Reflection About My Personal Identity

To understand Locke’s concept of personal identity it is necessary to understand what he means by identity and what he means specifically by personal identity. Locke states there are three substances that we have ideas of and that have identities. He defines idea in Essay concerning Human Understanding as “whatsoever is the object of the understanding when a man thinks” (Essay, chapter 1, section 8). That is to say that an idea, to Locke, is the basic unit of human thought. Identity is based off of comparison of these ideas in different times and places.

Which has more of an impact on ourselves, how we define ourselves or how we react to how everyone else sees and treats us? Most settle for labels in order to establish everyone's identity, but oftentimes those labels only describe stereotypes and don't characterize any nuances or variations that could be found in that label. In this day and age, there are constantly new labels and endless prefixes being added to our public discourse, much to the chagrin of many who think adding these words is unnecessary and too politically correct. We may not need these new “P.C.” terms to validate our personal identities to ourselves, but they can be helpful when maneuvering ourselves with the rest of the world.

It was not until this year that I began to get a sense of who I was as an individual. Instead of forming my own identity, I relied on the standards of those around me to define myself. Although I as a person am still pursuing my ideal character, I now realize that my identity is not what others make of me, but of what I make of myself.

Being an Asian American attending a highly lauded university I may be considered brainy, but at the university my intelligence is perceived based on my GPA and test scores. When I sat in my classroom I am surrounded by endless high caliber, intelligent Asian American students. I have never thought of myself as being highly intelligent or naturally gifted, but I do visualize my identity as someone who works hard to achieve my goals paired with a strong work ethic. It’s a challenge balancing school, work, and being able to take care of family as well. At the university my beliefs and work ethic aligns congruently, although at times I question whether I belong here. I was never a straight A student in high school, in fact when I was in high school

Personal Identity deals with philosophical questions that arise about ourselves by virtue of our being people. Man must have a relation in order to thrive in an abundant communal environment, in this essay I will be talking about identity and purpose, and how my experiences have shaped my identity and shaped my belief on the telos of humanity. The telos is related to my personal beliefs.

Identities are largely derived from the roles individuals play within society. When I think about my identity as an individual I predominantly think about external factors such as my gender or skin colour. For me, being largely a part of the dominant culture within Australia, I found it increasingly difficult to reflect on what has made me the person I am today.

If persons persist over time then by what criteria do we determine their identity at different times? This is the issue of personal identity over time which continues to plague philosophers. What is it that allows me to say I am the same person today as I was yesterday or I will be tomorrow? Am I actually the same person? There has been no general consensus on the answer to this question. However many have proposed solutions to this question. When it comes to this hard problem of why persons last or persist over time there are two opposing points of view points. There is the perdurance or four dimensionalism view, which maintains that objects persist as a series of temporal parts that are simply related to each other. The other view is that of endurance which states that objects endure over time by being wholly present at each and every time they exist and must be numerically identical to each other in order to be the same thing, in such a way that they are one and the same.

My purpose is to show my individuality and to express myself. This is for others including myself, to see and to remind us that our identity is very complex.

John Locke talks about personal identity. In additionally, he also speaks of the survival of conscious after the demise of an individual. Locke also examines the criterion of personal identity though time. The norm specifies insofar. Locke maintains that personal identity is a matter of psychological continuity. Locker vividly considered personal self to be founded under consciousness, instead of substance of the soul or the body.

“When you go through hell, your own personal hell, and you have lost - loss of fame, loss of money, loss of career, loss of family, loss of love, loss of your own identity that I experienced in my own life - and you've been able to face the demons that have haunted you... I appreciate everything that I have”(Cassidy). The current definition of identity is: “the distinguishing character or personality of an individual” (“Identity”). David Cassidy would strongly disagree with this. David understood how harsh life could be and how it could shape who you are. The true definition of identity is the way your past forms your personality.

The definition of identity development is, "developing a sense of knowing who you are as a person and who you are in relation to others."(Stoppa, 2014). This form of development is a very important process during adolescence on the journey from childhood to adulthood, and one that I have also experienced, specifically, in the domains of vocation, religious beliefs, and beliefs about marriage/partnership.

Identity, an ambiguous idea, plays an important part in today’s world. To me identity can be defined as who a person is or what differentiates one person from another. Identity would be a person’s name, age, height, ethnicity, personality, and more. A quote by Anne Sexton states “It doesn't matter who my father was; it matters who I remember he was”(Anne Sexton). This quote helps me define identity because I believe it is saying that identity is what people are remembered by. When some people think of identity, words such as, uniqueness, distinctiveness, or individuality may come to mind. However, I disagree with this because when I think of identity I think of mimicry, self-consciousness, or opinions.

Everyone in society has different identities that helps describe who they are. We all have different roles that make us unique and are influenced by occurrences that happen within the home and the environment. Some of our identities can make us stronger individuals or weaken us by being judged. My identities, however, have made me a much stronger person to achieve goals, wishes, and successes. In this paper I will go more in detail on how my identities made me become more thankful of where I come from and how my experiences from childhood to now shaped who I am. My culture has formed my understanding of how important the values and traditions done at home should not be forgotten. My generational status really has influenced my decision on the effectiveness of school and efforts to do well. My immigration status has really shaped my experiences specifically at home to be appreciative of what I have. I chose these three identities because they strongly define who I am as a human being. For this reason, the three identities that I will be describing are my culture, generational status, and immigration status.

PROMPT: “Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.”

What is Identity? For most people, they would say that it is who you are. But, it means so much more. Identity is the experiences that will influence your life. Your identity is who you are and the decisions you make. Without identity, you wouldn’t be who you are today. Your identity can change in a matter of seconds, and there is no way to ensure one's outcome