Essay Example on Anthony Giddens' Structuration Model: Power Structures Defining Human Personality

A) Introduction

The model chosen from culture and personality studies is that of Anthony Giddens. Anthony Giddens develops a model known as structuration. Structuration proposes the concept that a human’s personality is based on a synthesis of the structure that he is exposed to. According to the model, human personality is defined by the duality of a structure normally the agency and the societal structures. The power structures that inform human decisions in the contemporary word include; education, religion, family, and political institutions. However, when someone develops individual expression not informed by these structures, it is a result of an agency in their personality. The structuration theory suggests that agency and structures cannot be analyzed separately since as casualties of change, the two runs from both sides to come up with an individual’s behavior. Since agency and structure cannot be analyzed separately, the model seems to acknowledge the interaction of meaning, standards, and value. The structure proposes that there is a dynamic relationship between the different facets mentioned that posits duality in the personality of humans.

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B) Briefly Define the Model You Chose From Social Structure and Personality Studies

The chosen social structure model is that of materialism. Materialism is one of the major anthropological perspectives to analyze human personality and behavior. Materialism as a model incorporates theories from Marxism, cultural evolution, and cultural ecology. The materialist does believe in the mental reality but argues that humans give priority to the material world over the world in the mind. Materialism focuses on socioeconomic classes. According to this model, the economy, technology, and environment that one is exposed to are the primary generators of their personality. Psychological and personality differences can, therefore, be explained by a person’s awareness and understanding of their position in the structural process. A person’s position in the structural process determines their access to resources. Those in the bourgeoisie position own and control the resources. The proletariats have to work to earn their position and privileges to access the resources, which works in the advantage of the bourgeoisie. Social stratification is a narrative coined by the elites to make it look like it is the will of God and a natural way of life.

C) Apply Your C&P Model to Analyze a Member of or Entire British Family

The British pattern of an ideal family is informed by the family structure. A father figure, a mother, and a child. Another structure that informs the British is religion. The family believes in Christmas and so emphasizes the need to celebrate Christmas even in January. Another structure important to the British is to work over the family. They have lost a lot of friends and family over their work. They also do not have much time for their son because they put a lot of input on their work. The British are not people of color and so they expect a different expectation from the people of color within their new American neighborhood. Their decision is informed by the larger racial institutions. Another structure that informs the personality of the British the element of industrialization and bettering oneself for the sake of the family. The British family visit America and realize that they do not give back to the community, which is an element of industrialization as a structure. Lastly, the British social structure influences each member of the family to be independent. The child can do things on his own when the parents are out at work. The structure teaches each member of the British the need for an independent personality.

D) Apply Your C&P Model to Analyze a Member of, or Entire the American Family

Applying structuration to the American family requires the study to analyze important structures and agencies that inform the personality of the American family. The American family has different aspects that they look up to when making decisions that make up their personality. The first structure is that the American consider a family to be the father (a male figure) the mother (a female figure) and a child. According to the American, an ideal family should have the structure mentioned above. A second element that justifies the claim by Anthony that humans do not make decisions on their own but guided by structures is the cultural diversity part. The American family is people of color. However, the American family hates Chicago because it has a lot of people of color. The American family has been influenced by the societal structure to believe that people of color interacting among themselves are toxic. The American family would like their son to interact with people from other cultures. Lastly, the American family serves as a way of making God happy. Their community service and generous personality is influenced by religion as one of the major structures

E) Apply Your SS&P Model to Analyze a Member of or Entire British Family

Materialism is the social structure model to be applied to the British family. It is important to realize that The British family exists in the proletariat class. They come from the proletariat judging from the way they work so hard to keep their financial stability. They do not have a lot of family privileges, which justifies the social class that they exist. Even though the British family does not believe so much in religion, they are influenced by the theory that it is natural to work and that God is the giver of work. The above perception is one influenced by the bourgeoisie who controls the economy. The last perspective of materialism as discussed in this paper, displayed by the British family is the fact that they work so hard to acquire physical and material stuff. Their personality of failing to give back to society is informed by the urge to have more material things. They only realize the need to give back to the community during their stay in America.

F) Apply Your SS&P Model to Analyze a Member of or Entire American Family

The American family is also influenced by the material model of the social structure of personality. Firstly, the woman of the family is viewed as an asset because of her knowledge of finances. It makes the woman more of a material than a helper to the husband. Secondly, putting the child through different various activities to earn money for the family is a personality feature that emphasizes the need for material. The child has to act and sign for an advertisement to earn for the family. The class of the American family is the proletariat, judging from the way they have to work. They also have the religious belief that God wants them to work about their natural classes. Lastly, the fact that the husband of the American family gives back to the community through his job shows that he is not all about the materials, but also helping people. The generous personality is informed by a belief in religion.

G) Briefly Explain Why C&P Models Are No Longer Used

Culture and personality models are no longer used in anthropological studies because of three main reasons. Firstly, the anthropologist lost interest after scientific studies had shown persons from different cultures who displayed similar psychological characteristics and personalities. Additionally, the aspect of culture and personality studies was only focused on explaining and comparing cultural differences. Most anthropologists viewed this as a reductionist perspective. Lastly, anthropologists also deduced variations in homogenous cultures. The three reasons mentioned above limits the use of culture and personality in anthropology. H) Briefly Explain Why SS&P Models Are Still Productive for Studies in Psychological Anthropology.

Social structure is still productive to anthropology because of its emphasis on agents rather than culture. The agents lead to an appreciation of structure. Social structure also gives room for interdisciplinary subfields of anthropology to be analyzed and traced on their contribution to personality. Additionally, social structure models give room for the utility of new empirical methods never anticipated by the original inventors of the models.