Identity Essay, Research Paper

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 his or her 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, 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 their 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. Lots 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 she 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. 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 his or her own sex. Identity can be seen in even the youngest of children as soon 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. 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.

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.