To What Extent Can We Form Our Own Identities

A person 's cultural identity forms important and vulnerable parts of who they are. We

Our identity is comprised of inner qualities and outer representations of self. It consists of innumerable defining characteristics that make up the whole of who we are in any given moment. These fragments of self include our sexuality, gender, and sense of belonging to a particular culture, nation, religion, family, or some other group. Our identity includes our looks, personality, beliefs and fears. Each individual in society assigns themselves a particular role, whether it be as a mother, brother, retiree, performer, sportsman or as a part of their occupation, a doctor or lawyer. Often one’s entire sense of self is consumed by

Growing up in a generation with high expectations of identity that are constantly altering whether it’s the latest trends, styles and even mind-set principles, can be over whelming. When asked to describe one-self, we often are stuck thinking of what particular word could fully describe who we are as a person. We have such a hard time of coming with just one word because there is no form of describing one’s self. How we see ourselves, we may not want to be that the next day. “Looks can be deceiving” or “the first impressions are the most important” is commonly instilled in our mindset which it is true to some extent. Our work

A person’s identity is influenced by how you view yourself and how society views you. In Jonathan Lykes poem This is a Siren, and the short story The Bear that Wasn’t by Frank Tashlin, both authors shine a light on how great of an impact society can have on an individual’s identity. Society has already established different stereotypes for each individual which causes everyone to perceive others in a certain way without truly getting to know them. This can cause an individual to change the way they perceive themselves in order to be accepted by society and to fit in it’s expectations of that individual. “This thing called perception, that gives people the opportunity for acceptation, or on the flip side, to be a circle of rejection…” (Lykes 2010) Here, Lykes talks about how we perceive each other can either make us accept one another or reject one another. However, in the end, it is up to the individual to decided if they are going

It is clear that there are many things that shape people’s identity. It could be family, surrounding, culture and many other things. These things help people to become who they are and affect the way they see the world around them. The question what shapes the identity is discussed in the works “Selection from love 2.0: How our Supreme Emotion Affects Everything We Feel, Think, Do, and Become” by Barbara Frederickson, “The Naked Citadel” by Susan Faludi, and “The Myth of the Ant Queen” by Steven Johnson. The authors view this question from different perspectives. However, there is one common thing that could be seen in all the three works. The authors prove that person’s identity is mostly shaped by interaction with other people and the

Identity is something that some people have a really hard time with, deciding who you are or who you want to be seems like a simple task but for some the choice to choose who they want to be isn’t always their choice. James Paul Gee author of “Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistic: Introduction” talks about identity and how people have different Discourses depending on what social situation a person is in. Gee created and described Discourse as “ ways of being in the world; they are forms of life which integrate words, acts, values, beliefs, attitudes, and social identities as well as gestures, body positions, and clothes”(Gee). Gee talks about how discourses are pretty much an “identity kit”, which means a person is able to take on different

The question “What are we?” in an ontological sense is currently inconclusive and open for debate. Nevertheless, identifying a description of what we are not shall help uncover what we are. We are not a psychological continuity account of personal identity over time. Under this context, “psychological continuity” is defined as continuous mental states over time. For example, characteristics of one’s mind such as sentience, memory, and other mental faculties, must remain an uninterrupted continuum over time to be considered psychologically continuous. Additionally, under this context, the term “person” will hereafter refer to beings that have mental properties. Under philosophical context, the term “identity” is generally defined as its

It defines things we can control like who we hang out with, or how we act, and things we cannot control such as heritage, or age. It is who we are. Our identity shapes us, and we shape our identities. You cannot run away from your identity, but you can however, change it. Our identities can change because of insecure feelings about past decisions, prejudice and stereotypes, or others influences; how they think of you.

Identity is who you are as a person, but where does it come from? Are you born you or are there other factors. Many people may argue you are born with it, but others will argue there are factors and it has the stronger side. The factors that influence a person's behavior and identity in society are a person’s environment and life experiences brought upon through day to day life. First and foremost, environment is a major factor that influences a person’s character and identity.

An individual’s identity has an impact on our behavior (Bibble, Bank, Anderson, et al., 1985). According to Thorits and Virshup (1997) they assert that there are categories that individual’ s employ to explain themselves, which comprise sociodemographic characteristics such as social roles, social types, or personality traits. These categories guide identity-relevant behaviors based on identity ideals associated with meanings and expectations (Eifert, Adams, Dudley,

Since identity is so often built from fads, it is a reflection of culture. People want to be like what they see on television and hear on the radio. So people mold themselves to be like the idols they are so infatuated with. It?s always about what?s popular, and by looking at a large group you can tell what that is at any given time, because people like to connect their identities with one another. It creates a sense of belonging and acceptance that humans need in order to feel like they fit into society. People have to be able to bond with one another. Having a vastly different identity makes you an outcast, and no one wants to know how it feels to be the loner. So people alter themselves to ensure that they will

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.

Our identity can sometimes be shaped by the way others see us. As we have seen, the way in which others view us can have some sort of impact on how we see ourselves. There are also other contributing factors such as our years of adolescence, the basic human need of wanting to belong and maturing; all play an equally important part in the forming of our character and who we are. On balance it appears that there is not only one influence in the shaping of our identity, but there are many.

A theory known as the postmodern theory, explains that identity has become a mask put over an individual, and not from within. The mask is created as a result of influence from external forces that dictate what is right and what is wrong, or what is normal and accepted. The postmodern theory goes ahead to stipulate that, as an individual, one creates a self-identity through these external influences. People do this so as to fit into the environment around them. In the United States, for example, there is a tendency of consumer culture to influence the way most Americans think and make decisions.

Social groups have existed throughout time. We know that small social groups have existed in the form of families throughout the history of human kind. Adam and Eve are said to have been the first social group. Social groups are defined as having two or more people interact and identify with one another. Some social groups include but are not limited to; the handicap, the homeless, the poor, the wealthy, the powerful, different religious groups, different races and even sexual orientation. There are several reasons why people join social groups. Most people join social groups because there are many benefits for belonging to a group. People like to feel connected and feel that they can relate to others. People tend to belong to groups