Social psychologists have long been engaged with the question of how individuals construct and understand their identities. Through theories, they tried to explain the interdependence of human beings in this process of understanding and construction. Freud explains through his psychoanalysis the relationship between true identity and represented identity, which is adapted to the norms and values ​​of society. Henri Tajfel developed social identity theory which argues that individuals understand themselves through group relationships and traditional gender stereotypes and expectations. These stereotypes tend to be prescriptions for how men and women are expected to behave and look. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay. Auster and Ohm, however, argue that humans no longer rely on traditional gender norms and stereotypes. They claim that gender boundaries have become less rigid and humans are now free to associate with elements of the opposite sex. Gauntlett agrees with the latter view and argues that the representation of different identities and sexualities in the media can help an individual understand their identity. These stereotypes and expectations of gender and sexuality play an important role in Alison Bechdel's Fun Home, as she discusses the process of Alison's identity construction, and in particular how she came to terms with her and her partner's queer identity. his father. This article aims to connect the above-mentioned identity theories to the memoir to answer the questions: How are both Alison's and her father's identities constructed? And how are they interdependent in this process? First, it is important to consider the difference between sex, gender and sexuality. Sex refers to the biologically given properties by which someone is classified as male or female. Gender is the division made in society, based on biological sex. Gender is associated with typically male or female norms of behavior, clothing and stereotypes. Finally, sexuality refers to an individual's sexual feelings and attraction towards the same, other, or both sexes. All three components are deeply rooted in the human psyche and are the basis of an individual's identity. Freud was one of many theorists to have examined the human psyche and its composition. The human psyche is a key component of identity, as it determines the individual's behavior. And behavior represents who an individual is. Freud argued that the human psyche is made up of three components: the Id, the Ego and the Superego. The Id is the instinctive component that motivates behavior. Elements of sexuality and self-preservation are incorporated into this component and therefore influence behavior. Important in this component is the pleasure principle. For the individual to experience pleasure, the desires, i.e. the impulses, constituted in the id must be satisfied. The ego could be seen as a mediator between instinctive reality, the id, and external reality, society. The ego controls impulses so that they remain realistic within society. Finally, the superego further controls impulses by incorporating society's norms and values, resulting in an impulse that is not only realistic but also acceptable and ideal. The superego is a key component in determining someone's behavior as it is made up of both the conscience and the ideal self. McLeod claims that “if the ego gives in to the demands of the id, the superego can make the person feel bad through guilt”. Therefore, the true identity of aindividual can remain hidden as long as the ego and superego are aware of the norms and values ​​of society and use them to control the id. The basis of the human psyche, as described by Freud, refers to the behavior of the individual within the group as discussed by Tajfel in his theory of social identity. In 1969, Tajfel introduced social identity theory which deals with an individual's sense of self within a group. It aims to explain how an individual's attitudes and beliefs are influenced by group members. These groups, according to Tajfel, are groups within society and include family, friends, social class, etc. Social identity theory holds that an individual is reflective. This means that humans can classify themselves in relation to social categories. They recognize certain categories based on someone's performance. By performance Stets and Burke mean that men and women are expected to follow distinct gender stereotypes. Someone therefore plays an identity, or a certain role within society. Behavior traditionally associated with women is, for example, emotional, maternal, familial and kind. Masculinity is traditionally associated with courage, independence and being strong. So, to be associated with a particular group in society, someone is expected to exhibit certain behavior that matches that of the group. The psyche, as defined by Freud, ensures that individuals conform to these social norms by mediating between an individual's true identity and their expected identity. Human beings are therefore interdependent in the process of identity construction and self-understanding, as they rely largely on social norms and behavioral expectations. However, social identity theory is dated and it is argued that these fixed patterns of behavior and gender characteristics are changing in modern society. Auster and Ohm argue that the characteristics of masculinity and femininity changed in the 1970s. An important factor in this change is the empowerment of women. This has meant that women, but also men “are found in a wider variety of positions and roles, [and] display a broader repertoire of behavioral traits”. Gauntlett argues that in the modern Western world gender has become a mix of equal and unequal. It also states that women more often reject traditional ideas about their gender role and that sexual equality is widely supported. The changing gender roles currently underway means that characteristics may even overlap in some places. In his work Media, Gender and Identity published in 2002, Gauntlett highlights the importance of the media in the construction and understanding of identity. Nowadays, the media widely portrays different images of men, women and sexuality. Gaunlett argues that the role models represented in the media have changed and that television soaps now represent lesbian and gay characters so that audiences can "get to know" non-traditional identities. A growing tolerance towards the queer community is one of the many positive consequences of this portrayal of gay characters in the media. For new generations, the step toward coming out, or exhibiting an identity that doesn't resemble traditional norms of masculinity or femininity, may therefore be less scary than it was years ago. Gauntlett states that “modern women generally do not worry about fitting their identity within the identity of femininity.” Argues that traditional gender norms are associated with the past and that both men and women are freer to associate with a gender that transcends these boundariestraditional. As previously mentioned, gender and sexuality in relation to identity construction are central themes in Fun Home. In