Identity Formation Research 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

Reciprocity is in fact a principle of international relations. This is evident as theories like, Mutually assured destruction (M.A.D.) have become prevalent. However it is also evident that the fear of reciprocal actions, do not consistently deter States actions. Take the current condition of Russia, the Ukraine, and the West collectively. Sanctions have been the reciprocal reaction to Russia"s involvement in Crimea, and yet Russia has not backed down. Likewise in this Utopia Pro has created; reciprocity, while a vital part on IR, is not consistently effective on its own and many nations would not be deterred by the threat of retaliation or trade

Identity. What is identity? One will say that it is the distinct personality of an individual. Others will say that identity is the behavior of a person in response to their surrounding environment. At certain points of time, some people search for their identity in order to understand their existence in life. 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. These are what shape the identity of an individual.

Identity has been defined in many ways. It is the concept used to describe an individual's sense of who he or she is (Dashefsky and Shapiro, 1976). Changes in identity occur throughout the life cycle, however, the changes in identity are usually most notable during adolescence. Integrating a positive sense of ethnic identity into one's overall personal identity is an important task of late adolescence (Steinberg, 1996).

As we grow up we must discover who we want to be and how we want to live, but the only way to do that is to discover our identity. Identity is the qualities, beliefs, personality, and expressions that make a person. The process of identity can be creative or destructive. Throughout literature, authors warn us that society has a damaging impact on our identities.

Each individual possesses an identity that makes him or her unique in their own special way. This identity is considered a marker that helps define and shape the person, even as they develop by means of age or wisdom. In addition to that, various factors, such as ethnicity, gender, religion, language, or culture, contribute to establishing one’s identity. Although each identity is different, Andrew Solomon acknowledges another difference amongst one’s identity. This difference depends on whether someone encompasses a horizontal identity or a vertical identity.

Identity is the collection of characteristics that a person has and how they choose to present themselves to the world. In Robin D. G. Kelly's, "The People in Me" the narrator, Kelly himself, discusses how growing up him and his family didn't fit the "media image" (Kelly 447). Kelly eloquently

Arizona State University is one of largest university in this country, it has large population of students. The students of this university from both domestic and international, it makes this university full of cultural diversity. It is the main reason of I chosen this university. The environment in ASU is huge different with the city where I came from, this situation makes me think my identity more frequently than before. I met some issues caused by cultural differences, during the process of I overcame difficulties, I also realized my identity has changed.

My name Dae’Sha Thomas and I am 17 years old going to Christ the King college preparatory high school. And my life was not as smooth as it should have been growing up. In my opinion I had no one to really look up to as a role model and so becoming my own person, and growing up fast had to happen for me.

Our lives consist of many items. Some of these items are meaningless. We just get them for no reason, but there are also items that have a lot of meaning. These items are critical in our lives because they can reveal our identities and personalities. Sometimes people don’t even know you, and they can tell what you are like by looking at your personal belongings. I know that I own some things that would reveal my identity and personality. My bottle of moisturizing lotion, my book in my backpack, and my music collection reveal my need of moisturized skin, my love of reading, and my addiction to music.

Erikson also noted that identity is not only developed by the individual but also, through interaction with, recognition and confirmation of friends and family. Showing how just like in particular Internet sites, children learn social competence through “cliques” and large crowds of people who impose various types of influences (Schöpflin). This concept relates back to two assumptions based on identity. “Identity” is currently used in two concurrent senses, one of which is “personal” and the other “social” (Schöpflin). In the first aspect of identity, an individual’s identity is some distinctive trait, or a fixed category, that that person views as socially significant but more-or-less unchangeable. In other words, an identity is given to you. One of the key principles of developmental psychology, applicable to personal identity change, is continuity and discontinuity. In simple terms, this discusses what changes and what stays the same within an individual over time. From the moment of birth to the last day of life, people change along numerous parallel pathways, including association, cognizance, social skills and emotion. Discontinuity occurs when differences between a person of one age and either earlier or subsequent ages appear rather brusquely rather than steadily. Discontinuity tends to be seen when children hit ‘milestones,’ like their first steps and words. Just the day prior, the child did not have these behaviors but they still emerged with little warning. Some

Current research and some implications for future research. First, social identity analysis can be fruitfully developed and expanded. As we have mentioned above, social identity analysis indicates that follow-up identification is an important regulator of leadership effectiveness, leading group prototyping and leading group orientation as important determinants of leadership effectiveness (Hogg, 2001; Hogg & Knippenberg, Hogg, 2003b) But also regulates the effect of leadership group prototype on leadership effectiveness, and is independent of the identity of followers. This result suggests that the cognitive closure of the followers of individual differences or a clear answer to the question of desire and avoidance of ambiguity with the group.

Identity refers to structured sense of self, which manipulates itself in threads of life (Burr, 2015). Figure 1 of Tūrangawaewae shows individuals identity can be classified under our age, our gender (male or female), the values and beliefs we share (religious or non- religious), the experiences ( good or bad), the people we surround ourselves with (friends and family), also not limited to, from our genetic inheritance (ancestors or parents). However, identity threads are not pre inherited but are pre-constructed idea influenced by social experiences (Kahu, 2015). I am a woman, 21 years of age, Christian by faith, Fijian Indian by ethnicity. I use mind set of goals to convey through my identity. For example, excelling

Many theorists see Identity as something that is solid and unchanging - something that is true to your inner-self. Others argue that your identity is something that is constantly changing and adapting, and something that requires commitment and action to sustain. Problems that occur with finding an identity lie in that people seek to be accepted into that new identity and be validated by others.

Identity is a word that is used very commonly and regularly by people in their daily life. Identity formation is a process of developing distinct, separate identity. “A person’s identity has many attributes. It is a representation of one’s unique personal experience, memory, ethnicity, culture, religious orientation, gender, occupational role, amongst various other factors. Erikson refers to identity as “some belief in the sameness and continuity of some shared world image.”Identity may be defined as one’s consciousness of one self and others’ perception of one’s individuality”, (Yamin, 2008).