The New Civil Rights: The False Self

The struggle to achieve freedom during the Civil Rights Movement was slowed and stifled due to governmental agenda and white political discomfort. America cared more about the civil liberties in other regions of the World, while maintaining a hypocrisy against African Americans here in the states.

“In Defense of Masks”, by Kenneth Gergen regards that it is not possible for humans to adequately find a coherent self identity without an aftermath. Gergen states, “to the extent that they do, they many experience severe emotional distress” when trying to do so (172). He refers to Erik Erickson, a psychologist who speaks about how self-alienation can result due to the pressures of society to individuals with various masks of identity.

Sometimes personal identity may be oppressed, but it takes

In the book, The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton it talks about how this guy named Bob who is a soc and he has more than one identity because when he is around his friends and girlfriend he is sweet and the best bub a guy could have. When he is with his friends and their drunk they go and jump greaser just for fun because the socs have everything and they have nothing to do. Therefore people change identity based on who they're around and hanging out with. Another example of more than one identity is in this youtube video called , “Original Self”, It shows how people wear masks so that people won’t know their real selves. There are also groups of people who have the same mask and if you want to talk to a different group you have to change your mask. This video shows how we act at school in front of people and who we pretend to be. We always need to be who we truly

In today’s modern society, we are held accountable for the way we get our point across to others. We are taught to follow guidelines and rules in any given environment communicating with other people. Communicating professionally or properly to some may be problematic because everyone has their own unique way of doing so. Throwing on an “identity mask” and pretending to be proficient is a crutch some people lean on to get by. In our modern society and communities today, if the guidelines on how to properly communicate with others are disregarded, it is considered unruly. In Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s essay, “The Evolving Self,” we are taught about creating the ideal self. He describes that throughout time the self is built through a series of hardships, yearnings, dedication to creating a better future, and communication. Physical objects along with unique qualities and characteristics have been turned into symbols that are associated with power or status. They are heavily desired in society, and the brain “follows that what we pay attention to over time” (217). Interactions with others who have the endowments we do not pose an internal threat to us in our minds. Qualities that we don’t see in ourselves are automatically noted in our brain, and we tell ourselves we will face demons in order to gain what we don’t have. Barbara Mellix in, “From Outside, In” had to face her demons in order to realize her true worth and self she wanted to build. Through most of her life, she

don 't fit in. Others pretend to be something they truly aren 't. No matter which

All throughout history, man has struggled with the concept of identity. This idea of where one belongs, and how one is perceived by others, let alone themselves. Sometimes man lives a self-fulfilled prophecy, while other times they try to blend themselves with everyone else, or this concept of being invisible. However, society is known to radicalize an individual’s invisibility. Instead of allowing an individual to conform to society, to live out their lives peacefully, society condemns these individuals, alienating them from the rest of the world. Society accuses, and leaves the accuser standing on a ledge, wondering what will happen next, while the world never sheds a single tear of sorrow, never takes a shallow breath among all of the madness. Even today, society continues to accuse, pinning the blame on those who cannot have a voice for themselves, and incarcerating them because of it.

Throughout much of American history, discrimination against individuals on the basis of their race and gender was tolerated and even enforced by government policy. Civil rights became a part of the Constitution with the adoption of the 14th Amendment. To this day, the political struggles of African Americans and women have not been eliminated, but they have narrowed the gap between American’s beliefs in equality and the reality of life in the United States.

Your action tend to chisel away at the raw marble of your persona carving into being the self you experience day-to-day” (McRansey p 5). In addition, the article went into how trying to become someone you not, can result in you turning into a different person. Where McRansey state that” As a primate, you are keen to social cues which portend your ostracism form an in-group. In the wild, banishment equals death. So it follows you work to feel included because the feeling of being left out, being the only one not invited to the party is a deep and severe slice into your emotional core”. Thus people try to pretend to be someone they not. Which is the impression management theory; has McRansey called it, is that “you are always thinking about how you appear to others, even when there are not around”. Has

The world is composed of many people, all with different histories, which create various perspectives within a society and culture. People who conform to a general idea generate a society, and the change of ideologies over time in one area is a culture. Thankfully, the diversity available in highly populated locations allows for individuals to develop in ways that contrast from each other, enabling controversial conversations to shape the atmosphere in which they inhabit. The variety of opinions can create struggles for people who are considered “inferior,” especially in how they treat themselves in their environment. In Kenji Yoshino’s “The New Civil Rights,” he explores the consequences of having pressure from the public’s constantly changing

First of all, some people will believe they will have to act or look a certain way to fit in. In the short film IDENTITY it starts out in a school where everyone wears a mask. In certain groups everyone has on the same mask, some people will even change their mask to fit in with another group. There

In today’s age, we live in a society where it is almost deemed wrong to be your true self. Everyday people are trying to become one another. Nobody seems to be original. There is no way to escape it, everywhere you look, someone or something is telling you what to do. Trying to be someone else can be a harm to your true self.

Whether it be a clothing line of Polo worn by a student or a position in a job, the placement of labels on individuals in society happens instinctively. Without thought, a persona is given to those who work a life seen as less desirable, and a common

continues to expand, the tension between differences inflates even more, causing people to conceal their true self. Although people are able to be who they desire to be, justice continues to be ignored towards many groups of people all over the world. In order for people to protect themselves from the judgement of society and fit into the social norm, many people will obscure their true identity, affecting them in ways they never imagined.

Erik Erikson is a figure in psychology who examined many factors about the personality. One of his theories revolves around identity crises, which he believed countless people have gone through during their lives in order to solidify their identity. Since his findings on this topic in the 1970s, others have done studies on identity crises and how they affect development as well. The concept of an identity crisis is quite important in discovering how the ego grows and identity develops, and it has been referenced many times in popular culture. Being that it is so relevant to everyone’s lives as Erikson believes, I picked this as a topic for this paper in order to understand the concept more. In this paper, I define Erikson’s idea of identity crisis and then compare it to three other works which revolve around the subject. Then I compare each article to Erikson, my personal experience, and occasionally to each other in order to demonstrate how Erikson’s ideas on identity crisis are valid in a modern setting.