La participación de las células mononucleares

This section will explain the three foundational determinants of self-identity by firstly examining the key factors that comprise them and secondly, the influence they may have on development of the individual and hence the social groups to which they belong. Self identity is an abstract association and so needs to be thought in terms of its ‘primordial’ set of physical and quintessential characteristics

16

Social values and norms and social networks are two concepts of ‘social capital’ and the

underlying determinant of a communities ‘social cohesion’ as introduced in Chapter 2. 17

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and attributes which together constitute people’s personality (Stewart, 2001, p. 5).

The personality determinants can then be conditioned by both ‘internal’ and ‘external constructs’ that converge over time (Ratuva, 2008a) to influence the individual’s outlook or demeanour on life (Sen, 1998, p. 13) determining a unique or at least distinctive sense of identity. Understanding how the foundational determinants of self identity can be conditioned by environmental or lived

experiences is important to this thesis study given what people identify with forms the basis for how they may associate or interact with each other at the community level (Watson-Gegeo, 2005, p. 413; Giddens, 1991 In Mayo, 2000, p. 43).

Primordial Characteristics

Primordial characteristics are considered to be characteristics that one is borne with (Ratuva, 2008a); in other words, they are personal traits which predispose the individual’s psyche in a unique way for perceiving the world. These characteristics may be maintained or reinforced through one’s ethnicity, origins or cultural

heritage, shared history, language or religion (Dummett, 2001; Hermann & Kempf, 2005; Ratuva, 2002a; Ratuva 2008a). Primordial characteristics also may be reinforced through stories or legends, passed down through the generations. An example of this from Dirkhardt (2005) was in the significance of current events linked to those of the past through his interpretations of the stories or legends held in and shared through cultural Fijian dance (meke) (in Jolly, 2005,).

Internal Constructs

Internal constructs evolve over time and most often through reflections on how external or primordial factors may influence one’s outlook on life or the way life events are perceived (Ratuva, 2002a, p. 13). These are either absorbed into or

become markers for one’s own sense of self (Ratuva, 2008a). These markers

include the way someone may perceive the world, understand reality, accept

norms, and argue about what is to be done (Sen 1998, p9). Internal constructs may

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individual or collective interpretations – what others in the group stand for, do or say and which are absorbed to be part of the groups’ identity (Ratuva, 2008a).

External Constructs

External constructs are derived from social interactions with others or groups and are formulated by the individual’s perceptions of how others view them. Amartya Sen (1998) explored the role and implications of what he termed ‘social identity’ in

the development of individual identity in his essay Reason Before Identity. Sen

describes how interactions with others, individuals or groups, in terms of associating with or adopting their behaviours have a profound effect on the individual:

[S]ocial identity figures prominently as the principle determinant of people’s

understanding of the world, their modes of reasoning and conceptions of rationality, their behavioural norms and practices, and their personal moralities and political commitments (Sen, 1998, p. 6).

Sen (1998) claims that associations and interactions with other people allow us to express closely held values such as generosity, public-spiritedness, responsibility, trustworthiness and other social norms (p. 3). In this quote Sen relates a person’s functioning with productivity which he describes in terms of transactions resulting from the associations and interactions between people. These individual or group held assets, Sen claims, are essential to survival and well-being and in turn allow a successful market economy to prosper (p. 3). When adhered to, this sharing allows individuals to function, exchange and prosper or falter (Sen, 1998, p. 6).

This notion of social identity resonates well with what constitutes ‘built’ forms of social capital. A type of collective resource held within the community. In the context of this thesis, for the urban poor mobilising their social resources is a

challenge. Urban settlements or squatter communities consist of densely populated neighbourhoods that are culturally diverse and socially fragmented (Meikle,

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challenges for individuals to organise themselves around shared needs. In those circumstances Meikle et. al. (2001) argues the need for a different set of survival

strategies that are for the most part dependent on ‘the opportunities and

constraints under which they are operating’ (p. 4). These, they maintain, are fundamentally different from those practiced in the traditional sense in rural areas (p. 5).

These dynamics will be illuminated later in this Chapter when considering the social influences of groups on identity. For now though, it is sufficient to note that these three multidimensional constructs may be further developed or shift over time (Ratuva, 2008a) through interaction within differing cultural settings or social relationships (Mayo, 2000, p. 42). In addition to these three main constructs another external construct process to consider is termed ‘lived experiences’, gained from the outcomes of life’s learnings and which may later predispose the individual to view life events in certain ways. The recent study of a Fijian squatter settlement in Suva showed how externally learned behaviours, termed ‘lived experience’, became key factors determining their sense of self identity (Kurusiga, Kado and Qoroni’s, 2006, p. 98). They defined ‘lived experience’ as a set of coping strategies which had been gained and are employed during times of hardship (Kurusiga, et al., 2006, p. 100-101). Other authors referred to these as ‘livelihood’ strategies relating these to a householder’s ‘pattern of activities’ which together constitute their means of living18 or more fundamentally, existential survival (Meikle

et al., 2001, p. 12). Lived experience includes the impact of culture on a person’s

identity and growth.

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Livelihood strategy is a term used to describe ‘ones means of living’ as defined by the DFID

Sustainable Livelihoods Approach or model of development (Ashley & Carney, 1999; Carney, 2002). For a more detailed explanation of this term refer to Chapter 3 Methodology.

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