Identity Essay, Research Paper

Identity

What influences a person s identity? Is it their homes, parents, religion, or

maybe where they live? When do they get one? Do they get it when they

understand right from wrong, or when they can read, or are they born with

it? Everyone has one and nobody has the same, is there a point in everyone

s life when they get one? A person s identity is his own, nobody put it

there and nobody can take it out. Everyone in this world has a different

identity because they all make their own over the course of their life. A

person s identity also causes a person to have masculine and feminine

traits. There is no one thing that gives a person their identity, there are

however many different factors that contribute to one s identity.

What is someone s identity? Is it the way they look, the way they dress, or

it could be many things all put together, or is it none of the above? To me

someone s identity is a part of their being. Nobody will ever hold it, touch

it, or even see it, but it is there. Everybody has one, it guilds your decision

making, your thoughts, ideas, and dreams. You may think something is

terrible while someone else does not even care and yet another person

may laugh, why? The answer is simple, everyone has his own identity and

personality. Everyone feels, acts, thinks, and dreams differently. People may

have some of these things in common with one another, but they will not

be totally the same, it is like a fingerprint, unique.

There are many origins to a person s identity, their family, friends, home

life, religion, environment and others. But how does it get there, you do not

go into a store and pick on off the shelf. A person s identity is developed

over many years and put together by the person themselves. It comes from

the individuals ability to think, reason and form an opinion. Nobody has the

same mind, or the same or the same conscious, so how could anyone have

the same identity as another. A person s identity is developed over many

years from the time they become aware of their surroundings, to the time

they decide if they are going to college, and even as they grow old there

identity will change with them. As people s dreams are dreamed and goals

are accomplished their identities will change with the individual. Their

aspirations and values will change, causing their identities to change with it.

It may be a slight alteration or a major overhaul but there identity will

adjust to the person.

One of the factors of forming an identity will obviously be your family. One

s family if invaluable to them. Your family may not be your biological

parents or ever a blood relative at all, but nobody in this world can live from

birth without some one. But no matter who it is, they will be the people

who take care of you when you are sick or aid you when you need help.

These people will be there with you for a long time and yes they will have a

major impact on what you turn out to be it the future. A lot off people are

fortunate enough to live with a mother and a father, they may ever have

some brothers and sisters to play with as they grow up. But ever with the

same family influences, brothers and sisters still do not have the same

identities Some may even say having a “traditional” family would be bad for

the development of an identity. For example, what kind identity would a

young girl develop if see repeatedly saw her father beat on her mother. She

would probably not feel the same as another girl whose father always

showed love and caring for her mother. What about a teenager who used

drugs as often as he changed his underwear. Would his younger brother, in

looking up to him, feel the same as another boy who grew up never seeing

an illegal drug before. If family members have no regard for keeping the

other members of the family on the right path to being a good person, then

what will they become. A large part of how someone turns out is due to the

family. A good , solid, caring family may give rise to a kinder, gentler person

than a family that does not care whether the children get into trouble. Kids

grow up seeing their parents and how they act, or not seeing their parents

at all. Proper parenting will lead to better identities in there children.

Gender is a major cause for a person s identity. A person might act a

certain way because of the gender that is given to them. It is often

referred that a person might act a certain way because it is in their nature.

A person s nature is a major reason that causes a persons identity. A

person might be mentally sick and just go crazy on people. This is part of

the person s nature, he is going to do what his nature compels him to. A

person s nature might also influence a person to act like a man or a

woman. A man might be a man but have feminine traits. This is the nature

of his mind. Nature and identity also characterize how the person acts. The

nature of someone might make someone act stronger in their own sex.

Identity can be seen in even the youngest of children as soon a a child is

ready to make their own decision, no matter how trivial the decision might

be, the child is starting to create his or her own identity and define their

own nature. This nature can be seen in children too. One child s nature

might make a little girl act like a boy, also called a tomboy. This means that

the girl just like to play with boys and do boy?things. While another girl,

with a different mentality, might play with Barbie dolls and dress in a pink

dress.

Nature and identity might make a woman act the way that she does. In the

stories The Astronomers Wife by Kate Boyle and A Respectable Woman by

Kate Chopin the woman are defiantly feminine. Maybe they are too

feminine for their husbands who seemingly cannot satisfy their women fully.

If the husbands were doing their job?in the women would not be cheating

on them. The husbands seemingly cannot satisfy their women fully or they

wouldn t be interested in others. Either the women needs mental

satisfaction or physical satisfaction. Another reason a woman would cheat

on her husband is it might be part of her identity, a part of who she is. In

this case there probably is no chance that she will not cheat on her

husband. A person s nature might cause a person to want and need things

that they already have. Why else would a man, who has a faithful wife for

years, cheat on her wife someone whom he probably barely knows.

