We all thrive to find our identity sometime in our lives. Most of the time it is when we reach our adolescent years that we start looking for something to engage ourselves with, to feel a part of our society. “For, indeed, in the social jungle of human existence there is no feeling of being alive without a sense of identity.” (Erikson, 1968, p. 130). The search for an identity is a major constituent of our youth years and most of the time it accompanies us for the rest of our lives. Identity can be defined as “a person's conception and expression of their individuality or group affiliations” (Identity (social science). (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved April, 14, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Identity_(social_science)). The identity of individuals in a society characterises the society’s culture, orientation, political and religious aspects. In Lebanon, this search among the youth has turned into a dilemma affecting the society. The youth’s passion for an identity to define them created conflicts in the society, and exchanged the quest of individual characterisation for a person, to create the society’s frontal. Of many types of self-identity that the Lebanese youth are facing conflicts with, the most common ones are Lebanese vs. Arab vs. western national identity, religious identity, and sexual identity.
Due to the fact that almost a century has elapsed since the formation of modern Lebanon, the identity of Lebanon has been a debatable topic, whether it belonged to the Arab world, or it had Western roots (Frank Salameh, 2010). For the youth of Lebanon, this idea has had an influence on their way of thinking. Many of them now lean towards the western culture and prefer it more than the Arabic culture. T...
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The youth present a very essential part of the culture of society. Their ideas come from the society they live in, in which they then contribute their ideas to, creating a full circle. A civil society should be based on its culture that has accumulated over time and on its history, which is much stronger and firmer than any weak imitation or anything that is defined by religion, politics, or sex. The Lebanese youth should be assisted in their pursuit of an identity to define them and their purpose in their society. The possession of many faces of self-identity endangers the minds of the youth as it may lead them astray and could cause depression due to not finding the sense of belonging to their society. This will eventually create a broken society with ‘multi-identity’ individuals, giving way to controversies and conflicts among the society.
Beyond the basic need for a sense of control, people are driven by their sense of identity, of who they are. Each person lives in their own universes, which are centered upon their feeling of self-purpose. There are multiple types of identities such as individual and group identities. Each person's identity is formed differently because of the unique experiences every individual encounters. The formation can be affected by many things such as their home environment, social concurrences, and physiological health. This story, A Separate Peace, exhibits interesting main characters which establish the frequent struggles of personal identity in adolescence.
Laura Deeb’s An Enchanted Modern: Gender and Public Piety in Shi’i Lebanon seeks to rectify post-9/11 notions of political Islam as anti-modern and incongruous with Western formulations of secular modernity. Specifically, Deeb is writing in opposition to a Weberian characterization of modern secular Western societies as the development of bureaucracies through social rationalization and disenchantment. Within this Weberian framework Deeb asserts that Shia communities are in-part modern because of the development of beuorocratic institutions to govern and regulate religious practice. However, Deeb makes a stronger argument oriented towards dislodging the assumptions "that Islamism is static and monolithic, and that
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.
Noor grew up with “a really strong sense of Lebanese identity,” because her father had one as well (Lerner 99). This sense of identity based on her race colored her life choices in both high school and college, where she majored in Middle Eastern studies and was active in Arab student organizations. After her father died, Noor was planning to go and study in Cairo and visit Lebanon. Using these two boundary markers, race and identity, Noor chose to find collectivity that rests on the exclusive as opposed to the inclusive, an action that could be rendered as a type of negative
In this paper I will present the numerous theories built around the process of establishing one’s identity and provide examples of how this identity shapes a students involvement and actions while in school. I will also reflect on the importance for systems that foster identity formation that is equal for both inner-city and suburban children. It is crucial to the success of America’s schools to understand that a mixture of cultures creates a mixture of identi...
The establishment of identity is an important, complex task for all adolescents, and is considered a major developmental task for all adolescents. It is particularly complicated for adolescents belonging to ethnic and minority groups. Ethnic identity of the majority group of individuals is constantly validated and reinforced in a positive manner where as the minority group is constantly ridiculed and punished in a negative manner. What does this say for those adolescents who are the minority and not the majority? It is important to study or research ethnic identity because it provides better knowledge to help one understand striving for a sense of unity and connectivenesss in which the self provides meaning for direction and meaning of ethnic identity (Spencer, 1990). It is also important to study or research the differences between these groups due to beliefs and values.
