Blackwell Reference Online

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Erik Erikson, the “architect” of identity (Friedman, 1999), construed identity as the development of the self in response to the interpersonal and social world. Erikson's (1963) enduring insight is that identity is inherently social and that social life is inherently relational. Individual identities, therefore, no matter how idiosyncratic or unique they may appear, are invariably social, the product of the diverse and overlapping communal spheres in which individuals live their lives. In recent years, sociologists have increasingly recognized that identity is not one overarching categorical status of the individual but is plural: individuals are not defined solely by, for example, gender, sexuality, race, or social class but always embody multiple social identities. These intersecting identities evolve in response to and influence individuals' everyday practices and their long-term social opportunities and life chances. Notwithstanding the fact that in specific situations discrete aspects of an individual's multifaceted identity are given greater attention than others, individuals always encounter the world and live their lives embodying a mix of differentiated identities.To talk about identity then is not to talk about some static or essentialized status but to recognize that identity, while relatively coherent and providing individuals with a relatively ordered sociobiographical ... log in or subscribe to read full text