Discuss about identities includes different ways of how people act, feel and think. People sometimes change their identities just because they want to join or fit in some groups, but they do not really act as how they are. David Berreby explains that in his article “It Takes A Tribes”. He explains how students try to join in different groups to find their own identities or feel comfortable. also he describes the university as a battlefield, because there are different groups who try to compete with other ones. Even though the definition of identity is the fact of being who or what a person thing is.
After interviewing some college classmates, I realized that identities could be defined in different ways Like; we are shaped of culture, shaped by personal choices, and is also tied to what we are born with. Environment has a lot influenced in our identity. Depends of what people have around them. For example, a child could be friendly if their parents are too because he can see how their parents act in front of him, so he will do the same.
Another influence is the status. People sometimes act depend how much money they have or if they are rich some of them do not like to join in some groups of low status just because they think is not good for their children; in order to that their children grow up in the wrong way thinking that they can have friend or even married with people of the same status. So they can find their own identity, because they raise in one family which try to find their identity for them.
People often try to join in different activities, for example my friend works a lot but she always go to the gym, do meditation and do her nails. She says that they are a lot of people who do the same and she always go out or spend time with that people because she feels comfortable and understand them and they understand her too. She says that when she find a friend that friend must to have the same identity that she has like the same interest and social interaction. She always tell me that people who has the same identity always must to be together because they do not have to fight for different thought or maybe choices.
After I talk to her, I realized that she is right because, for example, in the job people are coworker at the beginning but then they start to be friends or even go out together just because they have the same interest like have fun or maybe relax. Because there are different religions and cultures, people have different identities. For example, in the lecture “The Amish” the author says that people cannot wear some colors like; bright red, orange, yellow and pink.
He also says that “The Amish” culture; people cannot have any technology advice. Therefore, if people cannot wear or maybe have an new advice that they want to is because they follow the rules of their culture. When that happens people get the identity of their culture. Some culture not allowed women talks or even look at men’s eyes and women can talk with women go out with women but they cannot do anything with men. Therefore, women start to being quiet or embarrassed, and they cannot even talk in public.
Another way is when you’re growing up and your parents teach you that drinking alcohol is the worst thing you could possibly do, then you’re probably not going to be a drinker. Some people say that the decision you make today will be affect you future. For example if a Person had a lot of problems and he or she choice the wrong way he or she will get a bad future, but if that Person choice that right way will not have to worry about the future because he or she know that she Will do the right think or better thing for her o him.
Because some people do not have the maturity to think well or make a good decision, make mistakes in their life, for example young people act just the way their friends acts or their friends tell them what to do they do it. Therefore those decisions make them put their life in risk. When that happen young people start to take in mind that they will not ever again do the same and they think before they do or say something because they learned. The Media it has a lot do to with the identity.
People start to change their identity because of what they watch on the television, for example a teenager who watch soap opera want to do the same that the actress do to get the guy that she likes or maybe to get an attention, therefore she start to create another identity. Another example could be when girls start to see some advertisement about make up or some competition, they start to do everything to look good even they forget about their health to try to win that competition and they believable stereotypes and misleading images.
A bad example it could be the bully young people can watch any movie about that and they think is a good idea feel like a leader and scared other people so as soon as they start the school they start to act like a bully person with their classmate. The same thing happen with a young man, when they watch some personal trainer, they right away want to get the same body as them have , they start to consume some steroids to get the perfect body.
Because of that, they forget about them and sometimes they get sick or turn into addiction for them, even they does not care if they feel good with that because they just want to look good in front of people. After I made some interviews I realized that my classmate have the same idea of what they joining a Groups, the three of them say because they feel comfortable. But also they have a different idea of what they want to gain from joining a group. For example one of Them say that getting to know another people, another one say Friendship and knowledge and the last one say get confidence and more social.
Also three of them say that they associate more with nationality group even me too, because I feel more Comfortable, they could understand me better, we could make some joke and they will not get mad at me because they get the point. To conclude, there are different reasons why people have different identities. Young people will define their identity because the way they were raised, young people will define their identity because the way they see or the environment, and adults can change or create another identity because the personal choices they make it.
But everyone will have the identity that their culture teach them. Identity is the way that people act, think, feel and even make an decision because each person have the option to do the right thing or make a mistake.
Reference
- http://oxforddictionaries. com/definition/english/identity on the first paragraph.
- The lecture “The Amish”, book remix, page 143, paragraph 4.
- Interviews: Guadalupe, Felix, Diena. September 19, 2012.
- Interview: Guadalupe. September 19, 2012.
- Interview: Felix. September 19, 2012.
- Interview: Diena. September 19, 2012.
