Identity is a concept that people often struggle with. Walt Whitman once stated that “we contain multitudes,” referring not to the vast complexities of our human mind, but owing to the fact that we perceive and experience ourselves very differently in radically diverse situations. Because of the realization that our personality or identity is not static, it is often the course of action for people to attempt to bridge the gap between how the world sees them, and how they see themselves
(Mayer, 2014). In fact, Mayer states, the influence of the outside world is so potent that we tend to ignore our insights about ourselves, and base our identity completely off of the perceptions and sentiments of those around us. The problem, Adam Alter
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Because there is so much sensory information that we receive, our minds cannot process everything all at once, and therefore looks to more efficient and compact ways of data-processing such as labeling and categorization. Labels in turn, are short descriptions or phrases about someone or something that aim to classify or generalize that person into a certain framework.
Examples of these labels include person-associated adjectives such as colored, white, old, young, rich, and poor.
One may not immediately see the problem that Alter earlier proposed, because after all, the labels mentioned earlier should commonly be understood merely as parts of someone’s identity, and not definitive of their being as a whole. However, Markman, Ph.D. (2014) expounds on this, and states that the process of labeling, or assigning labels to other people, influences one’s beliefs and perceptions of that person; effectively leading to the creation of bias and potentially adverse behavior. For example, in a study conducted by Eberhardt, Dasgupta, and Banaszynski in 2003, participants were shown the face of a racially ambiguous man (meaning that he could have
On the other hand, ideally one should be true to one’s heart, if Disney’s Mulan is to be believed. But these are neither solid pieces of advice nor wise counsel; they are at best hand-wavy, wishy-washy statements that offer no guidance on traveling the minefield that is remaining true to oneself. In fact, given the wide swath of human experiences, it is difficult to imagine a panacea effective for each and every trial and tribulation people may encounter in maintaining the integrity of their identities; personally, I don't think one exists. Just as there are myriad events, emotions, and memories from which one’s identity develops, it surely follows that there are just as many ways social norms act to compromise one’s individuality, ostensibly for the worse. Therefore, it seems that an indirect solution would best serve individuals filled and bombarded with doubt about who they really are; namely, the unwavering support of a community would allow individuals to resolve, on their own terms, their inner conflicts stemming from outward
Although the concept of identity is recurrent in our daily lives, it has interpreted in various ways.
Identity is a group of characteristics, data or information that belongs exactly to one person or a group of people and that make it possible to establish differences between them. The consciousness that people have about themselves is part of their identity as well as what makes them unique. According to psychologists, identity is a consistent definition of one’s self as a unique individual, in terms of role, attitudes, beliefs and aspirations. Identity tries to define who people are, what they are, where they go or what they want to be or to do. Identity could depend on self-knowledge, self-esteem, or the ability of individuals to achieve their goals. Through self-analysis people can define who they are and who the people around them are. The most interesting point about identity is that some people know what they want and who they are, while it takes forever for others to figure out the factors mentioned before. Many of the individuals analyzed in this essay are confused about the different possible roles or positions they can adopt, and that’s exactly the reason they look for some professional help.
Identity is very important in a person’s life. It can induce pride or shame, provide a community or provide a way to distinguish one’s self from others. But, where does this identity come from? It is easy to assume we are who we are because of who raised us, but this is not the entire case. Andrew Solomon, author of “Far from the Tree” introduced two different forms of identity, vertical and horizontal. He defines vertical identity as the attributes acquired and shared by the people we are raised by and horizontal identity as the attributes different from those who raised us, but are shared and acquired through a peer community. These two types of identities generally do not intersect and, depending on the circumstance, one can greatly impact
What the texts suggest about the relationship between how an individual sees themselves vs how the individual is seen by others, is through the concept of identity. An individual’s identity is shaped by many factors: life experiences, memories, personality, talents, relationships and many more.
What is identity? Often, people confuse identity with personality. While personality describes your personal qualities such as being shy or outgoing, identity involves a combination of different aspects. Culture, language, family, friends, and society are a few of the aspects that helps shape a person's identity. For a person to feel identified, they must share similarities or differences with others. Sharing personality traits is effortless, but identity requires active engagement. Identity also involves a combination of how you see yourself and how others see you. How others see you can be influenced by economic, social, and physical constraints. These constraints cause a tension between how much control you have in constructing your own
“A human being’s sense of self is established in the context of their ethics and morals. The concept of identity is related to ‘who I am’. Individuals situate themselves in a contextual environment that may include their relationships with family and friends, and their abilities and the occupations in which they are, or have been. This identifies what is ultimately important to an individual and how that relates to where their identity is in relation to this.” (Thomas, 2013)
When analyzing aspects of our identity that shape our attitude, behaviors and experiences we must include concepts of sex, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, age, socioeconomic class, religion, and ability. It’s essential that we understand our own and others identities in order to better understand our social relationships and our interactions with one another.
People identify themselves using not only qualities within them, but through culture and family as well. Through these few examples, it is easy to see some of the foundations that can foster an entire, complex identity. It is understandable how interesting and varied humans can be, drawing from so many directions to build who they are. Identity is not very complex at all, it comes through living day to day.
The term "Identity" is a complete opposite from the way that we are accustomed to seeing it and feeling it, in other words it is non-existent no one has any feelings, and no one posses any of their own personal characteristics, they are all alike. If a person were to try and find their own identity they were looked down upon and had to take a soma holiday (soma was a legal drug that took away all of a persons feelings or individualized idea’s). The soma holiday was everyone’s way out of having to deal with anything unpleasant or their way of having a good time.
Identity is like a lock. The only way to find out what is on the other side is to find the keys. There are many ways identity can be created, and many people try to describe identity such as the following authors: Guy de Maupassant’s, “The Necklace”, Sherman Alexie’s, “Superman and Me”, ABC News’, “More Facebook Friends, Less Real Ones” , and “Mirror Stage”, by CommonLit Staff. There are two keys that are absolutely necessary to unlocking identity: one’s surroundings and one’s outer appearance.
“It’s a blessed thing that in every stage in every age some one has had the individuality and courage enough to stand by his own convictions.” The part of me that sums up my identity best is not the adjectives given by family, or the faults I find in myself. My identity is my desire to better myself, and my passion for children. My identity is who I want to be and what I do to accomplish my goals My identity is the feelings and emotions I pour into my journal every day, and the way I feel when I do something right. My identity is not what others thing of me or what I think of myself after a bad day. My identity is the love and confidence I have in myslef, and the beauty inside.
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 on the string of their puppet-master, nor a chess piece on their master’s game board, individuals choose their own paths in life. They accomplish, or strive to accomplish, goals that they have set for themselves throughout their lifetime. Individuals are different from any other individual in the world because they live their own life rather than following a crowd of puppets. A person’s identity is defined by what shaped it in the first place, why they chose to be who they are, and what makes them different from everybody else in the world. I feel that I have developed most of my identity from my own dreams, fantasies, friends, and idols.
There are countless factors that influence the way people personify themselves. In the end, the forming of one’s identity is dependent on a person themselves. Things such as media, culture, and education definitely have a part in determining identity, but it is important for people to determine their own uniqueness by not conforming to everything they may see or hear from these influences. The way people decide to forge their own personalities directly affects their futures.
In today’s society, there has been a greater emphasis on identity than in the past. The perception of identity has changed due to the growing human population, and being able to distinguish oneself from the general population. Identity is the uniqueness of a person. As people get older, their identity might change since they become more aware of the society and also are more independent. By creating and recognizing an identity, one can interact with others who have a similar identity. Identity can be formed socially. There are several factors that influence an identity.