Complexity Of Identity

Beverly Tatum’s argument about the multiple identities and how many people define their self is one of the most notorious articles I've ever read. She's arguing how the areas where a person is a member of the dominant or advantaged social group, the category is usually not mentioned. That element of their identity is so taken for granted by them that it goes without comment. For example she talks about when she asked her students of color to complete the sentence “I am ….” how many of them mention their race, “I am Black, Puerto Rican, and Korean American”. But, when she asked white students to complete the sentence they rarely bring up their race.

11). Due to his recent revelation to the reality of his identity, he encountered a series of plateaus during which he contemplated whether he should associate with the “colored” race or with the white race. He was now aware of his true identity: partially African-American and partially white. From this point onward, he endeavored to understand whether he is black or white. He did not know where he belonged in society. He contemplated his responsibility to his race versus his responsibility to himself. He tried to embrace life as a ““colored”” man at times, and other times he chose to pass as white. His life was full of contradictions and he could not decide which racial community to assimilate in. He eventually realized that his personal identity did not align with the pre-established racial boundaries.

The growth of identity is a practice molded by a person’s family history, environmental experiences, and societal attachments. Identity endures ordeals to make the person secure and attentive so that it’s easier for the person to know what to expect out of their life. Although changes in our surroundings can be accepted, adjustments to one’s identity can often be challenging. Particularly in African American identity, there is difficulty in accepting who one is and knowing one’s place in society. There is an even greater difficulty if one is a biracial African American.

Identity is the characteristics that determine who a person is, not all factors in a person’s identity are chosen for example race or gender, whereas being a New York Yankee fan is a chosen aspect in someone’s identity. Following that statement there are certain pre-determined assumptions about particular pieces that make up one’s identity, those assumptions, however are not chosen by the person with said identity. If you are a woman in today’s society you are under constant criticism, whether it is in your work ethic, the way you look, and even the way you conduct yourself. Sadly, being a woman is not the only aspect of someone 's identity that is constantly under scrutiny. Race is a major part a person’s identity, whether they themselves think so or not. This is a white man’s world that we live in so consequently if you are anything other than that you will most definitely encounter hardships in life.

     Identity is one of the main questions throughout all of our readings, because it is hard for people to accept who they are in society. Accepting their identity as a minority with little if any freedoms

Furthermore, stereotypes are used to increase an individual’s self-esteem and strengthen their social identity. Social identity theory contributes largely to the formation of stereotypes, as it states that a person’s social identity is formed from being part of a group. To justify one’s own group, they often pick out real or imaginary differences and flaws in other groups and compare those to their own group (Ford & Tonander, 1998). This led Ford

Now, looking in an intersectional lens we would ask question like “ What are your aspirations? Where have you travelled? What really defines you?”. As a result, the answers represent multiple identities of a person, for example Bromley elaborates on this idea “For example, you might be living in Canada, in your first year of university, born in South Africa, a Buddhist, and struggling to pay for your living expenses, yet able-bodied and employed.” (Bromely. 47) What Bromley is trying to prove is that your ethnicity, sex, gender, class and able-ism does not define you, but it is where you have been, what you have done, and the experiences you have ventured through which truly shapes who we are. In other words, every individual is unique, and complex due to their multiple identities; Bromley goes into detail that these characteristics make us who we are “ Rather, our complexity lies in the ways in which our multiple identities simultaneously create our whole selves” (Bromely. 48) To understand it better I justified the characteristics which created my identity. Personally, when people look at me, they probably think of me as a white girl, who lives in Mississauga, but, I do not define as that, yes,

Each and every person on this Earth today has an identity. Over the years, each individual creates their identity through past experiences, family, race, and many other factors. Race, which continues to cause problems in today’s world, places individuals into certain categories. Based on their race, people are designated to be part of a larger, or group identity instead of being viewed as a person with a unique identity. Throughout Richard Wright’s Black Boy, Richard is on a search for his true identity. Throughout Black Boy, one can see that Richard’s racial background assigns him with a certain identity or a certain way in which some

Throughout my life, certain identities have remained consist. And these identities have come to shape my perspectives and my needs and wants within American culture. Typically, my social

My pre-adolescent years were spent in a community thick with diversity. My friendships were as diverse as the environment in which I lived. It never struck me that racial and ethnic ideals separated people in society. However, upon moving to a predominately white upper-class community I began to question such racial and ethnic ideas. From my adolescent years through today I began noticing that certain people are viewed differently for reasons relating to race and ethnicity. As a result, the most recent community I grew up in has kept me sheltered from aspects of society. As a product of a community where majorities existed, I found myself unexposed to the full understanding of race and ethnicity. Prior to the class I had never fully dealt with issues of race or ethnicity, as a result I wondered why they would be of any importance in my life.

Who are you? Who am I? These are questions that we all ponder at some point or another in our lives. As human beings we are seemingly inundated with the desire to classify and categorise. We are constantly defining and analysing the differences that we observe in the world, it seems only natural that we would apply this method of classification to our position within our society. More specifically, we want to understand our social identities and this can be achieved by acknowledging which groups we identify most with.

The presences of stereotypes are overwhelming and are developed by both the environment a subject is raised in and their family. Stereotypes, which are pervasive throughout different societies, become intertwined in the collective values of the society as justification for all forms of social, economic, and political inequality among groups (Devine and Elliot 2000;Kaplan 2004; Operario and Fiske 2004). As people become more exposed to stereotypes they start to become a permanent part of a person’s life, they begin to stereotype themselves almost always involuntarily.

The following paper will discuss two of the major dimensions of my cultural identity, and analyze the way in which my identity holds privileges, or has exposed me to oppression. Being that I am white, I have lived a life of privilege simply because of the color of my skin. I have been afforded opportunities, and lived a life free from persecution due to my skin color. I have also lived a life that has been impacted by oppression because of my female identity. This unique position between privilege and oppression is where I live my life.

Our identity can sometimes be shaped by the way others see us. As we have seen, the way in which others view us can have some sort of impact on how we see ourselves. There are also other contributing factors such as our years of adolescence, the basic human need of wanting to belong and maturing; all play an equally important part in the forming of our character and who we are. On balance it appears that there is not only one influence in the shaping of our identity, but there are many.

. As people grow older and realize their racial, religious, and cultural groups, they tend to differentiate themselves from other groups. The main reason we develop stereotypes is because it is just human nature for us to categorize people. Stereotypes are a way to simplify groups of people and establish identities, especially when one doesn’t know much about the group (“Overcoming Stereotypes”).