The Importance Of Identity

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This leads to understanding Carl Roger’s theory of how the awareness of one’s categorical self then comes to play as we learn to combine and modify identities by conscious choice to realise that along with being separate and distinct, we are also a part of various bigger entities that have varied properties. Our personal identity, personal attitude, values and mannerisms are shaped with respect to acceptance or rejection of reference groups based on an individual’s positive or negative relevance. We soon start to compare ourselves with others and evaluate our position in terms of these properties and understand the significance of categorising. We begin to identify by recognizing what we are not to understand who we really are. The combination…show more content…
It is a combination of both the normative period of adolescence and an evolving aspect of adulthood coupled with a constant ongoing effect of each new experience. When transitioning from young to middle adulthood we frequently change our values, goals, the importance in life and whatever it is that we are striving towards. To understand this better we must first understand identity is context oriented. One individual can be a mother, daughter, a manager, a swimmer, etc. Every person thinks, acts and presents themselves differently amongst siblings, friends, colleagues, etc. Therefore, what we remember is context based and changes accordingly. Secondly, certain aspects of who we are remain constant and so what we build on this principle could vary considerably for instance, the qualities of being introverts or extroverts. We may be extroverts at work showing leadership and management qualities but introverts among friends when it comes to spontaneous activities showing how our identity can be altered to some extent. Thirdly, the attachment we have to a part of our identity could vary in time compared to others. For instance, we may belong to a rich religious background however our religious identity may no longer exist meaning we tend to identify certain aspects of who we are more than the others. To be able to make complete use of the functionality of identity we need to let go of our expectations and that of others. Any role we take on always provides an opportunity to forge an identity of our own rather than conforming to an identity already associated with it. In order to exercise flexibilities while we consciously respond to surrounding circumstances what we need to keep in mind are the narrative and values. The memories we make through the different identities and the values learned helps us make sense of who we are to gain a holistic view of how we evolves and
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