According to the textbook, Life-Span Human Development, 7th edition, by Carol Sigelman, and the discussions during lectures this past week, there are a few key factors that influence the indentity formation of an individual. The first being cognitive growth. Referring to the textbook, Life-Span Human Development, 7th edition, by Carol Sigelman, on page 362, "cognitive development enables adolescents to imagine and contemplate possible future identites." This can relate to the growth of my identity formation because I have continuously thought of who I want be in the future and how I would like my life to be one day. In the future, I would one day love to become a nurse in a hospital and a caring Mother. As of now I am neither of those, but I am on the right track to becoming …show more content…
Looking back at the textbook once again, Life-Span Human Development, 7th edition, by Carol Sigelman, on page 362, "relationships with parents agress their progress in forging an identity. It can be difficult to forge an identity without first having the opportunity to identify with respected parental figures and take on some of their desirable qualities." Fortunately, I have had the best parents as my influence. Both of them have so many great qualities that I believe I have aquired in forming my identity. One thing that I learned from my Father is that it is always important to make someone smile, whether it be a joke or doing something kind. From my Mother, I have learned how to work hard. She is always doing something and achieving her goals and that's a quality that I would like to have. Another factor has to do with the opportuinites to explore. In the textbook, Life-Span Human Development, 7th edition, by Carol Sigelman, on page 363, "opportunities to explore are a influence on identity formation. For example, adolescents who attend college are exposed to diverse ideas and encouraged to think issues
37% of teenagers claim they do not completely know who they are yet. Stageoflife.com conducted a survey on a group of 400 students, asking them questions about their individuality. 66% of this group say that they are not seen as who they truly are by others. The Oxford English dictionary defines identity as “The fact of being who or what a person or thing is.” This denotation only points out the surface of an individual, such as physical traits rather than their personality. This meaning should be changed because as it is crucial for humans to recognize our depth. Identity is how you are influenced by the experiences in your life.
What influences a person’s identity? Does one get an identity when they are able to differentiate right from wrong, or are they born with it? There is not one thing that gives a person their identity, there are however, many different factors that contribute to one’s identity. From Contemplation in a World of Action written by Thomas Merton, Merton advocates identity by stating that “A person does not simply “receive” his or her identity. Identity is much more than the name or features one is born with. True identity is something people must create for themselves by making choices that are significant and that require a courageous commitment in the face of challenges. Identity means having ideas and values that one lives by” (Merton). Concurring with Merton a person is not given their identity at birth or while developing as an embryo, rather it is something that you create for yourselves over the course of life through decisions and actions made by the individual. Although identity is something that one may not be fully aware of or discover until last breaths. Identity can
The formation of our own personal identities often begin 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 to 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.
Before beginning the explanation of how an identity is formed, one must understand what an identity is. So, what is identity? To answer this, one might think of what gives him individuality; what makes him unique; what makes up his personality. Identity is who one is. Identity is a factor that tells what one wants out of life and how he is set to get it. It tells what kind of a person one is by the attitude and persona he has. And it depends upon the mixture of all parts of one’s life including personal choices and cultural and societal influences, but personal choices affect the identity of one more than the others.
My observations included watching my neighbor’s children on their trampoline. When I was observing, I noticed a lot of developmental differences between the oldest and youngest siblings. The oldest was a 6-year-old girl jumping on her trampoline. I could tell the girl was very passionate towards her workout. The first 5 minutes of my observations included her being by herself, while her younger brother was playing in the grass with his red truck and train. His full attention was on his toys for a while. I never realized how focused some kids can actually be.
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.
