Indivdual's Identity

Identity is within all of us. Without it, we would be nothing. It determines just about any personality trait, habit or manner one can think of. That humans have such varied attitudes is intriguing, but where does identity come from? People identify themselves using not only qualities within them, but through culture and family as well.

Identity in a sociological sense is more than individual genetics or individuality. Self identity is made up by many characteristics including; our personal experiences, beliefs, socio-economic status and other factors. Society plays a huge role in determining identity, although true identity generally isn’t a true reflection of an individual’s self identity. Over the generations there have been

“’Identity has been increasingly used to refer to the social and historical make-up of a person, personality as a construct. Sometimes such identities are conceived narrowly psychological, individualist terms, as the cumulative result of personal experience and family history”

Identity is what makes the individual. The uniqueness, such as specific traits ranging from religious to intelligence. Despite having the same parents, even siblings have different identity. One sibling might posses more intellectual, and athletic traits than the other, while the other one is complete opposite. But having this unique set of traits is what makes us as an individuals. It’s what distinguishes between you and the world. If everyone would have had the same identity then we would not have evolved. We would have not discovered all these scientific achievements throughout history. There wouldn’t be all-stars or hall of fame sports athletes in history. Having different qualities as an individual is what sets you apart and makes up the person you are today. Of course, you might ask yourself, why do I hold these specific set of traits or why do I act this way?

IF indivs act towards objects on the basis of the meanings associated with those objects; identities reflect the set of meanings that indivs attach to self as a social object

“Identity is not a bunch of cubby holes…..Identity is a river is a process..the changes of the river are external (changes in environment-river bed, weather) and internal (within the waters)... changes in identity likewise are external (how others perceive one and how one perceives others and the world) and internal (how one perceives oneself, self image)” (Anzaldua

A person’s identity is shaped by many different aspects. Family, culture, friends, personal interests and surrounding environments are all factors that tend to help shape a person’s identity. Some factors may have more of an influence than others and some may not have any influence at all. As a person grows up in a family, they are influenced by many aspects of their life. Family and culture may influence a person’s sense of responsibilities, ethics and morals, tastes in music, humor and sports, and many other aspects of life. Friends and surrounding environments may influence a person’s taste in clothing, music, speech, and social activities. Personal interests are what truly set individuals apart. An individual is not a puppet

Moreover, as an individual grows up from being a child, they receive cultural values from the family or the society around. There are questions raised on matters dealing with identity: Can an individual choose his or her own

This essay is about identity and analyzing identity from all aspects in nature. I have a strong understanding on identity and how one’s identity can be derived from oneself and their surroundings. I am aware of such altercations because I myself am constantly changing my identity in order to fit in with different groups. For this reason I support the idea that society alters our identities and ultimately shapes the people that we are. For this reason my commentary on the essay will have more support on general ideas then the essay itself because I understand identity better on my own and without the support from the short stories. I plan to open this essay with a strong hook and a solid thesis statement that will continue to support my work throughout this essay. Due to the fact that I am writing this essay in one sitting and will not be able to add more ideas later I will unfortunately leave out salient ideas and thoughts that won’t occur to me now but will become more evident as I continue to ponder the idea of identity. As long as I get out my main ideas and support them with evidence from the text I will have a solid piece of work completed on identity.

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

In most case, identity is shaped by culture. Since culture is a set of ideals life practices, routines and attitudes set up by a certain community hence culture plays a major role in shaping the identity of an individual. An individual’s character and attributes can be because of their background. This is due to the set up that one has grown up (Dumas 19). People tend to learn more about their culture, and as they grow up it becomes part of them. They embrace the culture’s beliefs and tend to do things following the set routines. The aspect of following the set routine and beliefs play a significant part in shaping the identity of an individual.

One’s identity is who or what a person is and how they are perceived by themselves and others. Your identity defines who you are and where you fit in. It is a self-representation of your interests, relationship, social activity and much more. Some believe our sense of identity and belonging is shaped by various factors, including our experiences, relationships, and our environments. Conversely, others believe that personality is shaped by nature, and that one is defined by their biological characteristics and hereditary traits passed down from previous generations. Nevertheless a combination of both nature and nurture shapes us throughout life. For a majority of the population their journey to find their identity and belonging can often

Though identity suggests to an aspect of individuality it is really a result of socialization. Identity is how we see

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

True identity and purpose come only when an individual’s natural abilities are accepted, cultivated and directed towards mutually beneficial ends instead of destructive ones. In the film Predestination directed by Peter and Michael Spierig and the short story “Identities” written by W.D Valgardson, both have irony and the similar theme that humans are assuming identity more then discovering it. In both stories we see how biology is different than identity, which supports that who you are born to be, is different then who you become. In the two narratives both protagonists’ personal identities are in conflict with societies assumptions and conflict with their own predetermined biology.