Cultural Influences on Identity Development

1486 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The role of culture in identity formation

The question we are answering is, how does culture influence identity development? By the end of this paper you would be able to conclude that no matter what the surroundings of an individual is it will have some sort of an effect on either the physical or mental aspects of an individual. In order to answer this question we must understand how identity is developed, what culture consists of and concluding how culture influences identity development.

First and Foremost in order to know what motivates identity development we must understand how identity is developed. Identity development starts with infants discovering of self which continues throughout childhood and become the focus of adolescence. According to Erik Erikson the goal of adolescence is achieving a coherent identity and avoiding identity confusion. Identity consists of many aspects; physical and sexual identity, beliefs, ethnics background and much more. Adolescence explores these aspects of identity as they move into early adulthood, although sometimes there are things that influence change in these aspects of their identity as life conditions and situations alter. Identity Development begins with children’s awareness and that the belief that they are unique individual’s and not exactly the same as their friends. This alertness is evident when infants start to recognize themselves. For example, a research experiment that Took place to support this idea was when researchers placed a red dot on a child’s nose, two year olds who see themselves in a mirror will touch their noses (Bullock and Lutkenhaus 1990),this shows that they recognize themselves in a mirror image . Also Words like “Me” and “I” and “Mine” are said very early in children’s language showing a sense of...

... middle of paper ...

... It allows adolescent’s to speak freely and to reveal their desired personalities that may at all not be true. Some adolescents do not realize that what they say lacks privacy and that their online profiles create a particular perception of Them, they may rarely think of their consequence , these consequences do not necessarily have to be outside factors , these consequences can Have drastic influences on themselves. These social networking sites hinder adolescents identity development, due To the fact that they allow adolescents to exaggerate and when the adolscent does so, this creates the pressure for the adolescent to form a new identity And force them to find a balance between their true nature and desired personaltities, simply altering who they are to meet what they want To be , could have positive influences or negative influences on identity development.

Show More
Related

  • Identity in Object Lesson

    634 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • I Was Born a White, Middle Class American

    570 Words  | 2 Pages

    Culture and identity are two very strange ideas. They are received at a very young age, yet they are very hard to give to someone else. They will affect you for the rest or your life, yet for the most part you are born into them. However, they soon become very important to us and we cannot, no matter what we do, live without them. They are a part of us, and a vital aspect of society. However, it took me a very long time to recognize that I had an identity and a little while after that before I knew what it was.

    Read More

  • Use of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos on Social Networking Sites

    1861 Words  | 4 Pages

    Social networking sites leave opportunities for vulnerability, however, I don’t believe many youths are an easy target. Using ethos, pathos and logos individuals can create their own reality to relate to the internet world who they think are and how they wish to be seen. In mediated publics such as Facebook and Instagram, the user has complete control of his or her profile and is the only one who can allow content about his/herself to be shared. It is my personal belief that as technology has evolved many people have taken to fabricating some truths here and there and omitting details to give an ideal representation of who they are without incriminating themselves or leaving themselves vulnerable for mistreatment. The fantasy of what is or could be is more desirable than reality. In the past few years, privacy settings have been adapted to cover the growing technological advances to keep users safe from online predators.

    Read More

  • Identity and Culture

    1522 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Negative Impacts of Social Media

    1923 Words  | 4 Pages

    The use of social networking sites is rising at great rates. According to a report conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project in 2012, ninety-five percent of individuals aged 12-17 use the internet; and eighty-one percent of those use social network sites (Pew Interest). Although it is known that social media can have a useful impact on lives, often times people forget that with a positive comes a negative. The continual use of social network sites will impact teen lives more negatively than positively because they can cause huge distractions from valuable and critical pursuits like education; they can also cause mental health issues and a reduction in communication skills.

    Read More

  • Identity And Adolescence Essay

    866 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • The Importance of Positive Cultural Identity

    1171 Words  | 3 Pages

    No human being is culture free. We are a product of the many different cultures which surround us. Our values, worldview and experiences are structured by the society and culture that exert influences on our lives each day.

