Personal identity is a concept an individual develops about oneself throughout life. The idea of personal identity evolves as time passes. Personal identity includes the aspects of life an individual has no control over. Fundamentally, personal identity consists of traits, values, beliefs, personal attributes, and any other identifiers that make up a person. The ordeals and experiences that a person goes through shape their identity. A little incident may change the identity of a person in a significant way. Besides, experiences change how a person feels about a particular thing and how they react to the same kind of ordeals. Thus, personal identity may be a collection of experiences that a person has gone through. This essay explains my identity and how the death of my brother and moving places shaped my identity.
As a child, I grew up believing that the person I am and the traits I possess are inborn. However, the perspective of personal identity traits being inborn is not justifiable (Avraamidou, 2019). As time passes, I have realized and adopted some qualities that I did not have before. Notably, as an individual grows up, they gain more knowledge of the surroundings and their identities. There is no core identity of a person because personal identity changes over time. I have learned that the idea of personal identity being a core concept is just an excuse. Therefore, my identity keeps evolving depending on the experiences in my life. Currently, I identify my identity as a person who is more accommodating and compassionate towards others. Some of the identity characteristics include traits like kindness, open-mindedness, compassion, and everything that encompasses positive emotions. Besides possessing these traits, I consider my identity as a moral responsibility. Thus, I ensure that I act in a morally upright manner. Some of these traits I have acquired through the experiences I have gone through in my life. One of the experiences that completely changed my identity is the death of my younger brother.
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One of the most significant experiences that shaped my identity is the death of my brother. One summer afternoon, we decided to go for a drive to the beach. The road to the beach was one of the busiest routes in the city. Unfortunately, the track behind us lost control, bumped into our car, and threw us off the road. Being the one driving, I tried to control the car in vain. In the turn of the events, our car rolled over. I woke in a hospital bed, and I learned that my brother did not make it. He had sustained severe head injuries, which led him to bleed internally. My brother and I were pretty close. Our personalities were different, but we had a common ground. We loved the same music, art, and even fashion. He was one of the most few certainties in my life. I spent most of my time with him, and we always made a great team. Besides, he was my younger brother, and I always considered it my responsibility to take care of him. On realizing he had died, I somehow felt like I could have done more to protect him. Eventually, after coming to terms with everything, I realized how tomorrow is not promised. Over time I have become more grateful for each day I see the rising of the sun. Additionally, I have become more conscious of my surroundings and compassionate towards other people. My brother’s death was the most sudden ordeal in my life. One moment we were driving to the beach. The next moment he was gone. When I look back, there are some things that I would have done differently. For instance, I would have spent more time with him. Therefore, this experience shaped me into being grateful, compassionate, careful, open-minded, and kind towards other people. Additionally, after he died, I moved places, which also has contributed to shaping my identity.
Over time, I have realized moving to a new place shaped my identity. After moving, I had to form new friendships and form new bonds. I had to change the way I interact with different people. The friendships I have built in my new place has made me realize that every encounter has a meaning. Because with every friendship I have created, I have found new definitions of friendships. I have become more friendly to people and reaching out whenever I see a change in their behavior. That is, I am now more concerned when I realize that someone has drastically changed. Besides that, I highly regard friendships and relationships. Through friendships, I have been able to learn about society and learn more about myself. This has enabled my self-growth. Additionally, moving of places came along with a change of culture, societal beliefs, and environment. Notably, personal identity is also influence by culture ( Schwartz et al., 2008). I have found myself more adaptive to my new surroundings as I try to blend with the community members. I have new norms, beliefs, and values. I am more open-minded and accommodative of contemporary cultural practices and societal beliefs.
In conclusion, personal identity is vital in the life of an individual. The sense of identity brings in comfort and security. In that, identity makes it easier for individuals to categorize themselves according to the groups they fit. Individuals can attract the formation of relationships and friendships. Additionally, identity guides a person on how they should behave. Notably, identity can be shaped through personal experiences. Identity is shaped by the things we go through. A minor experience has the potential of changing perceptions and behavior towards certain events. The shaping of identity is vital because it fosters personal self-growth. Therefore, identity and shaping of identity determine the personality of an individual.
References
Avraamidou, L. (2019). Stories we live, identities we build: how are elementary teachers’ science identities shaped by their lived experiences. Cultural Studies of Science Education , 14 (1), 33-59.
Schwartz, S. J., Zamboanga, B. L., & Weisskirch, R. S. (2008). Broadening the study of the self: Integrating the study of personal identity and cultural identity. Social and Personality Psychology Compass , 2 (2), 635-651.
