Personal identity refers to the concept that an individual develops about him or herself throughout their life ( Shibutani, 2017) . Aspects that can be found on your own identity are all different, and some of them you cannot have control over them or the power to choose. Such aspects include skin color or where you were born. Other elements that can be associated with personal identity include; how you spend your time and the beliefs that you have as a person. Others will see your own identity through the way you dress and the interactions that you have with other people. Some individuals choose to keep some elements of their identity despite the importance of those elements to them. Psychology, on its part, plays a significant role in determining or shaping who you are as a person ( Verkuyten, 2018) . Psychologists argue that the formation of your identity can be based on "finding yourself" and trying to match your abilities and potential with the social roles. In this paper, we will look at the effect that psychology has on shaping the personal identity of a person.
From the perspective of psychology, there are philosophical questions that arise that address you as living things. Personal identity can be termed as the way one feels uniquely in terms of attachment or ownership ( McLean & Lilgendahl, 2018) . Personal identity is the features that you, as a person, can use to define yourself. One can argue that someone's identity can change. The reason behind that is the possibility of someone's features to change is always there.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Looking at the effect of psychology in shaping or having an impact on the way one forms their identity, we can give a focus on persistence. The ability of an individual to persist from period to period is more of choosing whether to exist or cease to exist. The other questions that come in mind are what should one do to survive and also what is the event that will likely bring life to an end. In historical terms, the question of persistence arises because of the fear that we might continue to exist after death.
Another argument on psychology's influence on personal identity is when an individual tries to discover and develop their potential. When referring to their potential, it means that a person is trying to improve on what they do best. To find someone's potential means that you have to go through a process of trial and error. Recognition of the same is through feedback we receive from people around us and the positive feeling we get from doing those activities. Psychology comes in scenarios of feedback whereby one can be discouraged as a result of negative feedback. At the end of it, developing your potential involves a lot of motivation, time, and effort. You must also have a strong will of tolerating frustration when you encounter negativity.
In personal identity, psychology will impact on a person's self-esteem. When you know your personality very well, then you are likely to increase your self-esteem and reduce your anxiety. When an individual thinks that whatever they are doing is the right thing, then probably they will be happy ( Shibutani, 2017) . Under the above, it can be argued that consciousness of the mind can be a great tool in influencing the identity of a person. According to research, one can also say that individuals can be the same from inwards. The difference arises when they become conscious of their past and future thinking in comparison to the consciousness of current thoughts and actions.
In terms of psychology, you cannot dispute that some people act or think on something depending on how they feel other people see them. If a child has thoughts that their parents see them as of less worth, they will always define themselves as worthless persons. If as a person, you try to either present or misrepresent yourself before people by acting out of character to make an impression, then their behavior is considered unnatural and exhausting. People may tend to define themselves in terms of how people see them, what they should be doing, or how they should look. That is very dangerous because it may result in harming of one's health. For example, eating disorders are sometimes as a result of how one is concerned about their body appearance.
In conclusion, from my perspective, I believe that an individual might change as they grow up when they become wiser and older, but the changes should be voluntary. Unless someone forces you to change in terms of brainwashing or conditioning, then the personal identity changes that you go through should not make you an entirely new person. Changing your personal identity might be something unavoidable because every day, life brings up new challenges. Most people do identify their personal identity at a young, and so as you grow older, you try to challenge that identity. Psychology has a significant influence in shaping the personal identity of individuals.
References
McLean, K. C., & Lilgendahl, J. P. (2018). Narrative Identity in Adolescence and Adulthood. Handbook of Personality Development .
Shibutani, T. (2017). Society and Personality: Interactionist Approach to Social Psychology . Routledge.
Verkuyten, M. (2018). The social psychology of ethnic identity . Routledge.
