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What is meant by an individual's identity
What is meant by an individual's identity
What is meant by an individual's identity
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Sneha Kumar
Prompt: It is difficult to maintain a strong sense of individual identity in our society.
Our society in today’s world consists of many stereotypes. And if you do not know who you are and do not consist of a ‘strong individual identity’ it can be hard to not fit in any of the categories. Some categories include racial profiling, gender profiling, cultures, and so on. People in today’s world don’t really have a clue with what they really want in life. It is like that they have been brainwashed by the stereotypical groups and has lost their sense on identity. Once you have entered society’s expectations, you won’t even realise you have your own expectations in life as it is very hard to have a sense of identity as society is pinning
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you down. The novel ‘Wild Cat Falling’ is written by an Australian author, Mudrooroo.
It is the story of an Aboriginal boy who grew up on the ragged outskirts of a country town. He commits a crime and goes to jail and comes out a couple years later only to fight the battle with society. In the novel, he is often referred to Jessie Duggan’s boy as the author has not mentioned his name. The unknown character is a very pessimistic person. He thinks that the world is a very nasty place. “I only know it will be worse out there.” He prefers jail over out as he knows what to expect when he goes out. He knows that his identity of being Duggan’s boy will be expected from him even if he doesn’t want it to. “‘Jessie Duggan’s boy,’ he says like talking to him-self. The food sticks in my throat. ‘No.’ I say. ‘I’m a stranger here.’” His identity of himself is that he is a negative person and does not want to be somebody’s …show more content…
boy. The character’s identity also includes being weakened to lust. Normal people don’t have a problem with lust. But this character finds it difficult to keep the relationship between him and the girl for a long time. This may be because he has been in jail for some time or the fact that he has not interacted with girls at a young age. “I want her and hate her for making me want her.” It seems like he doesn’t want to feel anything towards anyone as he thinks he is a danger. However, if he does feel something, he doesn’t want to consider the other person’s feeling also. “The girl has gone and I must move on again”. With this, it is difficult for him to reach out to society’s expectations of ‘love’ and ‘relationships’. People in this world think that positivity will lead them anywhere they want to go in life.
However, this character feels as if he should have negativity in his life as he thinks that he will never do any good in the world. he committed a crime which he had paid for, but he still feels responsible for his own actions. The world should not have him in it, that is where his mind is taking him. “…as I have accepted hopelessness and futility” He has acknowledged what life has given him and this is identity. Now he has found his identity, he is scared of changing it for society’s sake. “I guess the fact is I’m afraid of life, haven’t got the guts to be a real criminal.” He is scared of what is outside the prison walls. So he lets himself think of him as a criminal in order to move on with life and to ignore the rest of society’s feelings about
him. The identity that makes up us is hard to keep up as society will tear everyone down to their weakest points. So to maintain a strong sense of individuality is very difficult. Jessie Duggan’s boy is expected to be optimistic about the life out of prison as society may think that he has learned his lesson. But as negative as he is, he thinks acting like a criminal will get him through his life.
On the other hand, ideally one should be true to one’s heart, if Disney’s Mulan is to be believed. But these are neither solid pieces of advice nor wise counsel; they are at best hand-wavy, wishy-washy statements that offer no guidance on traveling the minefield that is remaining true to oneself. In fact, given the wide swath of human experiences, it is difficult to imagine a panacea effective for each and every trial and tribulation people may encounter in maintaining the integrity of their identities; personally, I don't think one exists. Just as there are myriad events, emotions, and memories from which one’s identity develops, it surely follows that there are just as many ways social norms act to compromise one’s individuality, ostensibly for the worse. Therefore, it seems that an indirect solution would best serve individuals filled and bombarded with doubt about who they really are; namely, the unwavering support of a community would allow individuals to resolve, on their own terms, their inner conflicts stemming from outward
Identity is the essential core of who we are as individuals, the conscious experience of the self-inside.
Our lives are defined by our experiences of growing up and of who people are when people are developing. Both, in their respective regards, are something that can be difficult to alter to the individual. Gender, race, classes, and other building blocks of our identity are always shifting to who anyone is and while a person can’t affect themselves, society can, and often does change their perspective towards their own identity and how they interact with the stimulation outside of their psyche.
Although the concept of identity is recurrent in our daily lives, it has interpreted in various ways.
