Essay on Identities and Individualism: Youth cultures

The key issue of identity is addressed and how history as well as culture can be at the core of one’s identity, thus, this can be related to the health and physical education studies of the influence of identity. In year 8 students will complete a unit where they examine how traditions and cultural practices influence personal and cultural identities (Australian Curriculum , 2017).

Stuart Hall defines identity as an ‘already accomplished fact, which the new cultural practices then represent’. We should think instead of ‘identity as a ‘production’ which is never complete, always in process, and always constituted within, not outside, representation’ (Hall 1994 p.392). An individual’s sense of belonging to a particular group, thinking, feelings and behaviour can also be referred to as identity. One’s cultural image can construct identity; such features as hair, skin tone and height. History shapes our identity.

In modern-day society, there are numerous people who take pleasure in separating themselves from the typical standards of society; however, there are also people who feel uncomfortable expressing themselves in the own, distinctive ways. Because they feel this way, many adolescents believe that by camouflaging themselves into their peer’s behaviors and beliefs that they will fit in with social norm, accepted beliefs and behaviors in a social group or society, and the reason why they have this mentality, is because of the lack of confidence to express their ideas in their own unique ways. The belief that students and kids have to live up to social norms, are implemented on them by social influences, more specifically, their peers.

The life transitions are the major changes that occur throughout individual’s lifespan. Adolescence is often classified as one of the most challenging and significant stage during life transition. In this phrase, the individuals not only developing physical and sexual maturation but also experiencing the development of identity and transitions into social and economic independence (WHO, 2014). This essay will discuss the different concept of self-identity for adolescents, the important predictable and unpredictable elements during the transition, as well as the nurses’ role in relation to adolescence care.

Phoenix and Pattynama, (2006) ‘Identities in everyday life’ in Taylor,S., Hinchliffe, S., Clarke,J. and Bromley, S. (eds) Making Social Lives, Milton Keynes, The Open University.

The life pursuits and subjective judgments of many contemporary young people indicate that the transition to adult roles has become so delayed and prolonged that it has spawned a new transitional period extending from the late teens to the mid-to late-twenties, called emerging adulthood. During the college years, young people often refine their approach to forming their own identity. In these years, young people have left adolescence, but most have not yet assumed adult responsibilities. Many have dreams and those are what guides them in their decision making. In the video, 22 year old Casey describes her dream and comments on her identity development. Casey says that she became interested in Psychology in high school during her junior year when she took a psych course. She knew from then on that was what she wanted to do, but she hadn't picked a career yet. Casey said that she picked a career during her first year of graduate school, when she decided on gerontology. She said her happy and active grandparents had a lot to do with picking a career and wanting to work with the population. Casey thinks her identity was a gradual process and it's only really formed since last year. She feels her parents helped shape her morals and beliefs, but in between her senior year and her first year of graduate school, she started to form her own and integrated some of her own ideas. 24 year old Elizabeth and 25 year old Joel are shown discussing

The unit of work will start by exploring how individual identity is built up of a combination personal experiences and social experiences. The context of this unit of work is that it starts after students have started to develop a sense of what their personal identity in previous lessons. The lessons now start to look away from the micro and more towards the meso through understanding the role of location as identity, particularly issues like nationalism and global citizenship. This lesson was left in the unit of work because it shows a lesson where students of different cultural backgrounds can contribute to the discussion in their own way. Students have room to argue that through the process of globalisation their family may have moved to Australia and this experience is a change in their identity while an equally valid argument can be made that because of

One of the theorists to investigate the development of identity would be Erik Erikson. According to Erikson (1968), throughout an individual’s life-span, they experience conflicts. These conflicts arise at certain points in life and need to be successfully resolved for the progression in to the next of Erikson’s eight stages (Sigelman & Rider, 2015). The specific stage relevant to the development of identity formation in adolescence would be the ‘identity versus role confusion’ stage. Identity development involves exploring options and making commitments to obtain a relatively stable self-perception (DeHaan & MacDermid, 1996). In contrast, role confusion occurs when individuals are not able to commit specific life choices (DeHaan & MacDermid,

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

Identity V. Role Confusion It is the crisis we as adolescents experience when trying to find our identity in society.I know I have .Over the years, found myself changing a lot . I was trying to figure out who I was and how I fit in.

Establishing an identity has been called one of the most important milestones of adolescent development (Ruffin, 2009). Additionally, a central part of identity development includes ethnic identity (ACT for Youth, 2002). While some teens search

Erik Erikson once said, “In the social jungle of human existence, there is no feeling of being alive without the sense of identity”. This is a unique quote which can help us individuals to understand the broader world and how identity is exceptionally important. The text studied in class this year have emphasised the great importance of understanding identity and how it is a tool which can aid to empower individuals in the various text, which has broadened my individual’s understanding of world. Texts which will be discussed in this presentation will be the visual text; Bran nue dae, written text; the dreamers, The Secret River and also the anthology, the Turning by Tim Winton. In Dreamers, Language and cultural knowledge is important for shaping identity which can eventually lead indigenous Australians to receive a sense of self-worth and pride with their identity. In the film, Bran nue dae, we are also able to visualize how the realisation of what his identity is in the world, it empowers individuals especially Willie to go out in the wide world and chase for his own dreams and not be held back by the society’s expectations.

This essay is a reflective essay on my learning development from a young age through to my current position as a University Student. I will be relating my learning development back to two theories of human development, Vygotstsky’s socio-cultural theory and Marcia’s version of Erikson’s theory of identity development. I will identify and discuss the challenge I have faced with my identity and how this has impacted on my development.

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.

In recent years, identity has been open to discussion and reflection. One's identity has now been subject to change. There are still major cultural categories of identity, for example: