Nature of Identity

1156 Words3 Pages

The Fragility (or Nature) of Identity
An entire lifetime is spent constructing ones identity; moulding it, nourishing it, and even butchering it. The idea of having an identity pleases most of us, as we regard it as something of significance which aids in our understanding of who we are. One’s identity is usually a collection of beliefs about oneself; a self-concept that includes elements such as religion, sexuality, ones role in society and is generally thought to embody the answer to “Who am I?” One’s identity is constantly weakened as well as strengthened with the events that occur in one’s life, both external and internal. The statement, “I know who I am” is arrived at through complex understandings of one’s sense of being and a deep need to be aligned with the universe. The concept of identity is simply a process of clarifying and balancing our internal expressions. This essay intrigued me from the very beginning and got me thinking about the process of writing it. I knew it was going to be a challenge for me because I have never written an essay of this nature, nevertheless I was excited to be able to express my thoughts as I was writing. I began to write my introduction keeping in mind that I didn’t want to get into the specifics of what my essay will be covering. Starting with general points, I first decided to express what exactly identity is and how I interpret it. I also wanted my thesis to be direct and to the point, giving the reader a clear idea of what to expect without exposing too much. The introduction is essential in creating an impression upon the reader, engaging them in what it is that you want to discuss, and why they should show interest.
A person can exists as many different identities both the genuine ...

... middle of paper ...

... now. I reread my essay and again I notice repetition of ideas and words, something I am not happy about, however they are salient in getting my ideas across to the reader. My attempt at writing the most profound essay in my life thus far was extremely challenging. I don’t know if I succeeded but I did put a lot of effort into writing it to the best of my abilities. I hope this essay clearly delivers my intended message without too much confusion. I enjoyed writing an essay of this nature; the meta-cognitive aspect of it was, surprisingly, extremely helpful in organizing my thoughts and served as a diary. I would love to write all my essays in this format, it would keep me sane while writing ridiculously long essays. It’s late, and I have a long day ahead of me the next day. I will reread my essay one last time, save it and email it to Mr. McGuire once I am done.

Show More
Related

  • John Perry A Dialogue On Personal Identity

    1153 Words  | 3 Pages

    Personal identity, in the context of philosophy, does not attempt to address clichéd, qualitative questions of what makes us us. Instead, personal identity refers to numerical identity or sameness over time. For example, identical twins appear to be exactly alike, but their qualitative likeness in appearance does not make them the same person; each twin, instead, has one and only one identity – a numerical identity. As such, philosophers studying personal identity focus on questions of what has to persist for an individual to keep his or her numerical identity over time and of what the pronoun “I” refers to when an individual uses it. Over the years, theories of personal identity have been established to answer these very questions, but the

    Read More

  • Identity in Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery and Isaac Babel’s My First Goose

    1747 Words  | 4 Pages

    Although the concept of identity is recurrent in our daily lives, it has interpreted in various ways.

    Read More

  • The Myth of the Latin Woman

    1464 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Identity In Tim Bowling's 'Late For The Doubleheader'

    1449 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Identity

    758 Words  | 2 Pages

    To build a house, we need a strong base. With a strong base, we would be able to have a better foundation for the house, so it depended on us to choose what kind of base we want to use to build our house. Just like a house, an identity for an individual, is about making a decision, and that decision will shape their identity. A couple years ago, it never crossed in my mind, that one day I would live someplace away from home, family, and friends. I thought I had everything in life, and it made me never grateful with what I had. But then, I made a decision to move to United States, and since I moved to United States, I became a responsible and a grateful person.

    Read More

  • Fresa y Chocolate and The Borderlands

    1482 Words  | 3 Pages

    Identity is the essential core of who we are as individuals, the conscious experience of the self-inside.

    Read More

  • F Word by Firoozeh Dumas

    864 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Richard Rodriguez's Identity: Identity And Self-Perception Of Identity

    810 Words  | 2 Pages

    Identity is important because it defines who we are as a person and it reflects on our values, culture, belief, and self-image. In addition, it is something that each person differs from one another. Each person has a different experience and mindset of what is considered to be their role in society or as an individual. According to Richard Rodriguez, the writer of the autobiography essay “Aria,” for a

    Read More

  • Personal Narrative: Identity

    1339 Words  | 3 Pages

    “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.

    Read More

  • Sensations And The Brain Essay

    1919 Words  | 4 Pages

    This paper aims to endorse physicalism over dualism by means of Smart’s concept of identity theory. Smart’s article Sensations and the Brain provides a strong argument for identity theory and accounts for many of it primary objections. Here I plan to first discuss the main arguments for physicalism over dualism, then more specific arguments for identity theory, and finish with further criticisms of identity theory.

    Read More

  • Identity

    1453 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Relationship Between Consumption and Identity

    1583 Words  | 4 Pages

    Current research suggests some theorists believe identity as something essential, substantial, fixed and essentially invariable. Yet other modern theorists consider the creation of identity as existential for each individual, using the personal responsibilities for ones own actions which create ones own moral values. Identity in modernity is associated to individuality to developing a uniquely individual self.

    Read More

  • Defining Identity

    924 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are millions of words across the globe that are used to describe people and uncover their identity, but what is identity? How can you begin to describe something that varies so greatly from one human being to another? Can you create a universal meaning for a word describing human concepts that people often fail to define for themselves? Of course there isn't one definition to define such a word. It is an intricate aspect of human nature, and it has a definition just as complex.

    Read More

  • James Marcia's Identity Status Theory

    1205 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • John Locke's Essay On Self-Identity And Self Identity

    911 Words  | 2 Pages

    Self-identity is one of the main themes of philosophy throughout its history. In general, “self-identity” is a term that means thoughts or feelings with which you distinguish you from others, and we use the term in ordinary conversation without a solid concept of “self-identity”. However, arguing about self-identity philosophically, there arise many questions: whether there is any essence of yourself, whether you are the same person as you when you were a baby, whether memory or experience makes you, and what is “self-identity.” To solve these questions, many philosophers have been arguing the topic “self identity” for so long.

    Read More

More about Nature of Identity

Open Document