More About Me

1) Think about a group or social category you belong to, and with which you identify. Describe what the group means to you, and list some examples that demonstrate your high level of identification.

I identify as a military spouse- which is essentially someone who is married to a person in the military. Normally a spouses job doesn't affect the entire family...but the military is different! I find that my life revolves around my husbands job. Whether it be because we get orders to move across the country, or last minute deployments that cause me to be alone for weeks. In this way, being a military spouse impacts my life greatly and has become a major part of who I am. However, I don't like to think of myself as just a military spouse- because I am so much more than that! A lot of times, I feel like people see me as just an extension of my husbands job. Many times when we are visiting with family people ask questions about the military, military life, or how my husbands job is going- and very few times do people ask something personal about me.

 2) Think about a group or social category you belong to (or appear to belong to), but with which you don't identify. Describe what the group means (or doesn't mean) to you, and list some examples that demonstrate your lack of identification.

My husband and I have been married for four years- which basically means we've been putting up with "when are we getting grandbabies?" questions for that entire time. From the outside, I look very healthy. However, I have diagnosed infertility and endometriosis. It is hard to be seen as a person who should be able to have children, when I physically can't. Being outwardly assigned as a young woman who should be getting pregnant- leads to very painful comments like "shouldn't you guys have at least one?" or "You're not getting any younger!". As much as I can't identify as a person who can get pregnant/mother, I wish that I could. Which almost makes that reality much harder. 

3) Think about a group or social category you belong to, do not appear to belong to, with which you identify. Describe what the group means to you, and list some examples that demonstrate the difference between the sense of self and public perception.

Since my family is highly religious, many family members assume that I am Christian by association. This is not true, as I identify as agnostic right now. Being agnostic gives me the freedom to explore what spiritual avenues there are in the world without judgement. My family perceiving me as Christian is intentional on my part, to keep myself safe to explore other avenues. Sometimes I believe we have to conceal parts of our identities for a time, to protect ourselves from judgment. 

4) What kinds of factors influence level of identification with a group? What kinds of factors make a category or group membership irrelevant?

There are many factors that can influence a persons identification with a group. Many factors are things we can't change- like our age, race, sex, sexual orientation and disability status. So in those ways, we are forced to fit into a group due to those defining traits about ourselves. We either are categorized by others, or categorize ourselves. However, there are some assigned social identities that people don't find resonate with them. I believe that a member of a group becomes irrelevant when they don't feel connected to that particular group anymore. 

Picture Below of Social Identity Circle