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The importance of identity in society
The role of identity
The role of identity
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“Remember always that you not only have the right to be an individual, you have an obligation to be one.” – Eleanor Roosevelt. These are some very wise and empowering words, I must say. I believe many teenagers in today’s generation are most of the time wearing a mask. A mask that is made up of what the world wants them to be, a mask that they think may protect them from not allowing others in, a mask that was built from peer pressure, a mask that was formed from bullying. There’s always a story behind someone’s mask, as I call it. Most of the time teens nowadays are afraid to be themselves, to be individuals, due to the way they think people will perceive them. I do have to say though, that those that have ripped their masks away are the ones that have truly become individuals. Of course, …show more content…
I was so self-conscious and honestly never thought much of myself; all I knew were the negatives. But I was always nice to everyone though, that was an important thing to me. I believed that if I was nice eventually they would stop with the bullying; this is something I would always say to myself to keep my hopes up. I was surprised though when I began high school; it felt as if everyone had totally forgot about how they would pick on me, it took all this for me to finally realize that I shouldn’t have let that happen to me. It was Friday, December 21, 2012 that I was lying in my room going through my thoughts that I finally asked myself why I don’t feel confident. It was the day I realized that I’m gorgeous, intelligent, and wise and that I shouldn’t think any less and if that anybody had anything to say otherwise I wouldn’t care. It took me all those years of bullying to finally feel genuinely happy, and secure with who I am now and to finally rip that mask off and embrace me. I thank my bullies actually because without them Chisom Stella Okafor wouldn’t be like
“I just want to be someone, mean something to anyone, I want to be the real ME”, by Charlotte Eriksson. The quest of my journey is to discover my real purpose, my real goal but most importantly, find my real identity. This is known as the “Identity versus Role Confusion Stage” or as described by psychoanalyst Erik H. Erikson, the fifth stage of the Eight Stages of Man. It occurs between the ages of 12 to 18, where every person battles to establish a certain roll or skill that provides one with a sense of a sturdy foundation in the adult society. I too am currently going through this stage of life, dodging many obstacles in order to seek out my identity. The hardest obstacle- my attempt to fit in with my peers, but the extremes I took to find it, may have scared me for life. Nonetheless, it showed me a piece of my real identity and helped me figure out how to grow through it and better myself; it showed me the real me. In the past as well as today’s society, individuality is vital. Each teen wants to create a unique identity for ones’ self, and the start to creating that identity is in high school.
When I was in Middle School, I was one of the shy and overweight girls who were picked on constantly. Every day felt like a battlefield, with people throwing crumpled up papers at me, but this form of bullying was nothing compared to everything else done to me. For example, girls would tease me because of my dark skin, and they would tell me that I was not good enough for a boyfriend. Likewise, people would make fun of me by calling me a whale or Miss Piggy, making me feel atrocious about myself. I could not look in the mirror because I thought I was disgusting. I felt like I was made imperfectly compared to the other girls in my school, like I was cursed, and that “God” gave up on my looks while I was still in my mother’s womb. Because of being bullied, I developed depression, low self-esteem, and social phobia.
Identity often refers to a sort of desperate quest or a deliberately confused search through both a mental and moral experience. However, Erikson approaches this idea as an experience that will almost be a surprise that sneaks up on one, rather than something that can be found. The process of identity formation is located in the core of an individual, and also in the core of ones communal culture. This process is ever changing and developing, but reaches a crisis during the stage of adolescence. At the earliest stage of the identity crisis there is an important need for trust in oneself and others. Adolescents, at this stage, look passionately for ideas to place faith in, and additionally, ideas, which seem worthwhile to prove trustworthy. Erikson explains, “at the same time the adolescent fears a foolish, all too trusting commitment, and will, paradoxically, express his need for faith in loud and cynical mistrust” (Erikson, p. 252). This stage of identity formation is very confusing to youth because of the pull between childhood and adulthood. The adolescent undergoes and inner struggle of whether they wish to follow certain morals and beliefs, and the fear of committing to a specific identity. The second stage establishes the necessity of being defined by what one can will freely. The adolescent is now looking for an opportunity to decide freely on one of the available or unavoidable duty and service, and is at the same time terrified of being forced to engage in activities, which may expose one to ridicule. This further adds to the confusion of adolescents and identity formation. An adolescent is torn between acting shamelessly in the eyes of his or her elders, out of free choice, than to be forced into activities t...
Scientists and researchers continue to evaluate the adolescence timeframe in which all people form the foundation for the rest of their life. The knowledge and understanding required by not only scientists and researchers, but also psychoanalysts create a unique set of principles within the field. A vast understanding of past work done by people such as Erik Erikson and many others, adds to the current, growing knowledge attained by all professionals in the field of identity formation (Brogan 1). Ray Brogan, author of Identity Development understands the processes in which identity development research progresses in terms of past, present and future, as well as understanding the risks in which factors such as suppressive parents, teachers and even friends can pose on a developing adolescent’s personality. “Many development theorists see identity development as a means for an individual to explain the present as a bridge from the past to the future” (1). Brogan takes an interpretative approach to the research completed in past psychoanalysts by further expanding on their findings and interjecting his own throughout the analysis of identity formations processes.
