Class and Identity: What's the Difference? Merriam Webster Collegiate Ninth Grade: A group that shares the same economic or social status. 2: A group, set, or type that shares common attributes. Identity: identity of an essential or generic character in different cases b: identity in everything that constitutes the objective reality of a thing. According to these definitions, class is a subset of identity; identity is the container of all different types of identity, while class is identity relating specifically to economic or social status. An argument that they are the same could state that because one's economic/social status limits or enables people in this society so completely, people's overall identity is dictated by their class. It could also define objective reality as the manifestation of a thing in light of its limits and realistic capabilities. Let's take Robert for example. Who is Roberto? What questions do we ask first? What is most important to us in forming our impression of him? In a multiracial country like the United States, race may come first. Physical appearance: hair color, weight, etc. We need a mental image. Once we know these things, some assumptions are made. Many of these assumptions are silent, almost unconscious judgments based on superficial information. Robert is black. OH. Where does it come from? Detroit. OH. Lots of guesswork here. His social class is pretty much defined for us through popular stereotypes without mentioning his economic position. Guess what, he's poor, living in the projects with his single mother. OH. So now, what do we know about Robert's identity? Well, nothing really. But in reality we can intuit a lot of things in real life that directly touch his identity, define it, limit it. He probably doesn't do well in school. Not because he's stupid, but because he has a terrible temper, and who could blame him: the school he attends randomly searches students. There are metal detectors and armed guards at every entrance and exit. For him, school is literally like a prison. And which prison really encourages thinking in its inmates? No, just let them pass. There is no money for thinking. Maybe Robert is part of a gang. Sure, gang is a useful label, but he might have a group of friends and many of them carry guns. They have a local area in common and rightly believe that Detroit is a dangerous city.