Performing Identity at the Phonathon
In August 2013, when I first I arrived at Duke, I was trying to find a job that would teach me new skills. I was interested in a job that would enable me to step out of my comfort zone, and would force me to grow and gain experience in a professional environment. One day I received an email for job opportunities at the Duke University Annual Fund. The position offered was as a Student Caller for the Phonathon. Student callers are the ones responsible for contacting Duke alumni. They play an important role in increasing participation among alumni and parents, while also establishing connections with those are not able to come back to campus (dukeforward.com). The job seemed easy, and as described on the Annual
…show more content…
The responsibilities: sit on a chair, dial some numbers, and ask people at the other end of the phone for money. However, things were not as simple as they originally seemed. The job requires a certain level of performance of personalities, and those aspects would cause me to challenge my own perception of identity. I was forced to take on personalities and behaviors that were not my own, and I felt that in a way I was embodying a fake identity. Such behaviors initially felt uncomfortable and insincere. But with time, the uneasiness of performing different behaviors and identities disappeared, and I started to adopt certain behaviors that in the past I would have considered not my own. My personality was changing and I was unsure whether I had become a different person, or I was still being myself. The experiences I had at the job sparked the interest in the idea of identity, and made me question to what extent identity is a stable …show more content…
The setting has an effect of enhancing the performance, allowing the actors to convey a more meaningful performance. In the context of the Phonathon, the room where the caller work, or the “stage” in which they perform, plays an important role in creating the perfect environment for the performance. When I first started working at the Phonathon, the call center consisted of long tables around the four walls of the room. Each caller would face a wall, and there was not wall separating computers or workspace for every caller. The space was open, with a table in the middle of the room where the supervisors would sit. The openness of the space was intimidating. Callers at that time felt that the openness of the space caused them to be more aware of their behaviors and actions while on the phone. In a sense, the openness of the space would function as a limiting factor for the development of personalities and the reiteration of behaviors. Personally, I felt the proximity to the next caller, and the fact that they could directly look at
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
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.
I think the benefit of knowing how to "peruse" identity is basically to help pioneers comprehend their own essential identity measurements, and afterward to figure out how to underline the positive and alleviate the negative parts of their own style. It likewise helps you comprehend others to know something about their identity – information that you can use to guide YOUR conduct. What 's more your own conduct is the thing you have the most control over at work. Mentality, then again, are liable to change. We need to change mentality in view of the conviction that state of mind impact conduct. In any case you can 't simply discuss "terrible" and "great"
It was after I had lost someone in my life that was my other half. I didn’t understand who I was, what my purpose was, what made me who I am. As far as I was concerned I was reduced to nothing more than an individual that was now alone. I didn’t realize that my identity was partly crafted from simply just being by their side all the time, that whenever I was introduced to someone, or was talking to mutuals about them, I was known for being their best friend. After the fiasco that became the end of our relationship, I felt as if I was just floating through the days and nights. This feeling went on for about 2 months until I slowly came out of it. I didn’t experience a grand epiphany of any sort that inspired me to change myself. I was painting and listening to music and the thought just slowly came to me. I love to paint, and I love listening to and creating and playing music. I began to gain back my sense of identity by engaging in activities I loved. I’m a painter, a musician, a writer, a passionate lover of movies. I’ve learned that identity can isn’t set in stone, there’s always room for
For as long as I can remember, I have traveled between two houses. I live with my mom and every Tuesday and Thursday I visit my dad. Often when I describe my situation people assume I must be “broken” or “troubled” because my family isn’t normal. However, this is my normal and it would be strange to me if this was not how I lived my life. An identity has a dictionary definition, but is difficult to define. My identity has been and continues to be shaped by the social forces of gender, technology, and family.
Looking at my life through Erik Erikson’s Identity Theory perspective, I hope that I can grow old and enter the final stage of psychosocial development with a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction, believing I have coped with life’s victories and failures.
“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)
A person’s identity is not something that can be removed, It can only change over time. Some people may feel as if they have lost their identity, but they have not lost it. It is only hidden. Many people have different definitions of identity, but there should only be one, universal definition. The definition of identity is the values someone has, and how said person treats others.
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.
“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.
Identity means to me that is shows me who I am. When someone really know you , they know what you're good at , and what are some things that make of you. Everyone has an identity . You may not know it but your best talent and what you're really good at is your identity . I , Nona James has my very own identity is being good at technology.
In this paper I will be focusing on Erikson’s Theory mainly about identity versus role confusion. Finding one’s identity is not always an easy task. Everyone at some point in his or her life has had, as Erikson puts it, an identity crisis. Everyone experiences different struggles that can have either a positive or negative impact on their identity. On my path to identity, I have reached identity achievement, which means I have explored and made commitments. I will also be focusing on two articles highlighting a fifth possible outcome regarding identity and looking at identity statuses as developmental trajectories.
Identity is a something that must be found not given. Just like others I have found my one true identity and recognize it as one of my biggest accomplishments.
In my life, I have a lot of different identities, such as son in my family, student in school, worker in company, and so on. I think everyone have a lot of identity, but there are some identity that are an inevitable experience, like son and student.
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.