What affect does culture play on an individual’s personal identity? Culture is vital to personal identity and how that identity is distinguished from others. The origins of an individual’s personal identity comes from many things in one’s culture. Culture is not established into people at birth, but it is learned from wherever they have been. Society acts in such a manner that when different cultures meet, one society may find the other to be strange. Every society has a different culture where the people share a specific language, gesture, belief, behavior, norms, and more. This world contains a various array of people with different ways of living, different traditions, and different languages. Many of these people come together and they bring their cultures and traditions that help to shape their identity. All of these cultural components play vital roles in the development of an individual’s personal …show more content…
Family members instill values that the individual will not learn on their own. Some of the thoughts and beliefs of the parents will be passed onto the child. For instance, if a person's parents believe that school is important, then their children will most likely take school seriously. Every parent will teach some sort of discipline to their children. Whether the parent is supportive and nurturing or strict and abrasive this will affect the child’s personality in the future. An individual’s family plays the largest role on a developing identity. Throughout majority of the child’s life their family has some form of constant contact. Family can also teach love and respect to children during their childhood. Bharati Mukherjee wrote, “We dressed alike in saris; we expressed identical views on politics, social issues, love and marriage in the same Calcutta convent-school accent” (41). Love and respect will be a crucial element for an individual’s identity moving forward into
Throughout our lives, we're influenced by many. It can have an effect on the way we view issues within societal boundaries. One of the major influences children have in their lives comes from their parents. The parents of a child can have both a positive and a negative influence on their lives. In the novel "To Kill A Mockingbird", there are two excellent examples of how parents can be a major influence on their children.
An individual's identity is reflected through the uniqueness of their character, which is portrayed through distinct qualities such as habits, aspirations, or values. These factors are unique to each person, yet the most influential aspect towards one's identity is most arguably their cultural background. Culture is most commonly defined as the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social or ethnic group. Therefore, culture is a powerfully impressionable factor behind character formation; it imposes customs which ultimately manifest through a person's defining sense of identity. This clear link between culture and identity suggests that a cultural collision, or a conflict tied directly to one's culture, will ultimately affect one's sense of self.
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.
As a living human being we are in a constant state of flux, life events constantly change us. From the smallest thing like a flat tire on the way to work on a raining Monday morning or a compliment a kind person gave you last year that still rings in your ear, all these events change you and shape you. Catherine Latterell points to assumptions about identity and how it is created in her book titled “Remix”, assumptions about identity and how it is created. The three assumptions being: identity is something we are born with, identity is shaped by culture and identity is shaped by personal choices. The assumption that environment has a role in who we are and who we become, as well as what we are born with or without – including our culture, all play a part in bringing together the mosaic of a whole person. Yet it is never fully complete, for it is always reshaping and growing. Mrigaa Sethi discusses these issues in
Identity is defined as being oneself and not acting or being something else. The identity that one forms throughout their life time is a slow and tedious process, each and every event in one’s life whether it’s larger or small scale has an effect on developing ones overall identity. In the play Only Drunks and Children Tell the Truth by Drew Hayden Taylor, Janice it caught between two identities and struggles to find a happy medium. Being adopted into a white family at a young age, Janice has become accustom to many of the white traditions and ways. Janice’s native family has recently gotten in touch with her and has put a great deal of pressure on her to regain some of the native culture she was born into. With pressure building Janice begins to question her identity and begins to show signs that she wants nothing to do with her native roots. Drew Hayden Taylor does an excellent job in this play showing how stereotypes and pre-conceived notions affect ones identity and their relationships within society. Each character within the play shows how their identity has been shaped through the relationships they have acquired throughout their lives; Tonto’s identity is heavily influenced by his father and best friend Rodney, Barb is influenced by the customs and traditional ways of her mother, and Janice after being adopted at a young age has formed an identity revolving around that of her adopted parents but she faces a great deal of pressure from her native birth family.
“Children begin to develop a sense of identity as individuals and as members of groups from their earliest interactions with others” (Trumbull and Pacheco 9). People start to develop their cultural identities as a young child, unknowingly, by their interactions with other people. Though, what is a person’s cultural identity? According to one source, cultural identity can be described as “one of the most basic type of identity is ethnic identity, which entails an awareness of one’s membership in a social group that has a common culture” (Trumbull and Pacheco 9). Considering this definition, I see now that my cultural identity can be best represented by my language because I can speak both English and Spanish and I use both languages on a daily
Starting with one of the surface aspects of my cultural identity is my language. I speak English, like most people who were born in America I learned English and only English right from the start. I
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.
Ethnicity significantly influences the formation of an individuals identity and experiences of belonging. Every cultural background has its own guide of morals and values which places expectations on each individual to follow. The various elements of a certain background influence family life and general structure, greatly influencing a persons formation of identity, and ways an individual may experience belonging. Other impacts that may have an effect on ethnicity for various people today include globalisation, increased mobility and migration.
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.
My culture identity, as I know it as is African American. My culture can be seen in food, literature, religion, language, the community, family structure, the individual, music, dance, art, and could be summed up as the symbolic level. Symbolic, because faith plays a major role in our daily lives through song, prayer, praise and worship. When I’m happy I rely on my faith, same as when I’m sad, for I know things will get better as they have before.
Culture and my behavior is one that has had an influence and knowledge that I have gained in this class so far this semester. I have looked at myself and ask many questions and examined the nature of my own cultural background and how my culture does influence my attitudes toward other groups and my behaviors towards those who are separate from my culture. I have learned that my cultural identity is the uniqueness in feeling like I belonging to a group of culture, class, age and gender that are in the same group, there are many different ways we define cultural. It is part of my self-concept and perception of myself and how I relate to my social class, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender and my social groups that have their own different
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.
Family has major impacts on our lives. From the moment you were born, your family has taught you right from wrong. We get our religion, values, gender roles, language, and habits from our families. We get our status in society through your family’s connection and wealth which later can determine one’s job opportunities in life. Although we grow up and start to develop our own values and beliefs and opinions, the family values beliefs and opinion that were instilled in you since you were little never really go away.
Culture plays a significant role in shaping people’s behaviors. Humans start to expose to culture the day they are born and they learn cultural values through their everyday life interacting with the people and environments around them. The cultural values often help us in guiding our behaviors and provide us a context in helping us identify the proper way of responding to various situations. Culture can help to determine human behaviors because culture can influence individuals’ psychological processes, development of self, and motivation. However, individual differences should also be examined in determining people’s behaviors.