Core Concepts Of Identity Paper

Identity is a group of characteristics, data or information that belongs exactly to one person or a group of people and that make it possible to establish differences between them. The consciousness that people have about themselves is part of their identity as well as what makes them unique. According to psychologists, identity is a consistent definition of one’s self as a unique individual, in terms of role, attitudes, beliefs and aspirations. Identity tries to define who people are, what they are, where they go or what they want to be or to do. Identity could depend on self-knowledge, self-esteem, or the ability of individuals to achieve their goals. Through self-analysis people can define who they are and who the people around them

The acquiring of this knowledge is what leads to us gaining our identity. Social action theorists suggest that there are three main parts to our identity. The first of these parts is the things that make us individual, such as name, signature and photograph. The second aspect is social identity, which is made up of the personality characteristics that are associated with our role in society. For example, I am seen as an older brother, which society may make me out to be annoying and protective of my younger sibling, but I am also seen as a student, who is perceived to be hard-working and well-behaved. The final part of our identity is the concept of ‘self’, or what we think of ourselves, and how we think we play our respective roles.

     There are many aspects of identity in the poem “Sex without Love,” by Sharon Olds. I can relate my own thoughts to how the author views the subject that she talks about in this poem. There has been a situation in my own life where I was thinking to myself, just as the author was, “How do they do it, the ones who make love without love?” (Olds 740). Having been raised as a well-rounded and disciplined person, as well as religious, I know the discouragement of having premarital sex. It’s not just the immorality that these characters are experiencing that the author is talking about, but they probably have personal issues that have to do with a their self worth and identity. These

When looking at ones identity many thing can come in to play. Where are your family from? What are your religious believes? What is your place in society? These thing make up who someone is.

In the documentary, Identity: In & Beyond the Binary, the filmmaker interviewed people inquiring about how they self-identified. Some of the adults interviewed discussed their experiences with their gender identity as it pertained to their internal process, familial, and societal interactions. There were varied responses from the individuals interviewed and no formal assessments conducted, which makes me hesitant to take a stance on whether the individuals in the documentary fit the DSM-5 criteria for Gender Dysphoria Disorder, particularly because the individuals reported being negatively affected by stigma and the controversies surrounding if Gender Dysphoria should be considered a disorder. However, given the criteria in the DSM-5,

In regards, identity is shaped into an individual through the social trials of life that involve family and peers, the religious beliefs by the practice of certain faiths, and cultural awareness through family history and traditions. In life, identity comes from within one’s heart, as well, as their soul and from there, the true self have been

In general we differentiate between two “kinds” of identity. On the one hand there is the so called social identity, which stresses self-interpretation as a member of a certain social group and on the other hand there is the personal identity, which puts it´s emphasis on individuality and distinctiveness. This distinction is widely known as “patchwork-identity”. Both identities are only a subgroup of many different subjectively interpreted identities that everyone of us has innate.

The issue of whether identity is socially constructed or an innate characteristic remains a contested one. For some, identity is a product of the society, interactions, influence, and practices while for others, it is biological or rather primordial. At the very basic, identity is an essential personal characteristics as it encompasses the membership to different groups, including religion, gender, and ethnicity, the traits people show and what others ascribe to them (Newman 126). Identity locates people in the social world and influences all their actions, thoughts, and feelings. Several renowned thinkers and philosophers offer their

Identity is an internalized force existing deep in the folds and crevices of the mind and manifested externally through a myriad of appearances, actions, behaviors, and ideologies. The components that define an individual are numerous, interwoven, and developed within a complex yet porous and pliable framework. Language, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, experiences, culture, personality, religion, and even the perceptions of others are just a few characteristics that help to shape and reshape how individuals and groups view themselves and their place within the world. As mentioned above, religion, or its absence, is a crucial aspect of identity. For hundreds of years the indigenous people across Southeast Asia practiced forms

The world has become modern and global. Identification of the self is a complicated, though, an important problem of every individual. Self- identity is based on inner values and reflections on culture, politics and social interactions. The main point is that people label themselves to any particular group in the society (Worchel etc., 1998). According to Ferguson: “Identity commonly refers to which it makes, or is thought to make

In Amin Maalouf’s book “In the Name of Identity” Maalouf emphasizes that we should not judge people on one singular identity. He argues that, “Identity can’t be compartmentalized. You can’t divide it up into halves or thirds or any other separate segments. I haven’t got several identities: I’ve got just one, made up of many components in mixture that is unique to me, just as other people’s identity is unique to them as individuals.” The essence of Maalouf’s argument is that one should not define another based solely on a singular component of their identity but rather their identity as a whole.

In most case, identity is shaped by culture. Since culture is a set of ideals life practices, routines and attitudes set up by a certain community hence culture plays a major role in shaping the identity of an individual. An individual’s character and attributes can be because of their background. This is due to the set up that one has grown up (Dumas 19). People tend to learn more about their culture, and as they grow up it becomes part of them. They embrace the culture’s beliefs and tend to do things following the set routines. The aspect of following the set routine and beliefs play a significant part in shaping the identity of an individual.

"We all wear masks and the time comes when we cannot remove them without removing some of our skin." Wearing a mask has become part of our daily life, it is almost impossible to be yourself with everyone. The way you act around your mom will always be different than the way you behave in a conference. Our society demands that we present an identity that can be comfortably catalogued. You are expected to have an easily identifiable mask.

Whether it be a dragon, tribal marking, Asian character, or a simple phrase, thousands of people get tattoos daily. Tattoos play a significant role in self-expression and identity in the modern age as well as since ancient times. Tattoos can be just for fun, symbolic of heritage and ancestry, representative of accomplishments or life events, or can be just for style. For some people, it’s an expression of identity and personal beliefs. This is exactly the case for Leslie Jamison. She tells the story of her tattoo in “Mark My Words. Maybe.” On Jamison’s forearm, the latin phrase “homo sum: humani nil a me alienum puto”. In English, this is translated to “I am human: nothing human is alien to me” (Jamison 458). Throughout her story, she influences my understanding of identity. She does this by elaborating her personal reasons for the tattoo and how, despite criticisms, she stays true to it and even learns to accept and embrace it. I can now understand that identity can often times be hidden or disguised behind past experiences and can often be missed by bystanders. The presence of a meaningful tattoo gives a person the chance to literally where their heart on their sleeve and visually express who they are.

Throughout history, one important question has stood out to us as a species: what defines us? What makes a person who they are? Is it the way we look or act, or even what we eat? Andy Hinds, author of his own blog Beta Dad and contributor to the New York Times blog Motherlode categorizes his identity not by what he eats or wears, but by his differences from societal norms, namely his disinterest in sports. Likewise, Larry Lehna, University of Michigan-Dearborn graduate and accomplished author of an autobiography, uses his experiences after getting out of prison to portray how the change his environment and the views of others affected who he was. In a similar way, Dana Canedy, author of A Journal for Jordan; A Story of Love and Honor and editor at the New York Times, attempts to explain to her son the importance of embracing his culture and the dangers of rejecting it. These authors display the universal truth that identity is shaped by societal views, environment, and family history.