{"id":370,"date":"2020-01-14T15:28:24","date_gmt":"2020-01-14T15:28:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/crowdsidentities\/?p=370"},"modified":"2020-01-14T22:25:27","modified_gmt":"2020-01-14T22:25:27","slug":"people-like-us-in-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/crowdsidentities\/2020\/01\/14\/people-like-us-in-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"People Like Us in 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Susie Ballentyne <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If there\u2019s ever a time of year when so many of us are making plans for change, it\u2019s now. Over half of us make a new year\u2019s resolution to change something about our behaviour, yet very few of us stick to our intentions. So why, with all the right sign-posting to a new decade, the fresh start, and a multitude of apps promising to help keep us on track, is it so unlikely to happen? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the past three years, as part of my doctoral research, I\u2019ve been looking at the impact of social identity on change<\/a>. Working with refugees for whom change is non-negotiable, it\u2019s apparent just how much we overlook the importance of social identity<\/a> when trying to get to grips with change. For those forced to migrate, much of their everyday wellbeing depends on how they manage their old identities and acquire new ones. Resilience<\/a>during times of change isn\u2019t just a matter of \u2018strength of character\u2019 but how, through the loss of old relationships and discovery of new ones, refugees can maintain a steady and familiar sense of self that enables them to cope with everyday life.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part of the reason why social identity has been somewhat overlooked<\/a> is because, both as individuals and as a culture, we look almost exclusively at ourselves from within, either in terms of changing some overplayed personality trait (\u2018\u2026this year I\u2019m going to rein in my temper and be kinder to my colleagues\u2019) or some character weakness we must discipline (\u2018\u2026no more weekday drinking, and I\u2019ll cut out sugar while I\u2019m at it.\u2019). The intention may be good, but the change is often only approached from the inside, out. But what if we start from the outside, and work in<\/a>? What if we begin to look at what\u2019s going on in the world around us, identify what influences us and then identify what we might begin to change. Here\u2019s where social identity can help you make that change so it sticks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research<\/a> shows us that social identity is where behaviour change happens. But what does that mean? If we start writing a list that begins: \u201cwho am I?\u201d we quickly begin to see just how much of who we are relates to how we categorise ourselves<\/a> with other people, such as gender, nationality, ethnicity, education, profession, skills, parenting roles, sporting preferences. We define ourselves in this way throughout the day, moving between different categories as we go about our daily life: parent, partner, commuter, team-member, caf\u00e9-customer, friend, volunteer. Each of these categories come with their own socially-constructed \u2018guidebooks\u2019, if you like, that give us some extremely important reference points: what makes us different from others; what to expect from ourselves and other people who are like us; what behaviours are and aren\u2019t acceptable. Without these we wouldn\u2019t have a clue about how to make sense of things around us or how to behave as we move through our day. Our social identities<\/a> gives us the handholds that we grasp for direction and reassurance as we navigate everyday life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what happens when we want to change something? What do we do when we mentally commit to being a better environmentalist \/ more effective leader \/ new business owner \/ more capable parent? We tend to lose ground the moment we focus overly on \u201cI\u201d. We\u2019d be much better to start by\u00a0thinking about \u201cus\u201d.<\/a>\u00a0We should start by asking ourselves:\u00a0\u201cwhat are people like \u2018us\u2019, like?\u201d<\/em>\u00a0The \u2018us\u2019 can be anything: \u2018eco-minded citizen\u2019; \u2018politically engaged community member\u2019; \u2018calm parent\u2019; \u2018team leader\u2019. As we list the characteristics of the groups we belong to, we begin to see the \u2018guidebook\u2019 that shapes our behaviour. Some maybe very positive (\u2018people like us [leaders] are visionary, good communicators, empathetic\u2019), or less so (people like us [leaders] are dogmatic, ego-centric, brash).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, when we want to think about changing how we work, or manage our relationships, these social identities \u2018guidebooks\u2019 are a good place to begin. Look through the list you\u2019ve generated about \u2018people like us\u2019 and then you can draw a line from these to your own behaviours. Ask yourself: do I<\/em> do these things? Does it help me achieve<\/em> what I want when I\u2019m in this role? Are there things here I can aspire<\/em> towards? It\u2019s also worth asking yourself whether membership of other groups, different identities, inhibits you<\/a> from achieving the goals you\u2019ve set for yourself elsewhere in your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By looking at change from this angle, the outside in, we can see just how much of what we think and do is directed by the identities that we conform to. When we stop looking for individual faults and differences and see how each and every day we live in an incredible web of social influence<\/a> that directs our footsteps, we find we have a road map for making change happen. With this perspective we soon recognise a world full of social identities, each with their own guidebooks that we both help write and take direction from.  And as we act, so we either reinforce this guidance, or begin to shift it. So, this January, if you\u2019re not happy with something, start with social identity, for a change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Susie Ballentyne<\/a> is a doctoral researcher<\/ins><\/a> in psychology at the University of Sussex. As a social psychologist she consults on identity for Making Change Happen<\/a><\/ins> and is a co-Director of Leading 4 Life. Through her research, Susie is also developing and practicing a new approach to psychological coaching based on social Identity change: Identity Based Coaching (IBC).<\/em><\/p>\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"reddit\"<\/a>\"linkedin\"<\/a>\"tumblr\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"reddit\"<\/a>\"linkedin\"<\/a>\"tumblr\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Susie Ballentyne If there\u2019s ever a time of year when so many of us are making plans for change, it\u2019s now. Over half of us make a new year\u2019s resolution to change something about our behaviour, yet very few…<\/span><\/p>\n

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