Influence On Identity

Everybody have many things that shape their identities, such as family, friends, religion, culture and race. For example, in the book the girl who fell from the sky by Durrow, Rachel is bi-racial, so she was influenced by her mother who was Danish and her father who was African-American. Rachel started to become aware of her identity when she moved with her grandmother, then when she first started going to school. Understanding her identity impacted her personality as she said, “I learn that black people don’t have blue eyes. I learn that I am black. I have blue eyes” (Durrow

The formation of our own personal identities often begins at birth. As you grow up, your parents are a major influence on you. They teach you many things and help to shape your personal identity. They teach you the basics, from knowing right from wrong with your basic moral values. Your moral values are often built upon the basic morals your parents have and what they have taught you in return.

According to Salmon, 1985 (Salmon 1985, p171), development and change are not limited to childhood but continue throughout our lives. It is however argued that personal identities are similar to social identities, and include group or collective identities.

Outside influences have a strong capability to influence and alter our personal identity. Both directly and indirectly, the social contexts in which we live can change the way we think and feel, and by extension how we interact with other people and places. Immediate family, friendship groups and the physical environment are all factors which contribute to our ever changing perceptions of ourselves. Sometimes personal identity can be subtly reshaped over a gradual time frame, as our sense of who we are is modified without personal recognition that we are changing. At other times we may be able to notice our personal identity changing, through important life decisions.

There are many factors that shape us into who we are, and who we will become. Some of these factors we can control, while others we cannot. While we are born into many traits of our identities, much of our other behavior is learned. My identity, for example, is “based not only on responses to the question ‘Who am I?’ but also on responses to the question ‘Who am I in relation to others?’” (Allen, 2011, p. 11). My identity and the question of who I am, are both influenced by many aspects of my life, including my hometown, my family, my friends, and my beliefs and moral values.

Initially, I think that the main aspect of our childhood that shapes ourselves is a family. Everything starts from our families because our families are the environments where we say our first words; a family is a place where we start walking and at the same time, it is the place where we start learning

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

According to Erikson, the development of the lifespan is a lifelong process from birth to death and includes the formation of identity (Broderick & Blewitt, 2010). I will cover in the paper six life events that influence my identity development from childhood to middle adulthood. Each life event will be explained based on the significance of the event as well as the impact the event had on my development. Also, theories will be discussed as they relate to my development.

beliefs. Sober uses the example of lightning. He points out that according to the Greeks,

Scientific research has it that, beliefs, traits and emotions can be factors inherited from parents through the DNA. The memory of an event experienced by a grandparent could be passed through generations. This means that there exist certain identity traits in the genes of an individual. Images of violence or shows that are less empowering could have a certain negative amount of influence in self-identity. A grown up also faces pressure from family and community beliefs, which make them put on a different piece of identity from their own.

Social identity theory, it is a person’s sense that is based around the group they are in, either by their personal identity or with different kinds of social identities. That is, people will try to improve their own image of themselves. The theory was proposed by Henri Tajfel. People can increase their self-esteem by both their own achievement and interaction with a successful group of people. This shows the importance of social belonging. This theory is based around three mental processes, social categorization, social identification and social comparison.

Whenever I receive a test back from one of my classes, I always bring it home to show my parents. Sometimes, my parents make me feel inadequate by pointing out all my careless mistakes and my missed opportunities. Although I realize that my parents are only doing this to motivate me to achieve more, it’s still hard not to feel preoccupied about why my parents just won't accept the fact that you can't always be excellent. In certain situations, I tend to compare myself to other people, which makes me feel even worse. In my life, the individual who helps me show my potential is my mother. She tends to judge me; in any case, I am thankful for that as it brings the best out of me. Through her guidance, she has helped me turn into the person I am today.

Starting from my first days of life, my parents did everything to please me; additionally, they always tried to do their best to develop my literacy skills and help me to become smarter. I always loved learning and each time when they made up some game or a new interaction, it was great fun to play. I had no idea that learning could be challenging because each task that they offered was easy to accomplish and absolutely doable for me. I grew up knowing that there was no process more exciting than learning. Besides, at the back of my mind, I was convinced that every new thing I learned was changing me for better. When I became a schoolboy, my parents were pleased whenever my grades were excellent. I wanted them to feel pleased and happy all the time. At the beginning, I strived to get an A to deserve some reward; for instance, getting some ice cream seemed to be a sufficient motivation for me to learn a long text or do loads of assignments. However, later on, I started getting delighted just because when I managed to learn something new, my knowledge made me

Third, my parents’ parenting style influenced strongly what I am now. They had democratic parenting style. Therefore, I could discuss with my parents even something which they did not want me to do. Also, they set some reasonable rules which I should follow, and whenever they made rules they explained me why they made such rules. They advised me when I was depressed; however, they have never forced me what to do. Throughout my experience with my parents, I could understand the importance of independence and taking responsibility of my choice. Also, because they did not force their opinions, I could develop my own identity without many conflicts.

I am a simple minded person. I like to do thing as simple as possible. When I was growing up my parents use to help me study and do my home works. When my parents help me do my home works the help me how they were helped, they will try to explain the problems and If I don’t get it they will smack me on the head. It was not a great method but it worked. I started listening in class and try to understand everything before I get home so when my parent helps me do my homework I won’t get smacked on the head. This cycle went on until I got to fourth grade, when my parent stopped helping me, they though they have guided me to the right path and they don’t have to worry about me anymore. They assumed I will discern the right from wrong, how little they know.