In theories of subjectivity a distinction is made between 'the subject' and 'the individual'. Whilst the individual is an actual person, the subject is a set of roles constructed by dominant cultural and ideological values (e.g. in terms of class, age, gender and ethnicity). The structuralist notion of the 'positioning of the subject' refers to the 'constitution' (construction) of the subject by the text. According to this theory of textual (or discursive) positioning, the reader is obliged to adopt a 'subject-position' which already exists within the structure and codes of the text. Subjects are thus constructed as 'ideal readers' through the use of codes.