James Paul Gee - Identity Theory

Identity Theory

James Gee defines identity as: “Being recognized as a certain ‘kind of person,’ in a given context…” (p.99). Gee talks of identity differences based on social and cultural views of identity and identifies four of these views, each of which are influenced by different forms of power, though they all have an effect on one another. Gee describes them as “four ways to formulate questions about how identity is functioning for a specific person (child or adult) in a given context or across a set of contexts” (p. 101).

The first of Gee’s identity perspectives is what he calls “the nature perspective (or N-identities)” (p. 101). N-identity represents an identity people cannot control, one that comes from forces of nature. An example of this type of identity would be male or female. While the person has no control over the gender they were born with, this identity only means something because society and culture say this biological difference is important. Gee explains this idea further by stating, “N-identities must always gain their force as identities through the work of institutions, discourse and dialogue, or affinity groups, that is, the very forces that constitute our other perspectives on identity” (p. 102).

“he institutional perspective (or I-identities)” (p. 102) refers to identities set by authorities within an institution. An example of an I-identity is a student, whose identity is defined by the school as an institution with rules and traditions the student must follow. Gee claims these I-identities can be something imposed on a person, such as being a prisoner, or can be a calling for the person, such as being a college professor. The third perspective Gee identifies is the “discursive perspective (or D-identities)” (p. 103). D-identity refers to an individual trait, such as caring. D-identities are a matter of social interaction that only become identities because “other people treat, talk about, and interact” with the person in ways that bring forth and reinforce the trait (p. 103). According to Gee “D-identities can be placed on a continuum in terms of how active or passive one is in ‘recruiting’ them, that is, in terms of how much such identities can be viewed as merely ascribed to a person versus an active achievement or accomplishment of that person” (p. 104).

The final identity perspective Gee identifies is the “affinity perspective (or A-identities)” (p. 105). A-identities are built by shared experiences as part of an affinity group, which according to Gee’s definition is a group that share “allegiance to, access to, and participation in specific practices” (p. 105). Joining these groups must be something the person has chosen to do and feels a part of in order for the A-identity to be built. Gee explains this further by stating, “While I could force someone to engage in specific practices, I really cannot coerce anyone into seeing the particular experiences connected to those practices as constitutive (in part) of the ‘kind of person’ they are” (p. 106).