Thursday, October 4, 2012

How am I socially constructed?


I am a college student, a daughter, a sorority sister, a girlfriend and a fraternity brother.  These identities help define who I am.  As a college student some people see me as intelligent and motivated while others see me as one of those obnoxious kids who think they know everything and party all the time.  As a daughter I am defined by my parents.  They see me as someone who should always listen to them and take their advice. They know my flaws and love me in spite of them.  As a sorority sisters I am defined by my fellow Greeks and non Greeks.  My sisters see me as someone who they can count on to be there for them and someone who will always make room in their schedule to go out on a Friday night.  On the other hand non Greeks see me as just another pretty ditzy girl who's always drunk and hooking up with random fraternity guys.  As a girlfriend I am defined by my boyfriend and people who know us as a couple.  I am seen by those people as someone who is loyal, caring, and maybe sometimes a little naggy...for his own good.  I am defined not only by my actions, but also my boyfriend's.  Finally as a brother of an honors fraternity I am defined by my fellow brothers and outsiders.  My fellow brothers see me as a close friend and someone who embodies the ideals of the fraternity.  Outsiders view as a nerd who studies all the time.

With all of these identities attached to me it is hard to maintain my own identity, how I view myself.  I am tempted to fall into the trap of becoming the definitions other people place on me.  While I do embody some of those characteristics I still have my own personality and traits that fall outside of them. Every day I try to find a balance between being the person others see me as and being the person I see myself as.

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