The theme of self-identity of the individual plays one of the key roles in the contemporary sociological science. It is justified by the increased importance of the personal understanding of self and the emerging crisis of self-identification of people within the contemporary social system. Therefore, this theme represents special ineptest for the scientific researches and analyses of social science specialists. The analysis of the following sources shows the complex character of the self-identity theory and wide range of narrative techniques used to attract attention of the reader.
In the book “Identity’s Strategy: Rhetorical Selves in Conversion” written by Dana Anderson the author constructs the basis of the rhetorical theory of personal identity without the traditional post-modern skepticism implementation. The narrator perfectly used ethos with attention not only to the issue of rhetoric’s’ constitution of audiences’ identities, but also how they constitute their personal identity (Anderson 14). The research is enriched with the series of first-person narratives that investigate how people characterize their personal conversion and change of self-identity. This information has also been analyzed as it can cause specific effect on the audience and simulate their transformation of self-identity.
The text is full of pathos as well. In order to enrich and color the research, author presents his theory of self-identity in a specific manner. He uses Burkean frame of grammar, symbolism and rhetoric of the text. The attention of the reader is immediately paid to the “Dialectic of Constitutions” that is used in all the main point of the Anderson’s vision of self-identity of the individual (Anderson 25).
The analytic richness of the research is supported by the usage of logos appeal. He uses a lot of supporting readings and autobiographies to present the series of serious arguments and increase the intellectuality of the narrative. The non-standard manner of the author shows the known facts in the new way and therefore opens wide space for new researches and discoveries within the area.
The scientific research of the concepts of identity, agency and autonomy is represented in the book “The Applied Linguistic Individual: Sociocultural Approaches to Identity, Agency and Autonomy’. This book is written as an academic research with the series of elaborated theories and interesting hypotheses. The concept of self-identity is researched through the dimension of social culture and demonstrates how different research studies and areas reform the concept.
The implementation if non-standard approaches to the observation of the concept supports the multifarious theoretical background and enriches the text. The book is divided into 13 chapters that present the views on the concepts demonstrated by different researchers that come from multiple world regions. Therefore, the general manner of speaking slightly changes from region to region that makes book manifold and therefore interesting.
Al chapters within the book are written by different people that are all specialists in the area of social theory of self-identification. In the first chapter, Phil Benson and Lucy Cooker starts with the general analysis of the term individuality and its close connection with language learning with the usage of ethos and logos (The applied linguistic individual: Sociocultural approaches to identity, agency and autonomy 1). The following chapters specify the issue with attention to their regions, areas of studies and personal experience.
The book “I: The Philosophy and Psychology of Personal Identity” written by Jonathan Glover is divided in two parts that are really different in the content, the presentation of fact sand evidence, but in the end they appear to be closely connected (Glover 1988). The first part is mainly philosophical and the second one – psychological, but they unite with each other on the basis of self-identity. The author successfully uses the contrast between philosophical roots of personal identity and tis psychological dimension in order to add new colors to the theme.
Readers may find Glover to be highly approachable narrator in case they do not have high professional background (Glover 97). This makes reading more complicated for the broad audience. However, the author uses the series of though experiments that help to study the basis of personal identity. Glover also seriously relies on the supporting materials. Therefore, logos play the key role in this book that has a lot of interesting information, but cannot be recommended to the large audience.
However, the successfully implementation of researches that matter in real life of ordinary people might catch the attention of those who are interested in the practical outcomes of the philosophical themes within the issue. Glover also gives recommendations on the topic of change of self-identity and attitude to oneself. The manner of narration is clear, direct, sometimes too concentrated on the academic researches, but exciting and informative.
“Self-Identity Theory and Research Methods” is an article written by Mardi J. Horowitz. It underlines the importance of such concepts as self and identity and provides the researchers and professionals with the required knowledge in the sphere of clinical psychodynamic research. The text is full of data and reliable evidence. Author uses logos as the main appeal to increase the intellectuality of narration. Moreover, the successful usage of ethos increases the level of trust towards the narrator and therefore makes the process of acceptance of the overall information quicker and easier.
The text is divided into four parts that makes it easier to assimilate the main ideas and follow the development of the research (Horowitz 2012). The first part discusses the main notions of self and identity that represent special interest for the specialists within the area. The different points are divided into different groups. The text is full of different terms that enrich the intellectuality of the reader. He discusses the important role of role relationship models within the formation of categories of self, basing research upon his prior works.
He uses a lot of evidence supported by personal experience and experience of ordinary people to define the levels of self-organization of individual. He is representing all information in strict manner, although he gives some space for personal opinion and indirect discussion with the reader.
After the implementation of different research methods author uses the discussion part in order to help reader understand the main differences of these techniques, as well as he demonstrates strong and weak sides of different methodologies.
Works Cited
Anderson, Dana. Identity’s Strategy: Rhetorical Selves in Conversion. Columbia: University of South Carolina, 2007.
Glover, Jonathan. I: The Philosophy and Psychology of Personal Identity. London: Allen Lane: The Penguin Press, 1988. Print.
Horowitz, M. J. (2012). “Self-identity theory and research methods”. Journal of Research Practice, 8(2), Article M14. Retrieved from http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/296/261
The applied linguistic individual: Sociocultural approaches to identity, agency and autonomy. Edited by Phil Benson and Lucy Cooker. Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal, 4(3), 219-222.
