PERCEPTIONS AND EXPRESSIONS OF CLASS IDENTITY: A LIFE HISTORY APPROACH

Abstract

Utilizing a life history method, a working class male's perceptions of and responses to notions of discrimination experienced by the working class are documented. The concept of class as an experience unique to each individual is explored through comparison with the author's experiences with discrimination against the working class and a review of literature. At first the subject's actions may appear arbitrary and unexpected, but what is discovered is a coherence or meaning system based on individual rights and self-worth that accounts for his seemingly unrelated activities. Experiences in conflict with this system are detailed and social resistance is revealed as a response to the conflict arising from belief versus experience. Expressions of resistance range from economic and occupational decisions and political involvements to sexual expressions all of which are designed to resist middle class expectations. The individual's construction of masculinity as a response to perceived class discrimination is investigated. What emerges is a model of masculinity rooted in a desire to express the power denied to him because of class affiliation