When we think about our identity we often think about the way we look. Such features as hair color, eye color, skin tone, height and weight come to mind. Whilst these features are part of our identity, there are many more complex factors that make us who we are. Whilst psychological issues are paramount to the formation of our identity, I will be addressing the nature of our identity in relation to socio-cultural factors (Austin, 2002, p.9). During the course of this essay I will be discussing the term of Identity and some of the axes of identity, including Race, Class and Gender. It is important to understand some of the significant issues of identity so that we have more of an understanding of who and what we are, which in turn may help us to begin to better understand others.
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.
Before World War II was about to break out, a novel named The Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain, vividly explained a young woman’s experiences and thoughts about World War I, was published. Brittain wrote her autobiography to protest the continuation of future wars and to prevent deaths of innocent human beings, such as the deaths of her brother, her fiance, and her dear friend. Because Brittain lost the men closest and dearest to her, Brittain has a bias towards war and prefers no war at all. Also, Brittain is a pacifist, thus adding to her bias against war and her opinions on how to settle disputes nonviolently. After all of the losses that Brittain had to live through, Brittain allowed her personal beliefs
Identity is a state of mind in which someone recognizes/identifies their character traits that leads to finding out who they are and what they do and not that of someone else. In other words it's basically who you are and what you define yourself as being. The theme of identity is often expressed in books/novels or basically any other piece of literature so that the reader can intrigue themselves and relate to the characters and their emotions. It's useful in helping readers understand that a person's state of mind is full of arduous thoughts about who they are and what they want to be. People can try to modify their identity as much as they want but that can never change. The theme of identity is a very strenuous topic to understand but yet very interesting if understood. How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez and Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki are two remarkable books that depict the identity theme. They both have to deal with people that have an identity that they've tried to alter in order to become more at ease in the society they belong to. The families in these books are from a certain country from which they're forced to immigrate into the United States due to certain circumstances. This causes young people in the family trauma and they must try to sometimes change in order to maintain a comfortable life. Both authors: Alvarez and Houston have written their novels Is such an exemplifying matter that identity can be clearly depicted within characters as a way in adjusting to their new lives.
Youth of today are taking longer to complete the transition into adulthood compared to youth of twenty-five years ago. Changes in education and the benefit system may be responsible for the altered state of transition in current youth (Keep, 2011) which is an assumption that will be explored. In regards to this; this essay will cover youth transition and will look at how the restructuring of polices and legislations have affected youths transition in to adulthood. Furthermore the manner in which political ideologies and perspectives have altered factors such as education, employment, housing and benefits will be examined. Once a full explanation has been provided; the fundamental question that needs to be answered is; are the teenagers of today embattled or empowered?
For the purposes of this study I have defined cultural identity as the feeling of self-definition an individual has which is formed through a sense of belonging to a certain group. In this presentation I will be looking specifically at the effects of religion to this sense of cultural identity.
Every city, country, territory or nation has its own pride and joy that distinguishes it from any other, which forms it uniqueness and gives it long lasting recognition and a remarkable reputation. France has the Eifel tower and its reputation for being the country of romance. Brazil has its festivals and soccer skills. Varna has its clubs and pubs and amazing nights, but with all that said, what does Lebanon pertain? Lebanon has long been known and envied for its water. Other than being located on a marvelous landscape, the water in Lebanon is valued by all its citizens and is considered a national treasure and wealth. We are then forced to pose the following problematic, how would things have been if not for Lebanon’s water supply and such? The water serves as a rational and intrinsic supply material in Lebanon, as well as proving to be a great means and importance for tourism when it comes to its shores and seas, for which without it Lebanon would fall into discord and turmoil.
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.
The purpose of this paper is to identify James Marcia’s identity status theory and how it pertains to the author 's life during adolescence and early adulthood. The author will reflect as well as address the four statuses of development. Noting that Marcia’s theory has proven to be an effective and dependable tool in helping to determine the status of the identity development in adolescents.