Identity is a group of characteristics, data or information that belongs exactly to one person or a group of people and that make it possible to establish differences between them. The consciousness that people have about themselves is part of their identity as well as what makes them unique. According to psychologists, identity is a consistent definition of one’s self as a unique individual, in terms of role, attitudes, beliefs and aspirations. Identity tries to define who people are, what they are, where they go or what they want to be or to do. Identity could depend on self-knowledge, self-esteem, or the ability of individuals to achieve their goals. Through self-analysis people can define who they are and who the people around them are. The most interesting point about identity is that some people know what they want and who they are, while it takes forever for others to figure out the factors mentioned before. Many of the individuals analyzed in this essay are confused about the different possible roles or positions they can adopt, and that’s exactly the reason they look for some professional help.
Identity is primarily described primarily as what makes a person who they are. While it is seen as an individual asset, one’s identity can be shaped and persuaded not only by life experiences, but by society as well. Bryan Stevenson speaks on several controversial issues and proclaims certain societal problems and the typical behaviors noticed in response to them. How one approaches the issues that are spoken about may expose their true identity. Stevenson argues that how one reacts to racial inequality within the criminal justice system may regulate their identity. In addition to that, how dealing with the nation’s history may force a growth on one’s identity, eventually bringing peace and acceptance to the nation. Lastly, how one views the
People identify themselves using not only qualities within them, but through culture and family as well. Through these few examples, it is easy to see some of the foundations that can foster an entire, complex identity. It is understandable how interesting and varied humans can be, drawing from so many directions to build who they are. Identity is not very complex at all, it comes through living day to day.
Since the beginning of time, people have been trying to become individuals and stand out as unique beings. During the foundation of the colonies, individuals were focused on preserving their religious beliefs. As slavery became more predominant, the Civil War era fought to give black people their identity back. In the 1800s and 1900s, the individual initiative shifted from giving a group of people identity to individuals fighting for their own personal beliefs. In today’s society, individualism has been diminished by the collapse of the economy, forcing people to live with their parents for longer periods of time. As the economy continues to grow again individualism is making strides in a positive direction.
"Identity is a dynamic feature of social life. That is, it is something that is constantly evolving and changing. For some people, identity can change rapidly and dramatically, of course, but for most of us our identities evolve slowly and imperceptibly" (Livesey, n.d., p.1).
Identity: A Matter of Choice? Identities are constructs that encompass the qualities, beliefs, and characteristics that make a particular person or group different from others. An identity is formed partly by individual choice, but is largely predetermined by society’s perceptions of an individual or group. Having individual choice is having the opportunity or power to make a decision. A person’s ability to choose their identity may be limited due to society’s perception of them, whether they are conscious or unconscious of society’s influence.
What is identity? Identity is an unbound formation which is created by racial construction and gender construction within an individual’s society even though it is often seen as a controlled piece of oneself. In Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum’s piece, “The Complexity of Identity: ‘Who Am I?’, Tatum asserts that identity is formed by “individual characteristics, family dynamics, historical factors, and social and political contexts” (Tatum 105). Tatum’s piece, “The Complexity of Identity: ‘Who Am I?’” creates a better understanding of how major obstacles such as racism and sexism shape our self identity.
‘Who we are’ is arguably one of the most common, simple and yet most important questions to ever be asked. Its importance is derived from the fact that the collection of answers that we might give or obtain comes together to form our identity as individual members of human society. Some of the answers to this question might be things that we have always identified ourselves with, our name, gender, race or ethnicity, others might be things that we have become associated with during the course of our lives, such as our profession, social class or even our hobbies. Some we could consider more important or central when defining who we are, while others we would possibly mention only in passing. More so, the answers themselves might change in time - some might disappear altogether, while other new ones could emerge. This essay will look at the difference between two types of identities that these answers define, as well as the relevance of this distinction in social study and social policy.
In conclusion, the formation of one’s identity has many components. Beginning at the onset of adolescence and continuing to expand, grow and form and reform as we live through the struggles or success of life. Many theorists have endeavored to clarify the development of identity formation. However, Erik Erickson offered one significant theory involving the formation of one’s identity. Expounding on Erickson theory, Marcia developed his Identity Status Model according to the existence or absence of crisis and commitments. These four statuses, diffusion, foreclosure, moratorium and achievement can combine in various ways to produce a self. One’s sense of identity is determined largely by the choices and commitments made, therefore, having a well-developed sense of self can provide an individual with insight to their strengths, weaknesses, and individual uniqueness. An individual that finds themselves
We’ve been distinctly separating ourselves into groups for as long as anyone can remember, but we’ve never bothered to ask ourselves why we do it. In school we begin to question our identity, starting with the question we’ve all asked ourselves at
Burke, P.J. & Stets, J.E. (2000). Identity Theory and Social Identity Theory. Social Psychology Quarterly 63(3), 224-237