Identity.

Handout 1

What is identity?
Who are we?

It's often an evolving answer. When we consider who we are — or rather, who we
believe ourselves to be — many of us cite our backgrounds, beliefs, experiences and
interests. But what is our true identity, and what are the building blocks that create the
person we identify as throughout our lives?

To understand identity, look at it through the view of the iceberg exercise.

Icebergs typically have a small portion of their mass visible above the water. The
majority of the iceberg is below the surface of the water, out of sight. If you’re trying to
navigate around it, you will have lots of assumptions which might be true or false.

We believe that
everything we do —
from the choices we
make to the decisions
we avoid — stems from
how we see ourselves in
the world and how we
choose to engage with
our environment. Let's
peel back the layers of
our personalities and
discover what factors
influence our identities.

WHAT DO WE MEAN WHEN WE SAY IDENTITY?

To determine which factors influence our identity formation, we must first define
what an identity is. What do we mean when we say identity? According to the dictionary,
identity is:

 The distinguishing character or personality of an individual;

 The relation established by psychological identification;
 The condition of being the same with something described.

These definitions highlight different points of view. We may have created an

identity within ourselves based on our psychological identification. However,
distinguishing traits that inform our identity are equally subjective from others'
perspectives. We may identify as confident or trustworthy, while others may label us
arrogant, meek or unreliable.

PERSONAL IDENTITY VS. SOCIAL IDENTITY — WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

As we discuss identity, we must consider two types of identity psychology —
personal identity and social identity. Our personal identity, or self-identity, is the answer
to one of the most important questions all humans ask about life: Who am I? Personal
identity is our concept of how we think of ourselves. This involves factors that we can
control — like our decisions or interests — and those we can't — such as our families and
race.
Our personal identity is how we perceive ourselves, but our social identity is how
others perceive us. People recognize us by our characteristics within our town, school,
career or another community context. Society will identify each person from these
characteristics, then place the individual in a collective group with others that share
those characteristics. Some social identities might be defined by our marital, financial,
occupational, religious or behavioral status.
HOW DO WE FORM
AN IDENTITY?
What factors influence
identity formation? In a
sense, every stimulus we
experience consciously and
subconsciously throughout
our lives has an impact on
the way we and society
create and label our
identities. Identity formation
and evolution are impacted by a variety of internal and external factors like society,
family, loved ones, ethnicity, race, culture, location, opportunities, media, interests,
appearance, self-expression and life experiences.

1. SOCIETY
Does our identity begin its cultivation from the moment we're born? Surprisingly
not. Our identity is influenced long before we are even conceived. The fact is that our
society has already begun shaping one's identity through years of labeling based on traits
and expected behaviors. Before we're born, these pre-determined groups are already
crafted so we can be sorted. Many of these broad traits are based on appearances such
as gender and skin color. Others include ethnicities, religious, financial and social statuses.
Even aging, a natural part of life for all men and women, incurs a pre-determined
assumption. These pre-determined thoughts within our society can be helpful or harmful,
particularly in instances in which one group is either celebrated or discriminated based
on elements of their identity.
! Society can act as a positive and negative force on our identity. The concept of
collectivism, in which we view ourselves in relation to others within our society, is just as
important as individualism. Finding a group that shares aspects of our identity and either
helps us accept or change how we identify ourselves helps us throughout our lives.
2. FAMILY AND LOVED ONES
While all of our relationships with our society are influential, our families and loved
ones have a significant impact on our identity formation. As they are the first we are
exposed to, we consciously and subconsciously look to our parents, siblings and
extended family members for the building blocks of our identity formation. Unsurprisingly,
this influence is a two-way street — as we learn and develop our identity, our loved ones'
identities evolve because of our impact on their lives. Throughout our early
developmental years, we may embody the title of son, daughter, brother or sister. How
strongly we identify with these labels is influenced by variables like the size and type of
family we belong to and the level of support or conflict that we receive from our family.
Aside from our familial relationships, our romantic relationships also change who
we are. As our relationships become more serious, we can gain and lose traits — both
positive and negative characteristics — that become hallmarks of our identities. These
relationships can also positively and negatively influence important facets or our self-
concept, such as causing us to lose interest in things that we enjoy or fall out of touch
with our religious or cultural attachments.

