Issue
It is primarily through identification through social groups that we define ourselves.
Sample Essay
As primarily social animals, human beings naturally seek out different groups to which they feel they have a certain sense of belonging. But there are two different aspects of this issue involved: identifying oneself with a social group for its social implications and identifying oneself with a social group for internal needs. A person can have two different identities, one that involves an inpidual's self-perception and the way that others see that particular inpidual. There is a natural dichotomy between the two sides of one's personality that is usually displayed between the different types of social groups with which an inpidual may identify oneself.
Self-definition can either be honest or dishonest. A person may join a social group because he or she thinks that the people that belong to this type of group are the same as he or she, whether it is true or not. The important detail to the inpidual is that he or she would like to be the same as the people that belong to this particular social group. As one example, consider a person who grew up poor and poorly educated, but became wealthy through the luck of the lottery1 or an inheritance from an unknown but wealthy relative. This inpidual then joins a wine-tasting club and buys season tickets to the local Philharmonic Orchestra and opera house. Although this inpidual knows nothing about wine, orchestras or opera, he or she is seeking to identify him or herself as a culturally literate2 person simply because the person is now wealthy. Through joining these social groups, the inpidual is seeking to define him or herself as socially elite3, although the only difference now is that the person has great wealth and in reality probably does not fit in with the other members of the groups. In this case, one's self-definition by identifying with social groups does not match up with how society still identifies the inpidual.
On the other hand, there are inpiduals that very clearly demonstrate who they are by their identification with certain social groups. At a very basic level, younger people may join gangs based on a sense of identification with certain gang members or gang ideas. By displaying different identifying tattoos4 or certain colors, these people clearly identify who they are and what they stand for by the particular to which they belong. Certain religious groups also give a clear identity to their members. Joining an Islamic fundamentalist group such as the Taliban or an Orthodox Jewish organization indicates a certain identity that is common to all of its members. Political organizations such as Greenpeace and the National Organization for Women also make a certain statement about the identity of an inpidual member. In all of these cases, an inpidual's self-perception and how others view that inpidual are probably very similar. These types of organizations speak to a person's very fundamental values and joining one is probably that person's way of saying to the world this is who I am.
Joining other types of groups may or may not indicate a person's self-identification. Being a Republican or a Democrat5, for example, may just be a matter of whichever party your parents belong to. Spending time with a particular group of friends may only mean that you like only one of the people in the group or you have nothing better to do, it may have nothing to do with your self-identification. People that belong to these groups do not necessarily belong to any one social group for identification purposes; it may be only a matter of convenience.
It depends on the inpidual and the particular social group under discussion as to whether we primarily identify ourselves through association with social groups. once the inpidual or the social group has been identified, a determination must still be made as to whether the inpidual has joined for self-identification purposes or to impress upon others a certain image of that inpidual.
[题目]
大家主要通过与社会群体的认可而来界定大家自己。
[范本正文]
作为具备显著社会性的动物，人类自然会去寻觅某些他们感觉与其存在某种归属感的不同群体。但这个问题涉及两个方面：基于某一社会群体的社会含义而认可该群体，与出于某些内在需要而认可某一社会群体。一个人可以拥有两个不一样的身份，一种身份涉及到个人的自我感受，另一个所涉及的是别人对这个特定个人的怎么看。在一个人性格的这两方面之间，存在着一种自然的两分法。个人的性格特点通常就体目前这一个人所可能认可的不同社会群体之间。
自我界定可以是诚实的，亦可以是不诚实的。一个人之所以加入某一社会群体，可能是由于他（她）觉得是这一群体的那些人与他（她）相同，无论这是真还是假。对于这个个人具备重要程度的一个细节是，他（她）期望与是这一特定社会群体的大家相同。比如，大家可以考虑考虑如此一个人，他出身贫穷，没能受过好的教育，但通过彩票的运势或因为继承了一位无名但却有钱的亲戚的遗产而一夜暴富。此人然后加入一个品酒会所，并购买当地爱乐乐团和歌剧院的季票。虽然此君对酒、乐队或歌剧一窍不通，但他（她）却竭力将自己表现为有文化修养的人，仅仅由于他（她）目前非常有钱。通过介入这类社会群体，此人力图将自己界定为社会精英，虽然目前唯一的区别是，这人极其有钱，而事实上他（她）与这类群体内的其他成员格格不入。在此情形中，通过认可某些社会群体而来进行自我界定，这与社会怎么样看待这个人仍然相去甚远。
其次，有的人则通过他们与某些社会群体的认可而了解无误地来表明他们是何种人。在某个甚为基本的层面上，青少年会基于他们与某些帮派成员或帮派理念的认可感而参加某些帮派。通过展示独一无二的认别性纹身图片或某些颜色，这类人明确表明他们是哪个，与他们代表着什么。某些宗教团体也会赋予其成员以某个了解无误的身份。加入诸如塔利班一类的伊斯兰原教旨主义团体或者正统派犹太教组织标志着其成员常见共有些某种身份。像绿色和平与全国妇女组织等政治团体也在就某个个体成员的身份作出某种陈述。在所有这类情形中，个体的自我感受，与别人对其所形成的怎么看，二者可能甚为近似。这类种类的组织诉诸于一个人极为基本的价值观，而加入如此的一种组织可能就成为这个人向世界表明我就是如此一个人的一种方法。
加入其他类别的组织可能表明，但也不肯定表明一个人的自我认可。比如，成为共和党还是民主党成员，这可能只与你爸爸妈妈是什么政党有关。与特定一群朋友在一块，这可能只意味着你只喜欢该群体中的一个人，或者由于你此外什么事都不干。这与你的自我认可毫无关系。是这类群体的人并不是一定出于认可的目的而是任一社会群体。这可能只不过一种权宜之计而已。
至于大家是不是主要通过与社会群体的联系而来表明大家的身份，这取决于个人与所涉及的特定社会群体。即便个人或社会群体得以被判明，大家还有待于去确定，一个人加入某一社会群体，到底是出于自我认可的内在目的呢，还是为了将它个人形象烙在别人心头。
