Self-Categorisation Theory: Gaining A Personal And Personal Identity

Study abroad has facilitated a personal, transformational experience. Gaining a new perspective of the world and an insight to different culture has allowed for a new sense of self, which I have sustained since being home, and in turn have become more resilient to change. Exposure to a new cultural context created challenges that threatened aspects of my existing identity and created possibilities to discover parts of a new identity that I had previously not been in touch with.

Identity is a fluid and multifaceted concept and constantly evolves the way we think about ourselves and how we perceive our place in society. Theories will be entwined into discussion throughout, predominantly the Self-Categorisation theory, a concept that distinguishes two broad classifications of identity that are important to distinguish - personal and social. Personal identity gives prominence, identifying individuals as unique to the rest of the society, whereas social identity is rooted in social categories an individual identifies with (Turner 1982). Throughout the year, differing personal and social identities

Consequently, there was strong possibility of cultural conflicts, leading to a feeling of being outside of my comfort zone. For me, the most important forms of adaptation were academic integration and social integration. Adapting to a new environment is vital for the transformation of the individual and encourages compatibility in that environment. Upon reflection, initially adapting to new academic expectations and navigating dissimilar social structures was challenging. At the time, this conflicted with my existing identity and my own expectations, but I have realised the various stages of questioning and exploring were important to overcome the exposure of the differing system and attitudes as the new environment would not adapt to