-assignment
EMA Part 1
For this part of the EMA you should write an integrative essay with the title below.
‘Our sense of identity is shaped by our social context’. Critically discuss, drawing on research evidence presented in Blocks 1 and 3.
For your essay, you must draw on material from Blocks 1 and 3 of the module, integrating evidence from across at least two psychological perspectives. We would recommend making use of content from Weeks 3 and 4, in Block 1, and Weeks 24 and 25, in Block 3. You do not need to draw on all four of these weeks and you will need to be selective in the material used. However, you should ensure that your essay makes use of content from both Block 1 and Block 3. You may want to include material from other weeks in Block 1 and Block 3 if you feel they are relevant to the question.
In addition, you must draw on and discuss at least two academic journal articles or equivalent primary source material not referred to in the DE200 module materials. These need to be highlighted in the reference list for the EMA markers.
The word limit for this essay is 1250 words, excluding the reference list but including in-text citations.
The question requires you to critically evaluate the statement that ‘Our sense of identity is shaped by our social context’.
The essay question asks for a discussion around social identity and social context, based on research evidence. Therefore, it is important that you make reference to studies and their findings. Alongside this, it is important to offer critical reflections on these studies and their findings.
It is up to you how you decide to structure your essay; however, keep in mind that you are expected to integrate the material from the two blocks, drawing on evidence from across at least two psychological perspectives. To write a coherent essay, aim to develop your argument by integrating content from Blocks 1 and 3 and developing an essay that reads as a coherent whole. There are different ways you could integrate and critically evaluate the material. However you choose to structure your essay, it is important to keep it focused on addressing the essay question and to focus more on critical evaluation than on description.
To help the markers to identify the new material from outside DE200, please highlight these two (or more) sources in the reference list at the end of your essay.
Relevant material
You must make use of content from both Block 1 and Block 3, drawing on evidence from more than one perspective in psychology. The content in Weeks 3 and 4 (Block 1) and Weeks 24 and 25 (Block 3) is particularly relevant to this question, and we would strongly recommend that you make use of this content in your answer. It is not necessary to include all these weeks, but you must include content from each block. You will need to be selective in the material you include.
Block 1 introduced you to the concept of social identity. Week 3 (Book 1, Chapter 3) focuses on a variety of research in the area of group processes. For instance, topics such as social facilitation, social loafing, social comparison and social change will help you to consider whether our sense of identity is shaped by social context. Week 4 (Book 1, Chapter 4) looks at the social psychology of prejudice, intergroup conflict and conflict reduction. Models discussed in this chapter may be useful in explaining how identity is shaped.
Block 3 considers the definition of identity in more depth. You may want to focus on topics of sexuality and gender; Week 24 (Book 3, Chapter 4) explores a range of explanations for the shaping of identity. For instance, biological, social cognitive and social constructionist perspectives of gender development are discussed, as well as the development of sexual identity. Week 25 (Book 3, Chapter 5) includes discussions around changes in self-identity across the lifespan, which you may also want to consider in your essay. This includes Erikson’s life stage model, cultural and historical processes as contexts for identity, Bronfenbrenner’s systems ideas, Scully’s work on genetic and imagined identities, and ‘fateful’ life-changing moments and transitions. These discussions will help you to consider whether our sense of identity is shaped by social context.
You may also choose to make use of other relevant material in Blocks 1 and 3. As the word limit is only 1250 words, you will need to be selective in the material and evaluation. Ensure that these are kept directly relevant to the question.
Finally, please remember that for this essay you are expected to conduct library research of your own into relevant material beyond the module resources, and to include at least two primary sources not referred to in the DE200 materials. The primary sources you should draw on are likely to be peer-reviewed psychology journal articles, though they could be chapters from academic psychology books – not textbooks. You may wish to revisit the literature searching activity in Week 2. Remember how important it is to evaluate the source, nature and reliability of all the material that you find. You could also consider more recent works by the authors mentioned in the DE200 textbooks, providing they are relevant to the essay question.
