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Identity shaped by past experiences
Development of personal identity from middle childhood, through adolescence, into young adulthood
Societal influences on individual identity
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When we are born into the world, it is far from our last birth. The birth of our identities begins as we grow. And while not right or wrong, it is how our minds take on an identity during our key developmental years.
Childhood experiences are incredibly crucial as identities develop during this time. We begin to question who we are, what we like and don’t. Confusing or hurtful experiences can form our identity in such substantial ways. Beyond experiences, the people in our lives shape who we are and how we perceive ourselves. Everything in the world shapes who we are. Every emotion and experience is stored within us. And often we tend to become believers of it regardless of its truth. All too often, those beliefs continue to shift as our
minds create a false reality that affect us emotionally. Soon, we could find ourselves hurt over something that barely even happened. As children, we enter the world as clean slates. We enter with inherent wisdom. Over time, however, that wisdom becomes distorted as the child becomes a believer to the world around them. This life can be difficult and confusing for a child. This once clean slate now has experiences, lessons and other impressions that start to form their identity. By the time this child becomes an adult they have formed countless impressions about themselves and the world. Soon enough, moments and experiences in their lives begin to play like a nonstop movie marathon. To rid ourselves of these beliefs we need to rediscover our childhood. By reconnecting with your childhood you are returning to your inherent wisdom. You are wiping the slate clean once again. To do this you need to look within and apply the teachings of The Work to your life. Begin to question what has become your reality. Look into yourself and find what is and isn’t real. What has made you a believer? Why are you holding onto these experiences? Wipe those experiences and find yourself once again. When we go inside of us and get still we will find what we are looking for. Remember it may take time. This is personal work. Don’t shift quickly. Be still and look inside. Stare the perceptions head-on. Remove the pretending and find out what is real. As the truth becomes evident once again, you are able to find the child inside you--and your identity will be born anew.
True identity is something people must create for themselves by making choices that are significant and that require a courageous commitment in the face of challenges. Identity means having ideas and values that one lives by” (Merton). Concurring with Merton, a person is not given their identity at birth or while developing as an embryo, rather it is something that you create for yourselves over the course of life through decisions and actions made by the individual. Identity is something that one may not be fully aware of or discover until the last breath. Identity can be influenced through associations with others, and environmental factors.
The formation of our own personal identities often begin at birth. As you grow up your parents are a major influence on you. They teach you many things and help to shape your personal identity. They teach you the basics, from knowing right from wrong to your basic moral values. Your moral values are often built upon the basic morals your parents have and what they have taught you in return.
At birth, every person is given a name, a birth certificate and a social security number. However, labels and documents do not identify who one is or who he will be. Family, environment, and circumstances shape an individual. At any one point in time, an individual may have one identity but at another given point, they may have another. What causes one’s identity to change? At birth, identity begins to form, shaping an individual; and while personal choice slightly influences a person’s identity, environmental factors weigh most heavily in molding a person’s permanent identity.
Identity is very important in a person’s life. It can induce pride or shame, provide a community or provide a way to distinguish one’s self from others. But, where does this identity come from? It is easy to assume we are who we are because of who raised us, but this is not the entire case. Andrew Solomon, author of “Far from the Tree” introduced two different forms of identity, vertical and horizontal. He defines vertical identity as the attributes acquired and shared by the people we are raised by and horizontal identity as the attributes different from those who raised us, but are shared and acquired through a peer community. These two types of identities generally do not intersect and, depending on the circumstance, one can greatly impact
Human development is a highly complex lifelong process. Identity is a self-definition or sense of who one is, where one is going, and how one fits into society. It relates to our basic values that dictates the choices we make in life. It is considered that identity formation is a means of finding oneself, by matching one’s talent with available social roles. Crisis is a vital part in one’s development. It occurs in every stage of finding one’s self and without resolution, may lead to tension and role confusion. Dedicated and influential theorists such as Erik Erikson and James Marcia have contributed significantly to the broadening and understanding
When I look back at my childhood, I see it as a highly colored, exaggerated version of what it must have been. Everything seems brighter, and bigger than reality allows. It’s the ideal “child’s world,” full of Barbies, dress-up, and playgrounds. But, if I try hard enough, I can remember the feeling of being there. The feeling of being small, and nearly innocent. Most of the time when I think of my childhood, I look back on two specific years, kindergarten and first grade, and the summers before and after the two. Both of these took place in Schaumburg, Illinois, in a two-bedroom town-home that I still call “my old house” even though it’s not that anymore. I’m not sure if these are the years I simply remember the best, or if that was actually the time I felt most like a child. I had many friends, and we had plenty of time to play games and use our imaginations. Nevertheless, I don’t usually reminisce about the shows and movies that I used to watch, and certainly not how these things affected me growing up. When prompted, however, I can remember specifics. I even begin to see how visual texts, like The Little Mermaid and Full House, have influenced me throughout my life and especially in my childhood. I have felt the impact of these things in my life as recently as this year, and I can see not only how the shows I watched influenced my behavior, but also that I chose to watch shows and movies that I thought were representative of me.
