User:C mena15/sandbox

My selected article is on "Master Status." I think the content on the page is very accurate and clearly explains what master status is but doesn't really go in depth. In the article it explains that master status is the social position in which one identifies themselves as. Gives great examples such as: race, employment status, religion. age. economics, etc. What I plan to do is expand on a few of the examples and talk about what drives people to identify themselves in such a way. To give a few examples I found a few articles and books on LGBT identity profile, gang membership, men in promise keepers movement (christian organization), social position of women and children, and identification with race, gender and disability. I have a ton of reading to do but my goal is to expand this article and create sections for each one of these categories to further explain what a master status can be. What is on the page right now is just a brief overview.

Bibliography:

-       Miethe, Terance D.; McCorkle, Richard C. "Gang Membership and Criminal Processing: A Test of the Master Status Concept." Justice Quarterly 14.3 (1997): 407-428.

-        Armato, M., & Marsiglio, W. (2002). Self-structure, identity, and commitment: Promise keepers' godly man project. Symbolic Interaction, 25(1), 41-65. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.fiu.edu/10.1525/si.2002.25.1.41

-       Mylne, Margaret. Woman, and Her Social Position. Place of publication not identified: publisher not identified, 1872. Print.

-       “It&Apos;s All About Me,” director. Films Media Group, 2013, http://fod.infobase.com/portalplaylists.aspx?wid=107350&xtid=65001

-       Josselson, Ruthellen, and Michele Harway. Navigating Multiple Identities: Race, Gender, Culture, Nationality, and Roles. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012. Print.

-       Samuels, Ellen J. Fantasies of Identification: Disability, Gender, Race. , 2014. Print.

-       Taylor, Gary, and Steve Spencer. Social Identities: Multidisciplinary Approaches. London: Routledge, 2004. Print.

- Bregman, H. R., Malik, N. M., Page, M. J., L., Makynen, E., & Lindahl, K. M. (2013). Identity profiles in lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth: The role of family influences.Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 42(3), 417-30. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.fiu.edu/10.1007/s10964-012-9798-z

In total I have 8 resources so far that I need to look into. Three of them are articles, four are books in the green library and one is a video. Not too sure about the video yet but I'll decide that later on when I take a look at the video.

"The term ‘master status’ was first used by Everett Hughes in the 1940s to describe the tendency of observers to believe that one label or demographic category is “more significant than any other aspect of [the observed person’s] background, behavior, or performance.”i, ii In 1954, Gordon Allport described master status as the “label of primary potency” in The Nature of Prejudice.iii Hughes and Allport are describing the tendency to define a person by one aspect of their identity, rather than as a part of the whole." (Found this online, look for more reliable sources on Everett Hughes and Gordon Allport) (http://forge-forward.org/wp-content/docs/FAQ-07-2012-master-status.pdf)

Week 6 (Adding to Article)

1) Look into Everett Hughes and his use of the term "Master Status" I believe he's the one who introduced this term but need to look into it

2) Look into Gordon Allport and see what he described the the term "Master Status" as. Check if it differs from what Everett Hughes said. Possibly include a section on either comparing both or talking about their differences. Determine this after you've done research.

3) Create a section on where the idea of "Master Status" came from and include my finding on both of these men, if not just on Hughes. I think I want this to be the second section after editing the content that is already on the "Master Status" page.

4) I plan to create about 6 different sections expanding on the different ways of identification.

5) Create section on criminal courts' decision making based on master status. This article has a lot of good content and also includes information on Hughes***

6) Create section of sexual identity development among young adults. Seems to be a central task for many of us. Focus on identity development in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual youth.

7) Create section on Self-structure and Identity. My plan was to talk about men and women in this section. I found an interesting article about men involved in a religious group which pretty much molds their identity and carry themselves with this master status as godly men. Found it interesting because I see the groups in my own church and have seen it on tv and movies of people making fun of these groups because of how the men carry themselves. Looking forward to reading this. I found book on women and social position. Still need to go find the book and GL and see if it's a good fit, if not I plan to add information on woman and their social position.

8) Create section on multidisciplinary approaches where some argue that we aren't simply individuals, or members of a certain class or nationality but rather comprise of a blend of various identities. Really want to look into this article because i believe that most of us associate ourselves to one particular identity. Not really multiple idenitites.

9) Create section that explores multiple identities such as: race, gender and disability. Want to go in depth with those 3.

Lead Section

Introduction:

In Sociology, master status is the social position that is the primary identifying characteristic of an individual.(Might keep this from the original article and add this -->) Everett Hughes (sociologist), known for his informal tone of writing consisting of fragmentary data and student material, formulated the term master status in the 1940's and was the key subject of his address as the 53rd president of the American Sociological Association. In his address, he described the term as "the tendency of observers to believe that one label or demographic category is more significant than any other aspect of the observed person's background, behavior or performance" with special reference to race. Like Everett Hughes, American psychologist Gordon Allport was also interested in the study of personality and social identity. Both, Hughes and Allport seem to have distinct ideas on what the term master status means. According to a Journal of Social Issues, Allport believes in the idea that individuals belong to a variety of social identity groups over different time periods and "possess many diverse social identities," most of which are linked to a host of stereotypes.

