Identity And Identity: The Influence Of Identity

When thinking about Identity, it might be easy to just say that is “who we are”, or it’s just me. An identity is much more than that though. I like to think of it as a living puzzle. There are hundreds or thousands of pieces that come together to form the complete identity, or the complete “you”. I say living because an identity grows throughout the years and even changes depending on the situation. There is a multitude of influences that goes into forming a person’s identity some of which a person chooses and others they don’t. Family members and guardians are a primary source of learning when a child is young. As a person grows, the sphere of influence broadens to include mentors, media, and school. This identity is then a lens through which

As of now that is just the easiest and most descriptive label I can put on it. Since gender is fluid, there is an infinite number of possibilities where a person might fall on a scale. While someone may come up with a scale to help define people, the scale itself must be fluid as society 's outlook on masculinity and femininity is ever changing. Labeling in this way is rather tough for me though. I was raised by my mother, with only some influences from my father, so my sense of manliness comes from a woman. Blue baby clothes, Legos, trucks and Hot Wheels were the toys of choice for me. This influence is not entirely masculine in any sense. When compared to some of my acquaintances I may be considered less masculine than some, and more than others. Growing up gender was really a non issue in that it was not talked about and gender clues were taken from society. On one hand I am against people placing their beliefs and morals on me, yet I accept the label as a man based on what society has given me. As much as I would like to be independent, I think this label comes from a need to belong and knowing that being a part of something is really valued as much as perceived individuality. I am not into sports, although when I was younger I played on baseball, football, soccer and wrestling leagues. The label was certainly a big influence as my mother made sure I lived up to it. Even still I will go out and watch the

“Because we belong to various groups, we develop multiple identities that come into play at different times” (Martin, 96). While watching a sports game, my gender identity may be more prominent as I fit in with the guys and talk about what a horrible call the referee just made. Later on at a marriage equality rally sexuality may be the topic that comes to play. I am still the same person in each situation, yet different parts of my identity are displayed based on what the situation dictates. It is much like the different faces we display for various activities. A playful face would not be appropriate at board meeting, much like a work face is not appropriate at your daughters fifth