3. ETHNICITY, RACE AND CULTURE

One of the most complex and multifaceted factors that influence identity
formation is ethnicity, race and culture. These aspects of our lives are continually
evolving, both in the way the members of each group define their group and how society
chooses to define these groups. While we have no control over our race and ethnicity,
we can decide to immerse or distance ourselves from the cultures, religions and customs
that we're born into. All of these factors influence our identities from the moment we're
born, especially when our families identify strongly with these associations. Along with
creating a foundation for our system of beliefs, these factors also influence our behaviors
and attitudes. Each cultural group may express their emotions, approach problems or
conduct their lives in a way that is vastly different from another group.
Many people have a strong sense of pride when it comes to these factors.
However, how our environment reacts to features like our skin color, heritage or cultural
customs can either strengthen or weaken our sense of pride in that aspect of our identity.
The attitudes and behaviors directed at us influence the way we respond, specifically in
the way we express or repress this aspect of our identity.

4. LOCATION AND OPPORTUNITIES

Location and opportunities are perhaps two of the most variable influences on our
identities. The country we're born in, the town we live in and the community we're part of
impact our sense of self. The current government, economy and even the time in which
we live impacts how we see ourselves and the world. The geography and cultures of our
town influence our productivity, creativity and happiness. Our contentment with our
identity has a lot to do with the opportunities our location affords us. If we feel isolated,
out of place or unaccepted in the collective identity, we may come into conflict with
our personal identity. Research has found that different variables within our physical
surroundings can change the way we perceive our lives. While it might not change our
personality, it can reinforce our existing thoughts about our identity.

5. MEDIA
Like society, the media influences how we should — and consequently, how we
do — see ourselves. Media has an immediate impact on our perceived reality.
Consciously and subconsciously, we receive messages through advertising, television
shows, movies, games and music that reinforces or conflicts with our beliefs about life
and whether or not we should be content with who we are. These false depictions of
reality can harm our self-perception. The internet provides a wealth of information and
communication that we can use as a guide for social comparison and to find others who
share our collective identity. However, too much information and exposure can make us
question aspects of our identity. Exposure to media in any form is just as influential in
shaping our identity as our family, friends and society.
As a social concept, the advances in internet technology help transform our
identities in new ways. Social media specifically gives us a platform to showcase our
physical identity and create a virtual identity. This virtual identity can embody elements
of our true identity and allow us to withhold certain aspects of ourselves that we may not
embrace confidently. We also have the choice to create an entirely different identity as
a way to further explore ourselves or cope with our real identity.

6. PERSONAL INTERESTS
Our hobbies and personal interests are also essential elements of our identity.
When we first get to know someone else, a common conversational thread concerns
their interests. Their favorite movies and bands, how they relax or have fun and what
activities they like and dislike give us information on which we base our initial opinions.
The intangibles, such as their hopes, dreams and favorite memories, can also shed light
on how they seem to perceive themselves. Our careers are also strongly tied to our
identities. While our perception of ourselves can enhance or limit our potential as
employees, the role that we hold can influence our personal identity. Job insecurity can
strain our sense of self, while success in our role can reinforce our identity. However, those
who hold several positions in different industries may find that their multiple career
identities challenge their sense of singular personal identity.

7. APPEARANCE AND SELF EXPRESSION

How we look and present ourselves to the world says a lot about who we are. It
can also impact how others perceive and treat us, which in turn shapes identity
formation. Our physical identity is not superficial — it's actually an aspect of ourselves we
tie to our sense of identity. Our appearance and way we express ourselves are how we
choose to represent this identity visually. We may choose to project our culture, personal
interests or status through our appearance.
 Allowing our appearance and self-expression to influence a majority of our identity
formation is not healthy. Sadly, society projects false realities to skew our perception of
what constitutes the ideal appearance. Though it is healthy for us to be comfortable and
confident in the way we present ourselves to society, being overly critical of our
appearance is unhealthy. If we believe that society's depiction of approved and
unapproved likenesses is accurate, those who do not meet the standards may
experience discontentment with their sense of self.

8. LIFE EXPERIENCES
Past experiences can also contribute to our identity formation. Developmental
trauma experienced in childhood shapes who we are as adults, with earlier instances of
distress leading to more profound levels of negatively impacted identity formation.
Thankfully, we can work through our "traumatic self" brought on by childhood events to
create a healthy adult identity. Our positive life experiences also shape our identities.
Overcoming difficult times through adolescence or adulthood can help us build
resiliency in our sense of selves. Even positive emotional support we receive as children
can have a positive effect on our relationships decades later. Whether the experience is
inherently positive or negative, how we experience it and process those experiences
shape the way we perceive ourselves.
What is personal identity, and why is identity important? Society is one of the many
factors that shape who we are, and in turn, our collective and personal identities shape
society. As we grow individually and together, our identities evolve and influence the
identities of future generations.