explore personal identity development through discovery or creation” (Arnold 11). The discovery process is viewed as contributing to the self-identity of both Sam and Kevin. They both highlighted being influenced by the issues they experienced in the daily interactions with other members of society. The informants mentioned the interactions with others as defining the attitude and interest. For instance, Sam has become interested in sports based on self-discovery. Similarly, Kevin has learned his perception of others and the world through discovery and interaction with others in society.
Conclusion
Based on the study, it is evident that the creation of identity is influenced by the sociological aspects, both directly and indirectly. The interaction with family and members of society influence the perception of the world as one tends to be individualistic or communal. The culture, social interaction, and person discoveries allow the ideals of a person to be enhanced. Nonetheless, identity formation and perception can be problematic, and people can use the self-identity in the creation of perception and assumption about a person. The interviews with Kevin and Sam were impressive as they offered information about the perception of self and the development process based on social factors.