Many philosophers and psychologist from Jean Piaget to William James have theorized what makes a person who they are, their identity. Jean Piaget believed that the identity is formed in the sensorimotor stage and the preoperational stage. This means that a child is forming his identity as late to the age of seven (Schellenberg, 29) However, identity is strongly impacted by society such as school, church, government,and other institutions. Through our interactions with different situations our personality develops (Schellenberg 34). "In most situations there is a more diversified opportunity for the development of social identities, reflecting what the individual wants to put forth to define the self as well as what others want to accept,"(Schellenberg 35). Therefore, humans, much like animals, adapt to different situations based on who they are with. Individuals are always changi...
An important part of the adolescent identity formation process is the recognition that others notice the outward expression of the self, and that this outward expression must agree with others in order to fit into a social group.
Everyone has at least one memory that they still think about whether it’s good or bad. In some way, it has impacted you. Your childhood is always with you, and it has made you who you are today. The National Public Radio made an article on this speaking on behalf of childhood experiences. “The type of emotional support that a child receives during the first three and a half years has an effect on education, social life and romantic relationships even 20 or 30 years later” (Singh).
“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.
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
Who am I? That’s a question I often used to ask myself. I’ve always had trouble trying to figure out who I am as a person. Like what do I profile myself as, or should I fall under one of many of societies different categories? During the reading of Lahiri’s; “Identity and Culture”. I found out we share a lot of similarities, to a certain extent from my childhood. For instants we both share in common the fact that we have immigrant parents, mine being my father. He himself was born into an immigrant background.
There are many things that have molded me into the person I am today such as being born into a family with four children. With three siblings, I have been forced to be able to work out problems from stealing each other’s toys to having to rush to the emergency room to get stiches because my brother chased me around the house and I tripped. My mother, father, brother, and two sisters were all born in Pennsylvania and I am the odd ball and I was born in Adrian, Michigan. From when I was a child I always loved being involved with sports because of my competitive nature. I grew up playing soccer and having success with that but then my love changed and I began playing lacrosse and football. I started playing lacrosse in middle school and played
“A butterfly can’t see it’s beautiful wings, but the rest of the world can,” would be my saying, that I honestly can’t pin down besides a vague year in Middle School. Beyond that, it holds meaning not only to me, but in context of life and the world currently. Gleaming at my phone at midnight because of a friend who admitted they almost took their lives through pills, this phrase while not used was apparent in my hours of conversation with that person that night. Struggling with an identity is something everyone across race, gender, class, and intelligence struggle with from trying to understand an innocent crush to understanding yourself and your position in life especially in such a competitive environment is difficult. People today must
The challenges and troubles that I have faced throughout my life had made me into the hardworking, caring and passionate girl I am today. Growing up with only a mother was never easy, but she gave it and still gives it her all to make sure I have the same opportunities as any other kid. Being biracial in a predominantly white town has always been a struggle, never quite fully fitting in. Each aspect of my life, for better or for worse, has shaped me into the woman I am today, and I’m proud of who I have become and all I’ve done and others have done to help me get here.