Identity can be defined as the main components of a human being that make the main physical being of a human being. These are the general attributes that are quite fundamental and basic in each and very human being prevailing in humanity. Identity has proved to be the main factor of distinguishing the origin of people in the sociological spheres of life. Personal identity usually varies from one person to another depending on the origin and the social interaction. Social interactions is the main reason behind the development of social identity that is key on how people perceive themselves through others. Perception of the self being according to social interaction speaks volumes on personal identity. This paper includes a comprehensive discussion of the aspect of identity. It encompasses a critical discussion of the subject matter and the understanding by the different sociological discussions boards. The paper has encompassed both the aspects that play out in key differences and similarities depicted during the development of identity. The components of the paper are borrowed from an interview of two people with differently significant identities, ethnic identity in this case.
In the broad sociological circles, identity has proved to be a key aspect of definition and identification of various people. Perhaps due to the outward nature of the physical characteristics that are depicted by various communities, this has remained to be one of the main ways in which people have perceived their identities in the social setup. Other minor expressed features however are included to the main dispositions, the ethnic background of various people has been the main reason behind the conformation of identity of people. For instance, the most common identities include social identity, gender based identity, identity based on religious backgrounds such as Christianity, Buddhism and Islam among other religions. Among these, ethnicity is one of the most used grounds of identity as it is easily perceived.
Dispositional behaviors that are processed by various individuals usually tend to fall into three broad categories. Sensitivity, inclination and ability are the main categories in this case. Ethnicity also has the components that can qualify it to be having dispositional orientation among the society of existence. This basically implies that ethnicity can be a perspective of viewing various people in the society. It has acted in the past as a way of identifying people especially in the western front. The presence of people with dissimilar physical features has always found its way into categorizing people in various participations, places of work and all that pertains to social engagements in daily activities.
We believe that our identities are mainly brought into focus not only because of the dissimilarity that happens to be externally depicted in terms of color but the gender difference too plays a key role in identification of our differences. However it is perceived that the main outward features of individuals is the main feature of classification that has a profound usage in the social circles
For years now, many sociologists have explained the perception of various people on the arts platform, and other avocational platforms. Some ethnic communities have shown a high degree of disposition of this arts and avocational platforms more than other ethnic communities. Despite this having been a general interest matter, it has clearly shown its implications on defining identity among some groups of people in a social setting.
For instance various people have come to understand that more is required form them in various interactions than others. This has been the case in most of the sporting occasions in the colleges there days. Sometimes the black Americans are considered to yield more according to the prevailing perception that they have increased resilience when compared to others. This has been a form of pin pointing the presence of ethnic dissimilarity.
Although this aspect comes with different feeling among a wide scope of the social groups, and owing to the fact that this has become a point of argument in some settings, it can be deduced that this perspective has always been a form of identity pinpointing.
Apart from the thought in the public domain concerning resilience of some natives in some activities, the significance others have also played key roles in development of identity. The presence of the imaginary significant others in some spheres of influence can also be linked to development of identity among some people. For instance, the presence of ethnic warriors who were perceived to be savages has inspired many people who are aligned to this ethnic orientations so much that the aspects they exhibit have been an attribution to their identity. This has been experienced in most of the competition that involve people from various ethnic backgrounds (MacSweeney).
The process of acquisition and development of identity is a broad field that entails a lot of processes. It is because it is a long process that is why it has a profound effect on the individuals going through it.
There are various ways in which people develop their identities. In most cases, children at their early stages of life, do not understand their basic ethnicity. It is though their development that they find out who they really are and where they want to be in the society. During the development of these children. Most people have been found to develop their identity during this time. As they grow up, they seek to determine their identity according to their situations. During this time, each and every one seeks to find their space in life and their purposes and it is during this time that most people begin to discover their identities. According to multiple researches that have been conducted by the sociologists in the current world today, it have been found that it is during this time that the instincts prevail in the minds and a spark of self-identity begins. This then develops steadily according to the external environment of an individual (MacSweeney).
During the course of interactions among various people, the aspect of identity usually comes up. Various identities can come up according to the settings of the individuals. For instance, people can have a gender perspective when there is a setting that demands so. In some physical activities sites such as boot camps usually the female participants seem to get exhausted more quickly as compared to their male counterparts. This is a scene that is actually capable of sparking up a gender based identity among the participants (Lawler).
In other social places such as play grounds, there can be a crowd that perceives the rest on ethnic perspectives. For example, in the ancient world, the ethnic communities usually identified themselves thought their outward ethnic orientations. They developed their identities based on their origins and this became instilled in as their identities. During the earlier periods, the inhabitants were settled in locations and regions that were named according to their regions of origin (Lawler).
Despite the attributes that are associated with the acquiring and development of identity, there are also some of the short comings which are associated with this type of identity. For instance during the development of one’s identity, many personal aspects are learnt and they may not be of good perception per se but they are not of good ending. This is because most of the results end up jeopardizing the emotional stability of the individuals involved. For instance sometimes the black Americans may feel inferior in some of the incidences due to their past experiences. This has a lot to do with the racial discrimination that occurred at the time. This created a lot of contingencies in the process of discovering their individual identities. Up to the recent past, this has been the case on a good number of the black Americans who are troubled by the inferiority complex that prevailed at that time (Lawler).
The development of personal identity has also been affected greatly by the influence created through the input of the exemplars of the role models with similar identities. In most cases, the role models who help in mentoring of this individuals have a past that is similar. This has proved to be one of the best ways that the majority of the populations get to take up their identities in the development state. Motivations that are received from such people usually go a long way in ensuring that the subjects get a factor that awakes the flair of hope in this individuals.
Works cited
Lawler, Steph. Identity. Polity Press, 2010.
MacSweeney, Bill. Security, Identity And Interests. Cambridge Univ. Press, 2006.
