Thread: Identity

What is the relationship between our stories and our identity? To what extent are we all wintnesses of history and messengers of humanity? What is "identity"? How would you answer the question, Who am I? If the people, ideas, and things you identify with were suddenly taken away, how would the answer to that question (Who am I?) change? To what extent is your identity tied to others' identities? Are you, and you "identity", dependent on each others?

Ideas? Comments?

you are the past the present and the future.

I used to be uncertain, but now I'm not so sure.

Identity: The set of behavioral or personal characteristics by which an individual is recognizable as a member of a group.

I believe your identity is indeed linked with your past (certainly looking at the definition above). Let’s say you have memory loss, I am pretty sure this will make you a different person (with a different identity). Being religious or not, I am pretty it can change after memory loss.
Don’t know if there’s done research on these kind of phenomena’s. Would be quite interesting but difficult and surely no exact science.

So Forming a new definition of identity (your real identity or better intrinsic indentity): The set of behavioral or personal characteristics by which an individual is recognizable as a member of a group, which remain unchanged although one is raised different environments.
= Your intrinsic identity.
And yes I believe this intrinsic identity exists. But this is just a believe, can 't prove anything.

Originally Posted by Him

So Forming a new definition of identity (your real identity or better intrinsic indentity): The set of behavioral or personal characteristics by which an individual is recognizable as a member of a group, which remain unchanged although one is raised different environments.
= Your intrinsic identity.
And yes I believe this intrinsic identity exists. But this is just a believe, can 't prove anything.

If you exclude environmental factors from "intrinsec identity" what`s left? biological factors? genetics maybe? It could be...

Originally Posted by wallaby

you are the past the present and the future.

Totally agree... identity isn't formed only from past experiences, it's also conditioned by your future plans and aspirations.

I'm not sure about present actions, since this are conditioned by past experiences and future plans. Present is the consequence of our identity, more than a cause of it.

Originally Posted by Cuete

If you exclude environmental factors from "intrinsec identity" what`s left? biological factors? genetics maybe? It could be...

Yes, genetics is the most reasonable; your genetic make-up surely influences your identity, however does not form it, (identical twins sometimes have quite different identities, but often share same interests (but then again their environment is also quite similar) study of identical twins which have brought up in different environments are hot for social sciences.
If I consider myself.
Excluding my current environment and history, I am sure I would be different, but certain aspect of my identity will always remain, maybe not as pronounced as before or even more. But again it is more a believe… then a certainty

How do people construct their identities these days?

Are the traditional bases for a sense of identity based on social class, ethnicity, gender, religion, region and nationality breaking down?

What are the consequences of the different identity paths people can take?

How do identity factors intensify or ease social conflict?

What increases or decreases community cohesion and trust between social groups?

What is it like to build an identity in situations of social exclusion?

How does people’s sense of identity relate to their involvement or lack of involvement in political and civic life?

Ongoing questions to stimulate debate.

I was poultry in another life.

Originally Posted by cormski

How do people construct their identities these days?

i don't know that peoples identities are constructed in any maner by the individuals. i can't say that i formed my own identity, at least not conciously. my experiences with what i like, dislike, how i view the world and much more make me me.

Originally Posted by cormski

What increases or decreases community cohesion and trust between social groups?

i guess this is dependant on which discourses are operating within a society and which is the dominant.

I think identity is that attitude, thing, place, group, thought or culture where you can see yourself reflected.

You see something and you think "that's me" or "that's part of me" or "I'm part of that"... that is or is part of your identity.

"A person is the sum total of his or her experiences (whether one is responsible for them or not)". - Euripides / R.D. Laing

Originally Posted by That Rascal Puff

"A person is the sum total of his or her experiences (whether one is responsible for them or not)". - Euripides / R.D. Laing

No... you forget their interpretations.. that is the way people who live the exact same life can live to be different..

Some see something bad like "pure bad". A family with a death member.. everybody is mourning, the kid can think 2 things...
- Ow how awfull.. a death is something to cry about and feel bad.
- Wow, people look for support by others when something bad happend.

they may look alike.. but 1 is a positive and 1 a negative experience..

A person's interpretations of their experiences includes - certainly does not exclude - their experiences. It isn't likely Euripides or R.D. Laing meant anything else. It's (burp) presumptuous to take issue with that definition.