Fun Home, Alison Bechdel talks about her childhood story and how growing up shaped her into the person she is today. Since the memoir, written by Bechdel, is about herself, the names Alison and Bechdel will be used interchangeably in this article, but they refer to the same person. Through the memoir, Bechdel discusses events from her childhood that were important in her process of self-exploration. He also discusses people who were important in his journey and places special focus on his father's story. The memoir can be understood as a bildungsroman as it discusses the authors' psychological journey of self-exploration. Alison was born into the Bechdel family in the 1960s and belongs to groups such as middle-class white Americans, teenagers, students, and the queer community. Biologically she also belongs to the female sex, but as she grows up she discovers that she does not identify with its stereotyped norms and expectations. The following paragraphs aim to connect the previously discussed theories to the memoir, to investigate how both Alison and her father construct their identities and how they draw on particular exemplary sources. The character of Alison in Fun Home clearly undergoes the process of comparing and identifying identities, as discussed in Tajfel's social identity theory. As mentioned above, the theory states that an individual continually compares himself with categories and patterns of behavior to determine whether or not he identifies with it. Alison talks about different people and works she has reflected on on her journey of self-exploration. Her father Bruce plays an important role in the memoir as she not only tries to make meaning of her own identity but also focuses on constructing her own. She has to come to terms with who she is to understand and accept herself. Lemberg argues that he must make these connections between his identity and his father's "to overcome the trauma that can accompany queer identity." Bechdel thus offers his father a stage in his memoirs by discussing his internal struggle, something he has never been able to do openly. He continually mentions his determination to restore the house to underline its multifaceted identity. As she explores her father's history, she begins to understand parts of his character and the things he did. Bechdel states that his father “used his skillful artifice not to make things, but to make things appear to be what they are not.” His father hid his true identity and remained hidden his entire life. Thus, the intersecting storylines in both Alison's and her father's identities are important, as the construction of her identity is closely linked to her personal process of identity exploration. In addition to Alison's reliance on her father's identity, she also relies heavily on literature in her identity. exploration. She describes how her exploration saw a boost around the time she went to college. Gauntlett discussed the importance of queer representation in the media and argued that it has changed the way both men and women think about gender and sexuality. She claims that modern women have learned to reject traditional gender norms. In Fun Home, literature fills this role as it is Alison's primary means of queer representation. Literature featuring queer characters was widely available for Alison to read. He used this information to better understand and learn about the queer community and to confront his feelings. Rohy advocates using “queer archive as technologyof identity". Through the books Alison learns about the previous years, when the freedom to express homosexuality was not as accepted as it is in her time and age. Literature helps her “contextualize her life in relation to historical events and social norms.” This process of comparison seems in line with social identity theory but crosses the traditional boundaries of femininity and masculinity. One of the things Alison learns through these books about queer life history is that her father's position as a young queer boy was very different from her own. Not only was he not free to express himself, and therefore to declare himself gay, but he also did not have such broad access to queer literature. As Auster and Ohm argue, the boundaries of sexuality and gender began to become less narrow starting in the 1970s, but before then norms and behaviors other than gender performance were expected. Bruce grew up surrounded by traditional norms of femininity and masculinity, and was expected to follow the latter. However, Bruce, just like his daughter, uses literature in his process of identity performativity. Bauer argues that in the memoir, books are not only a means of identification, but are also used as a form of communication between father and daughter. In addition to knowing her own identity, Alison gets to know and understand her father more and more by reading books on his advice. In chapter 3 Alison discusses her father's preference for Fitzgerald's work and argues that he must have identified with the characters. While she hasn't spoken to Alison about it, she says "the parallels are inevitable." Thus, both Alison and her father are interdependent in the construction of their identities, but Alison's exemplary social categories cross the traditional boundaries described in Tajfel's social identity theory. According to Herman, Alison's identity formation story is largely about her learning to reject standard and dominant gender stereotypical behaviors. and expectations. Social identity theory implies that humans rely largely on traditional gender norms and expectations. As a child, Alison was extensively confronted with these dominant norms of gendered behavior, as her father attempted to make her dress and act like a girl. The memoir shows this struggle, from the graphic of her father trying to make her wear a dress to a wedding, to a situation where he makes her wear a barrette in her hair, which she continually takes off. At the time, Alison did not know that this was the result of her father's attempt to suppress her true identity, but in her memoir she states that "...he was attempting to express something feminine through me." Her father knows that it would be socially acceptable if Alison performed this feminine behavior for him. Alison, although biologically female, does not identify with these associated behavioral norms. In turn, she tries to project her rejection of femininity onto her father. Bechdel speaks on several occasions about her younger self's interest in men's fashion. She states that she "became a connoisseur of masculinity at an early age." By watching other people perform masculine behaviors, he recognizes who he really is. For example, in chapter 4 of the memoir, one of the graphics shows Alison reading an Esquire and telling her father what style of clothes she should buy. Freud's psychoanalysis states that the impulses of the id, the element that contains an individual's sexuality and self-preservation, are controlled by the superego, so that someone's behavior is in line with norms and expectations of the company. Lapsley and Stey describe this "filtered" behavior as acceptable and ideal..