Self and Identity: Elective Outcome

Identity is the view we have of ourselves, and how we see ourselves in terms of the things around us. When one realizes that much of our identity comes from ideas in society, you can see the importance cultures have on the formation of one's identity. Our identities are in constant flux as our culture changes and grows. The self is a more private view, its how you feel inside about yourself rather than how you fit into your culture or social factors. There are different levels of perspective on how identity is formed.

 

There is much controversy over where the idea of self and identity comes from, nature versus nurture. The idea is that everyone is born with a blank slate, and the identity is built by ideas that come from your family and or society. The concept of identity differs from one culture to another, identity is expressed and interpreted, and it helps others understand you and identity helps you understand yourself. Our identities help us fit into our culture. Some believe that our identities our shaped by the society, and the characteristics we are given, ascribed characteristics. 

 

Your identity helps your experience of life, whether you are a man or a woman, young or old, black or white, or whatever is in between, that identity that you have, can shape how you view the world around you, and even how the world around you views you.  Some can experience their identity as a negative thing, because how they appear on the outside, but not be how they feel on the inside. There is a certain superficial level to identity, as compared to the idea of the self, which tends to be a more spiritual and personal concept. But it is certain, that culture plays a large role on how you view yourself and how your identity affects your experience. 

Egocentric, which our society is considered, and socio-centric, means that the notions of self are based on the culture and social relationship they hold. Egocentric means that they are in control of their own view of themselves, and it is not necessarily shaped by social context or relationships. 

 

One idea of the self and identity/ego, that I think is interesting, is a simplified Buddhist view. The Buddhist idea, in an extremely simplistic form, is that there is the ego and the self. Our ego is what drives us to act, we want to protect and satisfy our ego. But this leads to suffering, always striving to succeed. And through meditation a person can find your true self, the soul, etc. The worldly ego and identity is filled with emotional turmoil and conceals the true self. We are constantly trying to fulfill the roles of our identity, whether it be father, mother, daughter, student, teacher, etc. we can get caught up and loose sight of who we really are, our culture and society can cloud our life. 

When looking at different culture it is important to see how that culture affects a person's identity. Because it is through enculturation that we form our views about the roles we play in society.  For a female growing up in American society, what are the things that our culture tells us about females, and how does that shape how we think about ourselves. When we are little girls we are given barbie dolls and we are taught how to play house, to be kind and wear pink. That is how we are taught to define our identities as girls. Mothers teach their daughters rituals and habits to train them the play female roles in society, like learning to cook or clean how to garden and care for babies. These rituals are not taught to little boys, because that is not their identity. But when a little girl doesnt like pink or playing with dolls, or women that do not want to be mothers, they are looked upon as not feminine or there is something wrong with them. That affects their identity. That is an example of how our culture affects identity. Sometimes we can think our identity is one thing, and that can affect the actions we take in life. If a person thinks they are limited to one role in society they might be afraid to go beyond.