*Use the information above for a section on the origin of the word "Master Status"*

(Not sure if to make one section including different examples on "master status" or create a bunch of small section, decide that once you post all of this in the actual article page.)

Effects of Master Status

Criminal courts' decision making based on master status:

From data taken on about 370 different criminal court case decisions, studies have focused on the creation of a master status based on gang membership and the influence that has on charging and sentencing decisions. Various statuses such as: drug addict, mentally ill, child abuser, alcoholic, and ex-convict have a big impact on decision making. Statuses like these modify personal identity and limit alternatives and opportunities in the eyes of those in charge of sentencing. Stereotypes and master statuses can not be confused because while a stereotype indicates in this scenario that the observer is the one who filters any additional information about the case at hand, a master status heavily influences any final decisions made even when other information may be relevant. Over the years, gang and non gang offenses have been carefully looked at because of this master status notion.

Formation of a Master Status

Sexual identity development among young adults:

Sexual identity development among young adults seems to be a central task. Among young adults, there is no single label that is more significant than another. Some examples of young adult identities may include race, ethnicity, gender, sexual preference and age. A successful identity process among young adults suggests positive outcomes in identity development while the opposite is true as well. It's often difficult for young adults to recognize their sexual preferences mainly because of the feeling of social and family disapproval. Self-perception also plays a role in this because it is highly influenced by what the individual believes others think of them. If what the individual believes is a negative perception then the outcome tends to be a lower self esteem. Studies show that individuals who receive support from parents and those around them on their sexual identity leads to an increased self-worth, self-esteem, and fewer self-critical behavior. This kind of support inhibits a comfortable master status based on sexual identity among young adults.

Self-structure and Identity:

Constructing a self is about how committed an individual is to an identity. Self-structure and identity go hand in hand; the more work an individual puts towards maintaining a certain identity, the more that identity will reflect upon the individual. Promise Keepers, a Christian organization, applies this idea of self-structure and identity to its members by heightening their self-awareness as men of god. The men of promise keepers are asked to keep seven promises and by keeping these promises they become godly men. This urge to maintain that master status of "godly men" is fueled by the amount of work that is put in to keep the seven promises.

Navigating Multiple Identities

Race - Race is associated with biology which is why as humans we are divided among races. When it comes to social identity based on race, negative ideas can come up because of social media and popular culture's influence. The battle of race and self-identity is on-going. Racial division is something that is still occurring where some must fight to determine if they qualify for the same rights as everyone else. According to an academic journal on Blurring Boundaries,"race and disability were mutually constitutive categories in the nineteenth century, making it difficult to tease apart racial identity from disability identity."

Gender - Gender identities can be broken up into both masculine and feminine experiences. These identities are reinforced by adults, peers, and the media at an early age. From clothing to toys, gender roles are very structured. Girls can be linked to dresses, the color pink and stuffed teddy bears while boys are linked to the color blue, baseball caps, and trucks. Male sex roles tend to me more valued than female sex roles. Femininity and the acceptance of tomboyish behavior in young women is more accepted but not the opposite. The media portrays men as "tough guys" from any cartoon to most movies and portrays women as more domestic, motherly and is more focused on looks.

Culture - Cultural identities may be seen as a group identity. When one asks "who am i?" one usually associates themselves with a cultural identity. Cultural group selection may be considered to be a difficult task especially for second generation individuals. For example, if a child is born in the United States but the parents were born in Spain over three decades ago, how would the child identify him or her self? The parents may identify themselves as Spanish-American and because of this influence, the child might consider him or her self Spanish-American as well. Cultural identity can be determined in many different ways including: Race (human categorization), Religion, Value (ethics), and Behavior. What is important is that cultural identity is looked at "as reflecting a form of social identity based on and determined by an individual's lived experiences among a group of people and their participation in the group's shared properties (for example, traditions, customs, language and values)."

Nationality - In the study of classical music, nationality plays a major role in originality and individuality. A strong sense of nationality has been used by numerous twentieth century composers to make the Folk music of their nation and as a result discovered their individual identity through music as well. This interaction of music and nationality come together and are a big part of a nations cultural shaping depending on how big of an impact the music has on the population. Depending on the impact of the folk music made about the nation, It will not only aid composers to discover their individual identity but can aid the nation's population discover their individual identity as well. The opposite may also occur.

Disability - Disability and self identity can be very different based on age, severity of disability and social support. A child who was born with a disability and accepts the fact that the disability is present can better adapt and cope with the difference presented by the disability. If a child acquires a disability later on in life, depending on the social support given to the child by the parents and peers, this can lead to a positive influence on self-worth. On the other hand, if a child receives support from parents and peers that limit their social activities because of the disability and are also treated as if they were younger, the support can cause a negative influence on self-worth. Adults who acquire a disability are expected to cope with a disability with more maturity. It is expected that the benefit of maturity helps them accept the disability and continue moving forward with their new quality of life.