Identity Theory : The Body Theory Of Personal Identity

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

For centuries philosophers have engaged themselves into conversations and arguments trying to figure out the nature of a human person; this has lead to various theories and speculation about the nature of the human mind and body. The question they are tying to answer is whether a human being is made of only the physical, body and brain, or both the physical or the mental, mind. In this paper I will focus on the mind-body Identity Theory to illustrate that it provides a suitable explanation for the mind and body interaction.

No matter how much a person desires to live according to their personal autonomy, he or she will never escape the influence of societal forces. Explicitly or subtlety, these forces shape our individuality. One intriguing manner that these societal forces manifests itself in is our name. As Ruth Graham writes, “It’s becoming increasingly clear today that names carry a wealth of information about the world around us, the family we arrived in, the moment we were born—and that they mark us as part of cultural currents bigger than we realize.” Names alone provide evidence that individuals are made by interactions with social institutions and groups. Ultimately, the inescapable nature of society’s influence demands individuals to ponder how much personal autonomy is actually autonomous and to what extent does the pursuit of personal autonomy lead to a life of emptiness and vanity.

     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

Stereotypes have been around since the beginning and continue to hurt the lives of certain people in society. Due to stereotypes and prejudice made by certain people, the author, Evan Hunter, successfully demonstrated through the story “On the Sidewalk Bleeding” the consequences of stereotyping. The story focuses on a sixteen year old boy named Andy, and his last moments being alive after being stabbed by a rival gang known as the Guardians. Andy was stereotyped because of his purple jacket that identified him as a member of the Royals. While he is reflecting on his life, four people come by but do not take the time to help. The drunk man

Consciousness is the heart of free will and intent, it is responsible for the ability of a person to choose. With that said, it is my belief that defining personal identity relies on both bodily and mental continuity.

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.

A person is a thinking thing that has reason and reflection and thinks of itself as the same thinking thing over time.  John Locke, an English philosopher argued that what makes a person able to identify themselves through time is continuity of one's memories and not the substance of the body.  Bernard Williams, another English philosopher criticized Locke's theory of personal identity through his body switching experiment.  William's argued that personal identity is found on the body and continuity of one's memories isn't necessary for personal identity.  I am going to argue that personal identity is found on continuity of one's memories by presenting Locke's view of personal identity, presenting William's criticism of Locke's theory through his body switching experiments, and providing my own reasons on why personal identity can be found on continuity of one's memories and not the substance of the body.

I am Sudanese by ethnicity and heritage, a Saudi Arabian by birth, and a Nebraskan by chance and fortune. I was born in Jeddah, a city in western Saudi Arabia. Within a few years, we moved to Sudan to be close to our relatives during what was then a difficult time for our family. However, my father remained due to work commitments, and we would yearly visit him during summer. In my parting of the red sea, as I traveled between Saudi Arabia and Sudan, my identity would toggle between an expatriate and a native.

Imagine that one night you end up sleepwalking and end up killing someone. Sounds crazy doesn’t it? Things like this have actually happened. “There are now 68 known cases of "homicidal somnambulism. (BBC)”. Homicidal somnambulism is the act of murdering someone while in the state of sleepwalking. The legal argument for this has been that the defendant was not in their normal state of mind while this has happened and therefore cannot be blamed for such a crime.

Identity theory traces its root in the writing of G.H Mead, the American philosopher, sociologist and psychologist who says that the image or the feeling that a person creates for him or herself in a particular society is the result of other’s vision, which is created daily and is subjected to change. Richard Jinkens, the sociologist describes that social identity means who we are and who the others are and on the other hand what the other thinks about themselves and others. Further, Mead elaborates that a person in a particular society has two identities and which are self-identity and social identity. The self-identity is the cognition that a person has about him or herself and the social identity is the reflection of the accepted values that a person has in the society. Social Identity theory is enabling a person to answer his question of what I am and who I am based on his group membership. This is basically a line between oneself and the alien. In this assignment I will discuss the brief biography of the developers of the social identity theory, the definition of the theory, aspects of the theory, a case study, the critics and future application.

Individuals have a sense of who he or she is. For example, I am a male human who is 20 years old. I have blue eyes and brown hair. I have experiences and memories of past experiences. I have a collection of beliefs, ethics, memories that have given me a

Everybody has an identity, it makes them individual and unique, and it defines who you are as a person. This project about my identity showed me what makes me unique. I would have never known how much my friends mean to me or how my identities connect with each other. I have three identities that make me who I am, cultural, personal, and social. A specific quality that covers my cultural identity is being Czechoslovakian. Both sides of my family have at least a part of Czech in them. My great-grandparents are from Czech Republic and my grandpa was the first generation in America, he was born in Ohio. This is very important because I have always identified as Czech and it is a big part of me, as I am so interested in ancestry. For my personal identity, the biggest part is my personality, being loud and outgoing, has always been important to me. The reason being, it is how people view me. A lot of people know me as the loud person or the person who talks a lot. That is meaningful to me considering I like people to view me in a certain way The last identity, social, is one of the most important to me because it involves my friends, and through this project, I learned how vital they really are to my social identity. I realized that I have a good amount of friends in this project. It is nice to have people as a support system and to relate with. These qualities show that I value being loud and outgoing. It also says that I value my family and they are a big part of life. The last one, social, ties in with the first one because it shows I am outgoing and friendly.

Self-Identity is awareness of the question “Who am I?” There are many aspects that contribute to one’s self-identity, from race, religion, ethnicity, nationality, gender, culture, etc. Culture is a social concept of the social behavior and norms found in society. it can help shape our personal identity. For instance, I am Nigerian-American. I was born and raised in the United States, but my family is all Nigerian. I have the cultural influence from Nigerians its shown in the foods I eat, the way I dress, and even speak to others. But also because I was born here, American culture has also influenced the way I eat, dress, and talk. Both cultures are intertwined with one another. Since we humans are social beings, our knowledge, behavioral patterns, and beliefs all come from the social group that we are surrounded by. Our choice of clothing, career choice, relationships, are all influenced by social surroundings. Hence culture playing a huge role in our self-identity.

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.