Biological influences combined with societal and social expectations contribute to how well people learn to adapt to their environments (2013). According to Erikson, there are eight stages of development. Within these states, there are different psychological, emotional and cognitive tasks. In order to adjust, individuals must learn to develop these tasks. During adolescence, Erikson states that each person needs to navigate through the development task of ‘‘Identity vs. Identity confusion ’’ (2013). He defined this task by stating that adolescent children must learn to develop a sense of self and establish independence. Prior to this stage of development, a person’s parents largely influence their identity. In this stage the adolescent children begin to explore and develop their identity outside of their parents’ influence (Hill, Bromell, Tyson, & Flint, 2007). Adolescents are generally more egocentric at this stage and have an increased sense of self-consciousness. They also have a strong desire to conform to peer influence and develop concerns regarding their appearance. They develop concern about their level of competence in relation to their peer group as well. As peer influence increases, during this stage, parental influence decreases (Ashford & LeCroy, 2013; Hill et. al, 2007). Conflict generally increases between parent and child at this stage of development (2007).
DeCuir-Gunby (2009) states that identity is “a formation process begins at birth, peaks during adolescence, and continues to develop throughout adulthood, thus allowing an individual to fully negotiate multiple identities.” During adolescence, the peak of identity development, it is the most judgemental and children
In conclusion, the formation of one’s identity has many components. Beginning at the onset of adolescence and continuing to expand, grow and form and reform as we live through the struggles or success of life. Many theorists have endeavored to clarify the development of identity formation. However, Erik Erickson offered one significant theory involving the formation of one’s identity. Expounding on Erickson theory, Marcia developed his Identity Status Model according to the existence or absence of crisis and commitments. These four statuses, diffusion, foreclosure, moratorium and achievement can combine in various ways to produce a self. One’s sense of identity is determined largely by the choices and commitments made, therefore, having a well-developed sense of self can provide an individual with insight to their strengths, weaknesses, and individual uniqueness. An individual that finds themselves
In today's world, society creates an impact on human life. More of an impact can be seen among family and peers. They can be found at home, work, and school. At home with family, identity can be created on the difference of having one parent, divorced or separated parents, no parents, abusive parents, or even negligent parents. For example, children who grow up without a father or mother figure tend to become more independent at an early stage. Another example is where certain experiences within the family such as constantly witnessing parents argue can cause one's identity to be confined and distant. But, some people shape their identity similar to their parents. Such as a son became a soldier in the army because his father was in the army. Siblings, if any, are also an influence on the social identity of a person. They either become your friend, mentor, or you...
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.
For my reflection paper I chose to write about chapter 9 that talks about lifespan development. This chapter grabbed my attention and I found it most interesting. In the textbookit discusses how there are certain factors that uncontrollably make us who we are. Those factorsare "unique combination of genes you inherited from your biological mother and father. Another is the historical era during which you grew up. Your individual development has also been shaped by the cultural, social, and family contexts within which you were raised." (Pg.352) The patterns of our lives are because of developmental psychology. "Developmental psychology is a scientific approach which aims to explain growth, change and consistency though the lifespan. Developmental
In a majority of cultures, the youth of society learned behaviors and ideals based off of their guardians and role models. Children formed their own personal morals, ethics, and common sense based on their parents or close guardian figures’ actions, which led to either a similar or oppositional belief. Though this taught children fairly quickly, it sometimes left little to the imagination and forced the youth to work for only one reason; to fit in. The early years of a person’s life began their transition and integration into society as adults. The continued struggle to fit in and expectations people put on children and adolescents led to a faster maturation and loss of creativity. In both the
According to Erikson, when adolescents are unable to find ownership of an identity, their lives can spiral off in several directions. In some ways they will reverse the role of their desire, slipping into a socially unacceptable role or a role that does not match who they wish to become (Feldman, 2012). Other teenagers will forego social interactions, leaving them to feel sad and alone in the world (Feldman, 2012). Teenagers thrive off of finding an identity to center themselves around, and when they fail to identify one, the adolescent crisis ensues (Feldman, 2012). There are several factors that can distract an adolescent from identifying a personal identity and pursuing a life of well-being...
In Erikson’s Identity vs. Role Confusion stage, I thought, “Who am I?” countless times like many other adolescents. I occupied much of my time trying to construct a firm identity of myself, which I now realized did more harm than good. Letting myself explore different interests would have helped me find my identity than me trying to fake some firm identity.