In my Introduction to Sociology class this week, we had a discussion about statuses within society and it really sparked my interest. The idea that I may identify mainly as one thing but others may think of me in another aspect kind of amazes me. The different circles I’m in can actually make people think they know completely different people. But I’m still me- “me” is just defined in lots of different ways.
Think about this. You have a master status, and this master status is basically this concept that you hold one identity in priority. You identify most often as this status and you value one identity the highest. This master status can change with the seasons or your occupation.
In class my professor asked us to write down 7 identities in class that we see ourselves holding. She said that the order we write them down in doesn’t matter. She has a PhD, so I will believe her, but I also subconsciously think there is reasoning behind the order we write. (That must be my psychology-loving side shining through). Anyway, we all wrote down our identities and a few people in class shared what they wrote. I found myself having some similarities but some completely different identities.
The first identity on my list was “student.” Is that my master status? Maybe. I feel that my master status changes with the weather but I think that I could state that “student” is my master status because it is my identity most relevant to every aspect of my life. Following “student” I listed “sister,” “girlfriend,” “Resident Assistant,” “friend,” “daughter,” and “creator.” Though all of these identities I highly associate with in many other aspects, I am always one of those identities and a student.
I never shed the coat of being a student. And I love that status and the expectations that come along with it. Don’t get me wrong, I love being a Resident Assistant, a girlfriend, a daughter, and a friend as well. But being a student is probably the first thing people see me as, because that’s where I am in my life right now.
I hope one day, my main status will be an Occupational Therapist. I don’t want that to be my master status just because it will hopefully be my job, but because it will be what I love to be. I want passion to be the backbone of my master status, no matter what my master status will be as my life evolves. So eventually, I also want my main status to be a mother. I want to have many other statuses to evolve too, but I want my core values and the expectations I hold for myself to stay constant.
Having these many statuses motivates me to realize why I am who I am. I drive on high-spirit and enthusiasm and I hope that those characteristics persist throughout my lifetime.
So now, I’ll leave you with one question: Who are you?
