It is primarily through our identification with social groups that we define ourselves

The speaker asserts that the identification with social groups is the determining factor that allows individuals to define themselves, and I agree with this opinion. Admittedly, some individuals may be independent enough to define themselves without being influenced by others, but for most people, their identification is influenced by their social groups.

There is no denying that people who have beliefs in themselves may not define themselves based on their social groups. Such individuals often have strong mental power, critical thinking, and the ambition to fulfill their goals. For supporting examples one needs look no further than Martin Luther King who led the black movement in the last century. At that moment, African Americans were severely discriminated against by the society, but Martin Luther King, a member of African Americans, was not influenced by such stereotypes. He defined himself and other African Americans as the equal members of the American society, and in order to achieve this goal, he gave a myriad of speeches to simulate African Americans. Therefore, the existence of Martin Luther King proves that people’s self-evaluation may not be totally defined by their social groups, but defined by themselves in some conditions.

Nevertheless, not all individuals have such power to define themselves without being influenced by social groups. To begin with, individuals desire to acquire a sense of confidence by linking their identity with some social groups. The development of labor unions may be an exemplification of this point why people want to define themselves as members of social groups. When employees suffer maltreatment by employers, there are some ways in which they can seek help, and asking help from labor unions is an excellent option. After all, many employers may not choose to fight against labor unions because this social group has a huge quantity of members, and when they make claims jointly, their voice may be heard of by the government which may punish employers severely. Therefore, when people define themselves as the member of a social group, they actually intend to gain support from that social group.

The phenomenon that people’s identification is influenced by social groups is also determined when they are children. After children get the ability to speak, parents and teachers will teach children abundant knowledge including history, culture, language, and other things. During this process, children will gradually develop a sense of belonging to the nation or the country they live in. For people who come from the United Kingdom, they will be proud of themselves by linking their identity with their social group, a group of people of the United Kingdom, because their social group has a long history and a unique culture. Such a notion is developed when people begin to speak and learn, and therefore, most people may not be able to totally get rid of the influence of their social groups, and therefore their identification is also influenced by their social groups.

To sum up, people’s identification is indeed influenced by people’s social groups, considering the fact that people intend to gain power and confidence by recognizing themselves as members of some social groups. Also, most people are taught that they are members of a social group at an early age, and such education significantly influences their identification.