    Read More

  • Multidimensional Assessments In Social Work

    1094 Words  | 3 Pages

    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).

    Read More

  • Cultural Identity And Culture

    1599 Words  | 4 Pages

    Why is cultural identity important to us as people from different race and ethnical background? Identity is one of the most baffling, unpredictable, problematic, survival instincts of individual life in any society around the world. CulturalIdentity is that is aspect of individual that creates a distinguish characteristics and unique differences from one person to another. It can be looked upon in the different angles and spectrum depending on what the case may be. Identity can be analyzed in terms of way of life of people in a geographical setting.Culture is the back born of every identity, and then we can look into some subcultures like, music, language, and communication and perception.

    Read More

  • Critical Analysis Of Erikson's Theory Of Psychosocial Development

    1765 Words  | 4 Pages

    Adolescence refers to the transition period experienced by children that occur between childhood and adulthood (Shefer, 2011). Identity is first confronted in adolescence between the ages 12 – 19 years old, because of physical and hormonal changes in the body. It is also due to the introduction of formal operations in cognitive development and societal expectation that this contributes to an individual’s identity to be explored and established (McAdams, 2009). The forces within and outside (family, community) the individual that promote identity development usually create a sense of tension. The basic task is, in Erikson’s terms, “fidelity or truthfulness and consistency to one’s core self or faith in one’s ideology” (Fleming, 2004: 9), in a nutshell: "Who am I and where am I

    Read More

  • Factors That Influence Identity Essay

    720 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the factors that influences identity is the culture a human being was raised in. There are many different types of cultures on Earth, and each culture has its own set of norms. These set of norms puts pressure of the human being to act in a certain way. This, as a result, influences

    Read More

  • Importance Of Cultural Identity

    1113 Words  | 3 Pages

    How many times have people asked themselves, who am I? What defines me? Culture plays a very important role in the identity of people. People are born in a culture, their family's culture, but not with an already established culture. The term culture refers to the values, beliefs, customs, style of dress, food, songs and stories that are shared and learned in a characteristic group. On the other hand, identity is a set of features, attributes and characteristics that define a person. Identity is constructed by language, social structure, gender orientation and cultural patterns. Although many do not relate these two themes, there is a complex relationship between culture and identity.

    Read More

  • Parents Limiting the Use of Social Media

    1483 Words  | 3 Pages

    There has been controversy as to whether parents should limit the use of social media by teenagers. Teenagers feel that there is no need to limit the use of their social media networking, but on the other hand, parents should feel the need to limit their use and also keep track of their teen’s social networking. Social media allows students to be connected with their peers, teens who post positive status are more likely to be involved in extracurricular activities, and for many teens putting up “selfies” is a self confidence boost; however, too much social media can affect students GPA in school, cyber bullying can affect social health. Social media networks can give out personal information. Social media sites such as Facebook are one of the most popular social media sites that has 700,000-750,000 members joining each day.

    Read More

  • Social Media Negative Effects On Teenagers

    799 Words  | 2 Pages

    Social media can have detrimental effects on the formation of an adolescent’s identity such as social isolation meaning that the individual will spend excessive amounts of time attached to any electronics that will provide him with social media access. Social networking has been debated to have beneficial or detrimental effects, as overuse and abuse of the Internet can be harmful to someone, such as an adolescent. According to the National Crime Prevention Council, over one million teenage girls are victimized psychologically as well as physically, through social media.

    Read More

  • Social Media Blurs the Line Between Public and Private Life

    2369 Words  | 5 Pages

    Most common among young adults and teens, social networking plays a significant role in the social lives of adolescents. The teenage years are “a time of identity formation and role development” (Pew Internet and American Life Project 11). Online identity among friends and peers has now become as significant as one’s own personal identity, in that online information can be seen by many and online interactions have become a primary source of communication. As a result, teens tend to concentrate greatly on social life and now a majority use social networking sites and other social media as an outlet for this personal growth.

    Read More

More about Cultural Influences on Identity Development

Open Document