That tiny moment of panic when someone says “Tell me about yourself” is something I am sure we are all too familiar with. Not only do you not know where to start, but it can be difficult to pick out the important things, those things with which you identify yourself.
Identity is a very important, yet very complex aspect of our humanity, as it helps people come to terms with their own humanity and provide a sense of purpose.
When we think identity, things like family, race, hometown, religion, birth sign, interests, and occupation are some of the things that we consider in trying to figure out who we are.
All the items listed above place a person in a certain number of groups, so in that way belonging is very important to us, humans. We must know where we fall in these groups in order to feel like we know who we are.
Family is a major component of a person’s sense of identity. Even at a young age, one is curious to know his parents and the blood line from which he came. Family history can reveal a lot about an individual. There are certain personality or physical traits that are characteristic of specific families, so family history can help a person understand why he carries specific personality traits or physical features. This aspect of identity is often lost on adopted children, who may not know much about their biological origins. As you can imagine, some feel a sort of disconnect within themselves from not being familiarized with their biological family history.
Race is another category people turn to in the quest for identity. While race involves family history, it also allows a person to feel a part of a much larger group, often with significant global and historical background stories. At earlier points in time, race was more "black and white" as people have intermingled and as the world becomes less misogynistic, we now see the emergence of a wide variety of people of mixed races, so the more complicated it becomes for some to identify themselves using this category.
Belonging to groups is important to identities but differing from other is equally important to us. While people do want to belong, we also feel the need to stand out from one another, so that we reflect our unique personhood.
Religion and birth signs are not very commonly used in personal identification, but some people consider these categories to be very defining of who they are. A person may identify as a Jew or a Taurus, for example, because he considers the meaning behind these things to be something that strongly differentiates him from others.
Other facts about our lives, such as, where we were born and raised, our interests and our occupations are other means we use to define who we are. Some people have unique childhoods that occurred in unique places, which they believe shapes them. Others have spunky interests and hobbies which set them apart.
Everyone strives through life to come to a true understanding of himself. Using a couple of these categories, who do you say that you are?