Siblings grow up together, they play together, and they have fun together.

But eventually they will get there own friends and make there own

decisions, this also leads to a person s identity. Not all people like all the

same things or people. Joe may be friends with Larry, and Larry may like

Bob, but Joe may not like Bob. There is no reason to hate each other, they

just do not mix. Friends also play a part in a person s developing an identity,

they are also a good indicator of one s identity. Whether you hang around

wall street all day or you work on your farm all day, may tell a little about

your identity. Neither is better than the other but they probably have

different interests and likes. That does not mean they can not be friends

and get along, they will just be different.

A person s religion can also play a big role in one s identity. People who

grow up belonging to a religion would be a lot more likely to continue on

with it when they grow older than someone who never believed in one, to

start. Religion can have a rather large effect on a person forming an

identity. If a person learns to treat others with respect and kindness as

they were young, they may keep it with them as they turn into adults. On

the other hand a religion could have negative effects on a person s

identity. For instance, belonging to a cult that believes in sacrificing

animals or even humans would not give a person a very nice identity.

Especially when compared to a person who grew up as a practicing Roman

Catholic. A person s beliefs can easily lead a person into making a decision,

especially regarding ethics or kindness. The person growing up not caring

about anything but themselves could easily make a different choice than a

person that was taught to be respectful to other people. However this is

not always the case, religion can only work if the person decides to follow it

and adhere to it. A person who goes to church every Sunday with their

parents and does not care about it will probably not have a large religious

effect on their identity, it may even cause the person to think “who needs

religion, it is useless.” A person s identity is his own, they make it and

develop it however they choose to. Religion may play a part, or not, it may

be bad or good, but the individual has the final say.

Your environment does not just mean your outside surroundings, this also

refers to your home. People live en all kinds of homes and I do not mean a

ranch or a cabin. Your home life is also your environment. Is it clean and

neat or is it bug infested and dirty. Kids growing up in all kinds of homes will

form different identities. Will they be “neat freaks” or will they not care

how they live in their houses. It is a shame to see people living in filthy, run

down places. The kids who come out of neat, clean homes would probably

be different in how they look at dirt and grime. Do they care or not?

Men and women are different because of society has set them up with. It is

observed for men to be strong and women to be weak. Also it is in the

mentality of the person who is making the comparison to choose how a

woman or man is supposed to think. For example one man might think

women should be in the house all day making food, cleaning, and making

babies. On the other hand another man might like to stay home and take

care of the kids and the house while the wife works. In today s society

they are both acceptable but the second choice is becoming an ever more

popular choice. Another mentality that a man might have is that all women

are sluts?and bitches? If this mode of thought is used then the person

probably has very little respect for a woman. Many rap stars have this

mentality about woman. “Bitches ain t sh*t but hoes and tricks…” (Dr.

Dre). This is a line from Dr. Dre s album The Chronic. The is the type of

thinking that might lead someone to think that all women cheat on their

husbands. In the story The Astronomer s Wife by Kate Boyle, the husband

was asleep probably had no idea that his wife was about to cheat on him

with the plumber it probably never even crossed his mind. Also in A

Respectable Woman by Kate Chopin, the wife tries to be honest and true

but she has a lot of feeling for a man whom she does not really know. The

husband trusts his wife greatly he wants her to be friends with his friend,

but the wife has something different in mind. She wants the man sexually.

The husband has no idea of her intentions. There are many reasons that

make men and women act the way they do. It could be a number of

possibilities but mostly is the way they were raised.

However with all these factors related to forming an identity the most

important and most influential is the person themselves. We see people

every day, some whom we want to be like and some we hope we never turn

out like. With all the other outside factors to guide and help or push and

hamper, the individual has the last say. You are the only on who says what

you want to be like over the course of your life. Nobody will ever get inside

your mind and do the thinking for you. Nobody can influence you, you may

feel as if you are being forced to do something but you do not have to do

anything. You make the final decision. However you act, think, and speak is

totally up to you.

People grow up all coming from all different kinds of places, backgrounds

and families. They will all have different identities. Gender affects the

decisions made by people. Their identity and the nature?of the person

makes them act the way they do. Nobody is the same and nobody will ever

be. All the outside influences will have an effect on their identities but the

individual has the last word on it. Nobody is the same because each person

will form his own identity to what ever they want to be like.