Identity
The subject identity is defined
as the typical character, belonging to any given individual. The idea of
identity covers some notion of human agency, an idea that we can have some
control in making our own identities. There are constraints which may lie in
the external world, where material and social factors may limit the degree of
agency which beings may have. Lack of material resources decreases the
opportunities we have as in the case of poverty and economic constraints. It is
unbearable to have an identity as a successful career if one is without a job
and if there are no employment opportunities. Other borders to our independence
may reside within us. Identity is different from
personality in important respects. We may share personality characters with
other people, but sharing an identity suggests some active commitment on our part.
We choose to identify with a particular identity or group.
Sometimes we have more choice than others. (Sociology seems to have a lot to
say about identity. At the moment gender and ethnic identity seem to be at the
forefront of the discipline concerns). Although as individuals we take up
identities actively, those identities are essentially the product of the
society in which we live and our relationship with others. Identity delivers a
link among individuals and the world in which they live. Identity combines how people
see themselves and how others see them. Identity involves the internal and the
subjective, and the external. (Braib, 1998, pg 1)
(accessed on 18th April 2012)
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