What Is Personal Identity?

The expression of a sentient being is manifested by their thoughts, interactions, and beliefs. A person does not have just one distinctive method of how they portray themselves. Human beings are made up of thousands of atoms that when combined in a unique way, will make up one’s original existence. Although this may seem obvious, many people do not think about who they really are. Subconsciously, everyone has an idea of who they are and who they want to be. On the other hand, consciously, many people have low levels of self awareness. A person’s identity can be difficult to determine and frequently many will search extensively for their true self. In the age of millennials, identity is not a singular entity, it is a multi faceted prism.

Personal

Everyone has their own unique identity. For instance, people can relate their identity to their culture, their social surroundings, and their interests. Personal identity can be viewed in a variety of ways. In the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Eric Olson discusses personal identity as the defining factor of a person. “Outside of philosophy, ‘personal identity’ usually refers to certain properties to which a person feels a special sense of attachment or ownership. Someone’s personal identity in this sense consists of those features she takes to ‘define her as a person’ or ‘make her the person she is’” (Olson, par. 5). While considering this definition, identity can be depicted on several levels. A common way to describe personal identity is through a person's background and culture. Although using culture as a descriptive term can be helpful in defining a

In the world of social media, perception is everything. Everyone has an optimal vision of themselves. With this in mind, the ideal image that one creates for himself is the one that they portray on social media. Whether their platform is Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, people have the ability to design and produce the image that they want everyone to see. It is important to recognize that this image may at times be exaggerated or fabricated. When realizing that someone’s identity may not always be as it seems, it demonstrates the intricate nature of the human disposition. Saul Mcleod addresses the different categories of social identity in his article Social Identity Theory. “Similarly, we find out things about ourselves by knowing what categories we belong to. We define appropriate behavior by reference to the norms of groups we belong to, but you can only do this if you can tell who belongs to your group. An individual can belong to many different groups” (Mcleod, par. 12). In today’s society there are a wide variety of categories that can potentially indicate how people define themselves. These subdivisions may illustrate their idealistic view of themselves. Social identity is not an artificial idea, it is a part of that person. Their social identity is a part of what makes them who they are. Many people define themselves as followers or feel that they are lost in the crowd. This happens as some tend to