Essay about Identity Theory - 1490 Words

In my opinion, mental states are not behavioural dispositions, as originally described by behaviourists. Behaviourism was primarily devised to address the flaws of Substance Dualism and present a solution to the mind-body problem. Since then, many other philosophical ideas have provided alternative solutions to the mind-body problem, as well as exposing weaknesses in behaviourism. Behaviourism states that behavioural dispositions are tendencies to react with a certain kind of stimuli. For example, if a person is confronted by a tiger, that person would be disposed to; run away, shout for help and assert ‘there is a tiger.’ This is what is known as a mental state, a stimulus and the relevant dispositions. This theory seems relatively sound†¦show more content†¦A criminal telling a lie may feign confusion, apathy and indifference, hoping to convince people that he is unaware of something. Another argument against behaviourism refers to the stimulus response exper iment of ‘Pavlov’s dog.’ The experiment showed that behavioural dispositions could be provoked by conditioning. A bell would be rung, signifying the arrival of food to the dog, whether there was any food or not. The dog would show all the relevant dispositions of hunger salivating etc. However this does not mean the dog was pressed into a mental state of hunger as a result of the conditioning. Simply put behavioural dispositions do not directly correspond with a mental state. Another flaw can be seen in the ‘Behaviour unnecessary’ argument. It suggests that certain mental states aren’t necessarily tied to behavioural dispositions. As an example, a person may have an unpleasant experience such as pain from a broken bone. They would still feel the sensation of pain no matter what they were disposed to feel. The feeling of pain is still present regardless of how you choose to react to it. An additional fault in the behaviourist argument is eviden t when applied to another group of Philosophers. The argument falls apart if the person experiencing the stimulus is a stoic. Stoicism is typically associated with the removal of emotion from one’s life. However ‘super stoics’ have complete control over their behavioural dispositions as well asShow MoreRelatedIdentity Theory And Social Identity1228 Words   |  5 PagesIdentity theory traces its root in the writing of G.H Mead, the American philosopher, sociologist and psychologist who says that the image or the feeling that a person creates for him or herself in a particular society is the result of other’s vision, which is created daily and is subjected to change. Richard Jinkens, the sociologist describes that social identity means who we are and who the others are and on the other hand what the other thinks about themselves and others. Further, Mead elaboratesRead MoreSocial And Social Identity Theory1860 Words   |  8 PagesTurner, the Social Ide ntity Theory (SIT) can be described as the comparison between the individual self and the social self. More specifically, it is the individual’s perception that is derived from their membership of a social group (ingroups and outgroups) or personal identities. The theory is divided into three different psychological mechanisms: social categorization, social comparison, and the tendency for people to use the group membership as a source to gain self-esteem. A theory is defined asRead MoreSocial Identity Theory861 Words   |  3 PagesSocial identity theory, it is a person’s sense that is based around the group they are in, either by their personal identity or with different kinds of social identities. That is, people will try to improve their own image of themselves. The theory was proposed by Henri Tajfel. People can increase their self-esteem by both their own achievement and interaction with a successful group of people. This shows the importance of social belonging . This theory is based around three mental processes, socialRead MoreOutline Of Social Identity Theory1278 Words   |  6 PagesOutline social identity theory and with reference to recent research critically evaluate the strategies individuals or groups might use to achieve a positive social identity. Social Identity Theory (SIT) is a relational term, defining who we are as a function of our similarities and differences with others. It is shared with others and provides a basis for shared social action and the meanings associated with any social identity are products of our collective history and present. Therefore SocialRead MoreIdentity Development Theory And Eriksons Theory Of Adolescence Development743 Words   |  3 PagesThe chart above denotes the major theories of adolescence development; however in this study we limit ourselves to Erik Erikson’s identity development theory. For Erikson (1950) adolescence is a period during which individuals seek to avoid dangers of role diffusion and identity confusion by establishing a sense of personal identity. Individuals have to find answers for two major questions â€Å"who am I?† and â€Å"what is my place in society?† Identity is a â€Å"conscious sense of individual uniqueness† andRead MoreAssignment On Social Identity Theory Essay1158 Words   |  5 Pages TATA INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES MUMBAI GROUP WORK ASSIGNMENT ON SOCIAL IDENTITY THEORY Submitted to: Professor Vijay Raman Enrollment No.: M2015CF026 SOCIAL IDENTITY THEORY The Social Identity Theory was developed by Tajfel and Turner in 1979. The theory was originally developed to understand the psychological basis of intergroup discrimination. Tajfel in 1971 attempted to identify the  minimal  conditions that would lead members of one group to discriminate in favour of the in groupRead MoreSocial Identity Theory And Theories Surrounding Intergroup Relations2244 Words   |  9 Pageson ideas presented from Social Identity Theory and theories surrounding intergroup relations. The main ideas from the theories being that people conform with others beliefs, usually following the opinions of the group to which they belong. Social Identity Theory, written by Tajfel and Turner in 1986 considers how people think and act towards a social group, and this is believed to mainly recognise social cognitive theories to be the main grounding for the theory. Turner in 1982 suggested a groupRead MoreNotes On Social Identity Theory1191 Words   |  5 PagesContextualizing BIRG: Social Identity Theory SIT (Tajfel et al., 1971; Tajfel Turner, 1979) has been explained briefly in the Introduction, which provided an overview on the nature of its construction (Galang et al., 2015) and its implications on ingroup inclusion, intergroup behavior, and self-esteem (Brewer Yuki, 2007). This theory is further discussed here, particularly its conception of group identification and esteem, to give context to BIRG and the framework of analysis that will be usedRead MoreAdolescent Identity Formation By Erik Erikson s Psychosocial Theory Of Identity Development2352 Words   |  10 PagesCarter, Lauren Professor Christan Amundsen Psych 2314 12, April 2015 Adolescent Identity Formation Adolescence is defined as the developmental stage between childhood and adulthood typically beginning at age twelve and ending at age twenty. This stage for most adolescents is a complex time in which physical, cognitive and social development is at its peak. The balance between life as a child and the quest to transition into the independence of young adulthood presents many challenges within theRead MoreCritically Evaluate Social Identity Theory2060 Words   |  9 PagesCritically evaluate Social Identity Theory. Who are you? Who am I? These are questions that we all ponder at some point or another in our lives. As human beings we are seemingly inundated with the desire to classify and categorise. We are constantly defining and analysing the differences that we observe in the world, it seems only natural that we would apply this method of classification to our position within our society. More specifically, we want to understand our social identities and this can be achieved