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Identity as “shared experience”
Theoretical arguments on identity creation also indicate that interaction with
others plays a significant role in identity formation 63 . Interaction with others
which results in identity formation can either be accommodative or frictional.
Interaction - be it friendly or hostile – is likely to impact identity formation.
The friendships formed by other groups influence their identities, and the
basis of such friendships serves to distinguish one friendship group from
another. This is further explained by Castells’s notion of identity as a
“shared experience” 64 . In this case, Castells maintains that sharing the
same experiences, interests, habits and tastes allows people to relate to,
and identify with, one another on some level. This fosters shared meaning
of situations, which makes it possible to have shared identities. These
63 R. Jenkins, Social Identity, p. 22.
64 M. Castells, “Globalisation, Identity and the State”. Social Dynamics, p. 7.
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