During my childhood, I went through a lot of bullying incidents. The tormenters called me “chicken; because I am thin. I stared at a mirror and asked myself “who am I?” that’s a moment that I was genuinely scared for myself. How can I solve the bullying problem on my own? Being bullied is a problem that I want to solve, but I don’t know how. I realized that I focused
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).
We, as human beings, should be involved in the idea of supporting rights and equality for transgenders because they are one of us no matter what they believe. It definitely matters to the audience to aware of since discrimination against transgender is still a susceptible issue, not only defense against gender minorities, but also against human rights generally. If we do not start correcting this problem, our family members or children may experience the unavoidable consequences of it themselves in the future. We need to fight to protect the rights and safety of transgender nonconforming students to be treated with respect at school as well as their parents.
According to Erikson’s psychosocial development theory, a major task occurs during adolescence is the resolution of identity crisis. At this stage, adolescents exhibit greater social consciousness and actively seek for a sense of identity. However, the process of identity exploration can be difficult for most teenagers. Some may experience peer pressure and conflicts with friends, while others may suffer from social exclusion (Hoffnung et al., 2016, p. 393). Additionally, teenagers are more inclined to test the social boundaries and often end up in risk-taking behaviours such as smoking, alcohol drinking and sexual activities. The engagement of risk-taking behaviours not only leads to immediate health consequences but could also possibly persist into adulthood (Sales & Irwin Jr,
For my “How to do” speech my goal was to share with the class an interesting and informative way to learn something new. Due to the speeches time limit, I knew I needed to be well prepared. I wanted to be less nervous before and during my speech. While presenting I was nervous, but I didn’t really have time for these feelings to sink in because I was focused on the information I wanted to share with the audience. I enjoyed presenting in the second group of speeches so I could see my peers different types of speaking style. The audience seemed alert and interested in my topic which made it a little bit easier for me to speak, because there weren’t any distractions in the room from people not paying attention. I think part of that was because
But in my head, I knew I could do something to stop the bullying. I stopped wearing my glasses. It was not until seventh grade that I was that I was forced to wear my glasses. That I was forced to wear my glasses. It was the annual eye exam for the school and I failed again. I tried to get contacts, but with my allergies they did not work. So here I was back wearing glasses and being bullied and stereotyped. As I was getting older the stereotypes got worse students started calling me a nerd and I was always got straight A’s. When in fact, it was the exact opposite. I struggled in school and it was hard for me to get good grades because I could not see the board so I did not understand what I was
Would it be a strange thing to say that bullying made me the confident person I am today? I was an Indian girl who was tall, skinny and had glasses, braces, and acne. I still am. Bullying was a daily thing whether it was about my race and getting teased for being a “cow worshipper” because of my Hindu culture. Or about my body type and how I was a "stick". In elementary and middle school It seemed that my priorities were about shaping a perfect persona that took me away from being the “curry smelling Indian girl”. Telling people I was mixed or creating new names for my parents was the normal. I didn't realize that I was more than the stereotypes of my race. I was so consumed by what others thought about my religion than who I actually was.
Self-awareness is not about reading a book or attending a course. Self-awareness is a journey, and it takes practice. It’s like a muscle that becomes more effective with time and effort. It gives us mental strength as opposed to physical strength. We are constantly changing and adapting to the multiple external forces around us and to our individual experiences. The more we learn to be aware of, and understand, our reactions, thoughts, and emotions, while also keeping in mind our values, the more we can become the best we can be and the more successful we can become.
Imagine a place of complete control of every action during any given day. This unattainable goal goes under the rug; however, this elusive place is attainable only in one 's mind. The dictating factor of all human actions lies within the emotion which derives from the inner depths of the sea. The sea monster which swims through the human body, leeching on to our brains and controlling them. Through the sea monster antagonizing fear into human`s consciousness, this brief attack dictates everyday actions. Fear, expressed from human responses to stressful stimulus activates the flight or fight response inside our brain. This triggers without our conscious awareness as this occurs as an automatic response. A human response in which requires no
High school is a tough time in life when some people around you can feel so alone and trapped. In my personal experience, I found out how my simple smile turned the life of a bully victim around. The article, “A Day After Class On Bullying, A Suicide,” gives us an inside view on how hard the life of a bully victim can be. They go into detail about the ultimate damage that can occur to someone of any age, and with a few pages, this article informs us about tragic suicide that followed. Bullying can be hard on a teenager and with the insight of these articles, as well as my own personal experience, we can see the pain and suffering that these bullies bring upon the entire family, friends, and community.
Remaining a constant victim to bullying for 11 years significantly affected how I viewed myself and others around me. To most I wasn’t worth giving more than a single glance. I had a gap between my two front teeth, which was a primary target of ridicule. My clothes were “nice”, but they weren’t by the designer label everyone else was wearing. Not only did I dress and look ugly, I was also a black girl- a lighter skinned