How Does Identity Affect One's Identity?

An individual’s identity is a continual and dynamic process of narration in which both the individual and social partners are involved in “formulating, editing, applauding, and refusing various elements of the ever-produced narrative” (Humphreys & Brown, 2002). It is internalized and revised from a person’s “selective appropriation of past, present, and future” through introspection and interaction with social partners to create and maintain a coherent personal story (Miscenko & Day, 2015). There are multiple levels of identity that an individual may hold, and these levels interact and contribute to the way a person defines themselves.

What identity means to me is how a person or thing describes itself or is described. A person’s identity is based on their personality and who they are as a person. If a person is kind to other people and helps others this shows the person is caring so one of the person’s identity is that he/she is caring. People might identify themselves by saying that their compassionate, courageous, easygoing, determined, sensitive or even that their independent . Three words that identify me are that I am venturesome, ambitious, and athletic.

Identity is a socially and historically constructed concept. An individual learns about their own identity through interactions with family, peers, organizations, media, and educational institutions. Education and identity are two closely related topics. On average, most Americans will spend a fourth of their life in educational institutions. During this time period students are growing and maturing, but most importantly they are discovering themselves. Students realize their qualities, determine their morals, and establish their beliefs during this time of instruction. Undoubtedly, education forms and challenges a person’s identity throughout the years.

“We are not born knowing who we are or what our place is in the social landscape; we learn to be American or Japanese, male or female, husband or wife, or Amy, Richard, Micheal, Rachel, or Rebecca.” Our identities are constructed by this “social landscape”. The social construction of identity takes place by living life through first hand experiences and through certain social circumstances. Amartya Sen says,” Classification is certainely cheap, but identity is not. More interestingly, whether a particular classification can plausibly generate a sense of identity or not must depend on the social circumstances.” Identity is a complex matter but can be defined in simple terms. It is who you are. Your personality, the way you act in response to

Personal identity is essential in the human experience. Identity is complex and can be broken down into two main groups: introspective identity, and bodily identity. Introspective identity is based off of the groups, mentalities, or beliefs that you align yourself with, and bodily identity is based off of the physical side of yourself. Whether physical or introspective, your identity impacts every action you take. Whether choices ranging from what colors you prefer to which college you want to attend are primarily based off of your introspective identity, which is a combination of both memory and consciousness, physical identity impacts how others perceive you. Consciousness is mainly the awareness of bodily identity as well as continuous introspective identify, while memory is awareness of introspective identity. These two different facets of identity are imperative in the distinction between bodily identity and introspective identity. In means of personal identity introspective identity (which is evident in memory), is essential, while bodily identity (based partially in consciousness) has less credit.

Dr. Wendy Ostroff’s lecture on identity was taken on a more psychological and developmental science perspective. Rather than having a powerpoint, she demonstrated pictures and the stories behind them, more about the type of research behind each. By the end of the lecture, she presented an animated video with a general view. The main point of Dr. Ostroff’s lecture was that we are not fixed on our identity, we are changing every single day and we are still learning about ourselves.

A person’s identity describes them based on how they identify. This can be anything from race and gender, to handedness and political affiliation. Some identities are more oppressed than others. In STEM there are single disadvantaged statuses,

In the novel Americanah written by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, it can be agreed that the author has used characters such as Ifemelu and Obinze and the issues that they face throughout their lives in order to discuss certain situations that society faces. Situations that affect ones relationships and identity in terms of how you see yourself as a person with the status that society has given you.

As I continue to read Jean Anyon’s descriptions of the four different curriculum structures, I become more and more convinced that throughout my high school experience up until now it was more working class and middle class. Being a running start student and last quarter being my first quarter in college I had an incident that I can easily see why it would be difficult for someone with working and middle class conditioning to attend college. I had a class that we were asked to think critically, the majority of our assignments were also based of critical thinking. It was something so new to me because I was already accustomed to doing the simple list summary. For the first few assignments I struggled and in times it could be frustrating because

Identity formation begins in childhood but continues through adolescence (Chaplin & John, 2007; Erikson, 1970). The formation of identity is not something that occurs in isolation; it occurs in conjunction with the expectations, norms, and values of the community (Eriskon, 1970; Mead 1934). In forming identity, there is a subjective sense of self, as well as an observable quality of being the same as others in one’s community (Erikson, 1970; Mead, 1934).

Identity has a double sense, it can refer to one’s self, a personal identity; but at the same time can also be socially constructed.

All the experiences that create a life have the potential to shape and change an individual's identity. Looking back at vague memories, particularly of childhood, one aspect is clear. In life, the greatest impact on one's personality and identity are the guidance of their family, especially their parents. My life was greatly shaped by the influence of my parents, including my attitude, lifestyle and overall goals. They helped assist me in decision-making until I had the comprehension skills to formulate agreeable resolves. They taught me basic societal rules and behaviors, enabling me to become socially knowledgeable. These and millions of other ideas and beliefs were taught to me at a young age and helped shape who I am now. These cultural

Identity is what evolves us, it is what makes us think the way we do, and act the way we act, in essence, a person’s identity is their everything. Identity separates us from everyone else, and while one may be very similar to another, there is no one who is exactly like you; someone who has experienced exactly what you have, feels the way you do about subjects, and reacts the same to the events and experiences you have had. This became prevalent to me as I read through many books, that everyone goes through the process of finding who they are. A prevalent theme throughout literature is the idea that over time one develops their identity through life over time, in contrast to being born with one identity and having the same

As students’ progress in the academic system, they also develop a sense of identity, belonging, and individuality. The feeling of belonging to a certain group plays a role in their existence. The definition of identity according to Hernandez in her work “Diversity Pedagogy” states, “…information used to acquire a sense of self and group membership is determined by the biological, cultural, ethical, social, psychological, and political factors in one's socialization process” (Hernandez). Identities are created through a variety of reasons depending on the kind of background their childhood stage was developed in. In a classroom setting, students may feel like they have a certain reputation to uphold. However, this may differ from their identity outside of the school setting. In addition, having differential personalities inside and outside of the classroom, teaching styles can also have an enormous impact on student learning. Sometimes, a teacher must readjust their teaching style to fit the background of their students and the environment they are learning in. Educators should keep in mind of their students’ character and background when creating a lesson procedure. So that the lessons may apply to the students personally and give real life implications to their daily activities, be it inside or outside the classroom.

Many people question themselves, what is it exactly that makes them unique? What is it that defines them as a unique person that no one in the world possesses? In philosophy, these questions do not have just one answer, and all answers are correct depending on which theory appeals most and makes sense to you. In general, there are two ways people approach this question, some say that a person’s identity is the “self” that carries all of their experiences, thoughts, memories, and consciousness (ego theorists), and some say that a person’s identity is just a bundle of experiences and events that a person has been through in their life, these people deny that the “self” exists (bundle theorists). In this paper, I will be arguing that a person’s identity is just a bundle of experiences, denying the self and the memory criterion.