Distinguishing Personal Identity from Social Identity

In order to discuss the differences between personal identity and social identity, it is important to first understand the concept of identity. In most social sciences, identity is seen as the sense of self that an individual develops from childhood onwards, which helps the individual to differentiate themselves from others in society. In other words, identity refers to who we are. When discussing identity, one can refer to either personal identity or social identity. The main difference between the two is that personal identity focuses on the individual and distinguishes them from others in society, while social identity identifies them as a member of society. This article aims to further explore this distinction.

Key Takeaways

• Personal identity is the sense of self that an individual develops as they grow older, focusing on the individual and distinguishing them from others in society.
• Social identity is our understanding of who we are and who other people are, as well as how other people understand themselves and others, identifying individuals as members of society.
• While personal identity is created through differences in characteristics when comparing with others, social identity is created through similarities with others.

What is Personal Identity?

Personal identity can simply be understood as the sense of self that an individual develops as they grow older. This is not something that is static but something that is ever-changing as the individual experiences new dimensions in life. However, when it comes to basic personal identity creation, the individual tries to comprehend who they are, where they belong, what is important to them, etc.

Every person has a form of the identity of themselves. Based on this, they have a way of seeing themselves. Some may see themselves as achievers while others may see themselves as failures. The experiences, the context, the people we associate with all play a huge role in the formation of personal identity. However, it is vital to highlight that our conception of identity may not be aligned with the social conception of self. For example, we might believe that we are good-natured and helpful to others, but the social perception can be completely different from this. Personal identity deals with who we are as an individual and what distinguishes us from others in society. Now let us move on to social identity.

What is Social Identity?

Unlike in the case of personal identity where attention is paid to the differences of the individual from others, in social identity, a collective approach is established. According to Richard Jenkins, social identity can be understood as our understanding of who we are and who other people are and reciprocally other people’s understanding of themselves and others. This highlights that social identity is created as the individual interacts with others and identifies themselves as part of society.

In a single society, there can be people belonging to different religions, ethnic groups, classes, castes, genders, etc. Through the creation of social identity, the individual learns the differences that they see in others and also the similarities with others. This takes place through interaction in the social setting.

The roles and responsibilities that an individual has in society are also important when understanding social identity. Different groups of people have different social roles. The social role of a mother is different from that of a principal. These are also connected to the establishment of our social role. This highlights a key difference between personal and social identity, which can be summarized as follows.

What is the Difference Between Personal Identity and Social Identity?

Definitions of Personal Identity and Social Identity:
Personal Identity: Personal identity can simply be understood as the sense of self that an individual develops as they grow older.
Social Identity: Social identity can be understood as our understanding of who we are and who other people are and reciprocally other people’s understanding of themselves and others.

Characteristics of Personal Identity and Social Identity:
Emphasis:
Personal Identity: The emphasis is on the individual.
Social Identity: The emphasis is on the commonalities of members in society.

Key Feature:
Personal Identity: Personal identity is created through differences in characteristics when comparing with others.
Social Identity: Social identity is created through similarities with others.