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Definition Essay: What Is Your Identity?

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What is your Identity?
When asked a simple question, “Who are you?” most individuals are at a loss of words. You may answer this question by providing your name, some may like to introduce themselves as “Mr X’s child”, and yet others would give you the designation they hold at their workplace. However do all these definitions truly define YOU? So what makes up your identity? Is it cultural practices or religious beliefs? Is it what you do for a living that builds your identity? These individual facts can only partially reveal your true identity. It is a combination of all these factors that can completely define you. Most individuals directly relate to their identity with their physical appearance—the outer self, taking extra pains to …show more content…

Family – Self-identity is very significantly carved by a person’s family and his upbringing. A child who is given respect by his elders grows up to be a person who respects others.
3. Reaction to situations – We often come across people who are calm and composed even in the face of difficulty and some who cannot stand the slightest of failures. This kind of a reaction to various situations also speaks volumes about a person’s identity whether he/she is hot tempered or easy going.
Social Identity can be defined as the understanding the society in general has about a person. The socio-economic conditions of a person, his religious views, and cultural background all play a vital role in shaping a person’s social identity. Sometimes there is huge gap between a person’s self-identity and social identity, and in between this confusion we also strive to main the social identity that we have created for ourselves. So when does the problem of an identity crisis come up? An identity crisis creeps in when there is a clash between all these identities that we struggle to maintain in our everyday lives. Man as a social animal is constantly struggles to fit into his social circles and gain acceptance from his fellow companions. It is struggle for acceptance that often results into what we call an identity

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