How Narrative And Memory Influence Identity

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

What is personal identity? This question has been asked and debated by philosophers for centuries. The problem of personal identity is determining what conditions and qualities are necessary and sufficient for a person to exist as the same being at one time as another. Some think personal identity is physical, taking a materialistic perspective believing that bodily continuity or physicality is what makes a person a person with the view that even mental things are caused by some kind of physical occurrence. Others take a more idealist approach with the belief that mental continuity is the sole factor in establishing personal identity holding that physical things are just reflections of the mind.

In this paper, I will argue that the Memory Theory of Personal Identity is the closest to the truth. I will do so by showing that the opposing theories – Body and Soul Theories – have evident flaws and that the

Identity is defined as “the fact of being who or what a person or thing is” (Oxford University Press). Personal identity deals with questions that arise about ourselves by virtue of our being people. Some of these questions are familiar that happen to all of us every once in a while: What am I? When did I begin? What will happen to me when I die? There are many different categories that define us as people (Olson). Our Race, Class, and Culture define who we are so much that it affects how we should live our life.

As is often the case, the issue of identity recognizing is so much concerned that it has aroused a wide discussion. Some people see identity as one way they were viewed by other people, while others view identity as one way they seek a comfort zone that they fit the best. In taking carious factors into consideration, I reckon that Identity is a way that people seek satisfaction which fulfills their internal desire. The theme of identity could be seen in Forrest Gump(movie) and The sun also rises, in ways such as but not limited to stories of the protagonists, but also the actions they’ve shown. Though Ernest Hemingway argues that it’s what we experienced makes us who we are, and Robert Zemeckis（the director of Forrest Gump）argues that we were

Our identities are key to our understanding of the world. Mental models through which information is processed are built off of life experience, taught ethics and morals, and upbringing. Identity is discussed in the following texts - The Politics of Exile by Elizabeth Dauphinee, “Unlearning the Myth of American Innocence” by Suzy Hansen, and “Letter to America” by Aida Hozic - through various themes of American culture. Dauphinee, in particular, examines the depth of personal identity and its ability to change. All three works consider the many components of personal identity and its formation as well as its undoing.

In philosophy, the issue of personal identity concerns the conditions under which a person at one time is the same person at another time. An analysis of personal identity

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

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.

The way story telling shapes our identity is the way we want to be remembered, and that has to do a lot with the way we want people to see us. When retelling a story you feel and act a certain way because time has passed and you have time to reflect. I feel as if telling a story is only true when the event just happened and the memory is fresh in your mind. But not all memories have to be instant, repress memories I feel are valid because it’s something you choose to forget but later come back as if it just happened. The reason I say this is because after repeating a story that you originally had, the story changes and the meaning is lost because the memory is far back that you can’t remember. People have a major influence when retelling a

Throughout the years, identity as an idea has been explored invariably. These pieces make the viewer consider themselves, a place, or even a nation, through various different techniques.

There are various kinds of identity (individualized or shared) that people are expected to possess. (Hollinger, 2004) namely; personal identity which is known as a

Nevertheless, a considerable amount of work (cf. Arena and Arrigo, 2006; Mead, 1967; Stryker, 1981) exists in terms of how the individual self-identity is a process which is learnt through

The examination of identity should begin with the dynamics between “how we have been represented and how that bears on how we represent ourselves” (Hall & Du Gay, 1996, p.4). Identification and representation can be seen as the different sides of the same coin. If social psychology is to engage with the changing nature of identities in today’s world, the role of representations in the co-construction of identities must be addressed (Howarth,

In this regard, Wodak, De Cillia and Reisigl (1998:49) argue that Ricœur's philosophical theory of “narrative identity“ seems to be of particular importance, due to the fact, that a variety of scholars from a wide spectrum of disciplines appear to regard the conception of “identity“ as fixed and unchangeable. Furthermore, Wodak, De Cillia and Reisigl emphasis on the concept's intracicy and coherence. Therefore, Ricœur's philosophical theory of “narrative identity“ can serve as an approachable way to illuminate the conception of “identity“ in terms of its notion as being created.