Personal identity evolves various aspects of your life, such as the ethnic and cultural elements, choices in life, beliefs, action, and behavior. You demonstrate portions of your identity with interaction with other people and validate your faith in God. Moreover, you also keep some personal identity elements that express a desire to know the meaning and aspiration for belonging and the purpose of existence through time.
If you find yourself struggling with questions such as’ Who am I?‘ or who you might become in the future? Human identity signifies your identity and aspiration to know the sources of your identity, your sense of attachment or ownership, and the nature of the bonds that bring you together. According to sociologist Philip Selznick, identity, action, and behavior determine how we classify and perceive our position in the world. This allows us to get engaged and develop interaction with others. Such attachments are imperative in shaping our “authentic selves” and determine our attitude towards building social relationships and integrating with the global community.
How self-identity leads to a sense of purpose? Psychologists have stated that we should discover our potential and then choose our sense of purpose. As we age, we can develop our identity by rejuvenating our prospects and realigning with our goals. Consequently, our self-identity comprises various elements that build our identity. Elemental traits, behaviors, and attitudes make us unique as an individual, and influence behaviors, values, beliefs. Characteristics that describe our status, attributes, and skills are occupation, political affiliation, hobbies, nationality, and place of residence. Conditions that we have no control over include age, gender, place of birth, and physical characteristics.
Factors influencing Identity Formation
Our social identity determines how others perceive us. According to social identity theory, social behavior is determined by the character and motivations of the person as an individual. The individual identity is called interpersonal behavior. At the same time, the person’s group membership is known as intergroup behavior. Some social identities are defined by marital, financial, occupational, religious, or behavioral status. Identity formation and evolution are impacted by various internal and external factors like society, family, loved ones, ethnicity, race, culture, location, opportunities, media, interests, appearance, self-expression, and life experiences.
- Family and loved ones
Parents, siblings, and extended family members play an essential part in our identity formation. We learn and develop our identity since childhood. Throughout our early developmental years, we embody the title of son, daughter, brother, or sister. We identify with these labels as being influenced by the family we belong to and the level of support we receive from our family. In many cases, the level of support or love we get from our parents contributes to building our identities.
- Cultural Identity
We are identified through our family, ethnicity, nationality, religion, culture, and language. Cultural identity relates to a person or a large group of people who share a national, cultural, and linguistic heritage. As our sphere of social interaction expands, we tend to integrate into a wider domain of human experience. This requires us to prioritize the identities that matter the most. The theorist Iris Marion Young says that a person’s identity involving gender, culture, and national affinities influences how we understand and interpret the world, think, and act.
Moreover, it indicates our moral intuition and what values we hold. According to sociologists, national identity allows people to develop a sense of collective national identity. Social, cultural, and national identity provide the context of our belonging in the broader perspective. They serve as creating unity, bringing coherence and direction to people with divergent cultures and beliefs. Hence, it provides a basis for meaningful collective life.
- Racial and Ethnic Identity
Racial identity broadly refers to how individuals define themselves concerning race or ethnicity. Ethnic and racial identities signify the people belonging to minority groups. These dimensions of the racial identity instill the feelings of belonging to a particular group and sharing commitment and values. Consequently, ethnic identity is passed from one generation to the next through customs, traditions, language, religious practice, and cultural values.
Race has no genetic or scientific basis; societies use race to establish and justify power, privilege, and oppression systems. Personal experiences, family, community, workplaces, and political and social events play a role in helping us to understand the concept of racial identity. During this process, people question their identity and develop feelings of confusion introspection. The idea of race has serious implications; ignoring racial differences causes racial hierarchies in society and leads to social injustice.
Spiritual Identity
Developing a close connection with God, you begin to see things through God’s eyes. It is a bond that is nurtured through love, deep communication, and trust. As you put your complete faith in God and the outcome of your affairs, you gain spiritual knowledge and universal truths. God extends His deepest love and compassion toward our souls. God is there to oversee and lovingly direct your path. The best way to find God’s love is to speak with Him and share your thoughts while praying.
Conclusion
Our personal and collective and identities are shaped by society. As we grow individually and together, our identities are influenced by various customs or cultures within them. Some broad traits are based on gender, ethnicities, religion, financial and social status. Therefore, we should view human cultures as constant creations, recreations, and processes that accelerate social, economic, and cultural interchange of values and human identities.
To further know about human identity, read the book, Religious Freedom Forever By Andy Swarna. Andy is an out-of-the-box thinker. He identifies himself as a self-learner. He is always concerned about resolving issues that people face in their daily lives. The author’s journey in politics, faith, and conflict resolution has revealed a historical fact and a universal truth that sums up the whole creation in a thought. The natural truth helps us envision our perceptions, allowing us to understand the power of honest thought. To turn your ideas into reality, whether in the form of a resolution, law, or principle, it has to go through a specific process. This process contains knowledge from different thinkers, philosophers, ideologists, and historians. As suggested by thinkers and ideologists, using knowledge and the universal truth helps to reach one’s goals in faith and politics. Andy’s work has enabled him to devise a plan, a purpose, and being universal human is a solution to all human problems.
Reading the book lets us know that every individual’s life has multiple facets that depict their identity, thoughts, beliefs, and behavior. This implies that human identity can be exercised in every walk of life, such as solving relationship and identity-related issues. It establishes the universality of the power of God’s word and develops your belief and identity with God. Having a conflict-free identity enables you to become true to yourself, build human connection, lift the burden of ideologies and truth, and provide you with the feeling of liberation, peace, harmony, and love. Thus, the universal culture of collaboration and cultural and religious traditions has helped people achieve identity and lead purposeful life. They have helped people seek out positively valued traits, attitudes, and behaviors that build their social identity in the global community.