Smart Funny and Athletic Are Attributes That Help Define Ones Identity

What is the very basic definition of identity? For starters, there isn't a basic definition, there are many. Even the dictionary can't seem to be fully unified.

Identity is concerned largely with the question: "Who are you?" which can be broken down into our sense of self, or the global understanding a person has of themselves; including roles, attributes, skills, abilities, disabilities, behaviors, and associations that we consider most important to us. Identity relates to our basic values that dictate the choices we make, and these choices in turn reflect who we are and what we value.

Everybody has a sense of self or sense of personal identity. In fact, most people have several ways of thinking about themselves that are important and significant enough to be considered multiple senses of one's self and they can consist of some, few, or many of the following:

·      Occupations (e.g., teacher, physician, plumber)

·      Social relationships (e.g., husband/wife, friend, colleague)

·      Familial relationships (e.g., brother/sister; son/daughter; mother/father)

·      Quasi-occupations (e.g., helper, volunteer)

·      Avocations (e.g., athlete, musician, artist, collector, helper, volunteer)

·      Affiliations (e.g., Shriner, Yankee fan)

·      Abilities/disabilities (e.g., smart person, funny person)

·      Salient attributes (e.g., reliable, hard-working, good looking, lazy, dishonest)

·      Spirituality (e.g., child of God, Catholic, Buddhist)

How Would You Define Your Identity?

Self-identities are dynamic and constantly in flux. Children as young as four years old have a sense of self that is based on some salient attributes that the child considers important and is maintained over time. For example, "I am the strongest or fastest kid in my class" or "I am smart; I figure things out easily" or "I am good at helping people." In this case, identities are often imposed or at least encouraged by environmental or cultural forces. For example, if a child is routinely told, "You are smart", the likelihood is increased that intelligence will figure prominently in the child's sense of identity. In contrast, when a child routinely hears, "You can't do anything right", then incompetence is likely to be central to their sense of self.

Out of this comes a personal identity that is formed by identifying or feeling of belonging to a group. It is part of a person's self-conception and self-perception and it is related to nationality, ethnicity, religion, social class, generation, locality or any kind of social group that has its own distinct culture.

So, does this mean that our true sense of identity is a sum of all the things that make up what one identity is supposed to be? In psychology, identity is the qualities, beliefs, personality, looks and/or expressions that make a person (self-identity) or group (cultural identity). The process of identity can be creative or destructive.

A Distinct Personality and Defining Characteristics

From the definition of identity, we can learn that, yes, the world defines identity as distinct personalities and defining characteristics of an individual. But, the issue stands -- opposed to this, identity to date has revolved around the use of documentation that can be reinforced to the satisfaction of authorities and systems. It's almost as if the definition of identity is the way in which we portray ourselves, but not yet actually identify ourselves…if that makes sense?

How can we work to include the definition and portrayal of identity into the way we use it daily? How can we get to a point of "personhood" – the condition of being an individual person with rights? We are living in an age of exponential change -- the rate of change is beyond what our ancestors were used to only a few generations ago. It is time to think of how identity as it is known today can change and grow with the world around us, as identity remains the basis for using such change.

So, Who are You?

"Who are you?" might just be the world's most frequently asked question. On a website, at a bar, at an airport, or in front of a bank counter, everyone needs us to prove that they are who they say they are. The inability to prove who we are excludes a person from property ownership, free movement, and social protection, exposing them instead to corruption and crime, among other things – including power.

Personal identification is inherently linked to power. Power being ownership of oneself and physical property; real estate, clothing, jewelry, automobiles, technology devices, intellectual property, so on. And, with the ownership of "things" comes the ability to identify (connect the human power) the owner of the power of these "things".

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Source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/identity-element-definition-bianca-lopes

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