Complexity Of Identity

When getting to somebody, the saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover” really does hold true. In my life, I often come off as shy and reserved to someone who doesn’t know me. On the contrary, my friends describe me as a loudmouth who doesn’t stop asking unnecessary questions. As people I’ve known for some time, my friends know me for more than what first looks may tell. This theory is seen throughout society, far beyond the walls of John Jay High School. Social identity is not representative of one’s personal identity. Rather, until one gets enough exposure to somebody to reveal their true character, their social identity is simply a preconceived notion based on their appearance and social interactions.

The identity a person holds is one of the most important aspects of their lives. Identity is what distinguishes people from others, although it leaves a negative stereotype upon people. In the short story Identities by W.D Valgardson, a middle-aged wealthy man finds himself lost in a rough neighborhood while attempting to look for something new. The author employs many elements in the story, some of the more important ones being stereotype and foreshadow.

Conformism and pride are two concepts that clash greatly in society today, as people fight to maintain their own identity in the face of a world created upon factions. Both conformism and pride are explored in the short story “Borders” by Thomas King, which is about assimilation and the importance of maintaining identity in a bureaucratic, compartmentalized society. Through the protagonist and his mother, King uses point of view and characterization to create a distinction between the ideology and practicality of identity, ultimately leaving the reader to question the importance and worth of clinging to one's identity when faced with the borders of society.

Identity is something people tend to think of as consistent, however that is far from the case. The Oxford English dictionary states that the definition of identity is “ The characteristics determining who or what a person or thing is.” The allegorical novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding tackles the issue of identity while following young boys from the ages twelve and down as they struggle with remembering their identities when trapped on a deserted island. Identity is affected by the influence of society and how individuals influence society based on their identities. By looking at Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the Stanford Prison Experiment, and Sigmund Freud 's philosophical ideas, it becomes clear that identity is affected by society through peer pressure and social normalities. The individual influences society by what they choose to show of their identity and what their ‘Superego’ shows of the ‘Id’ portion of their brains.

Throughout Ken Kesey’s, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the balance of power is challenged in the psychiatric ward. Out of the several leaders that appear in the novel, Nurse Ratched and McMurphy are the most prominent. During Nurse Ratched and McMurphy struggle for power, they share many of the same qualities. It is argued that: “McMurphy and Ratched are alike in intelligence, military service, distinctive (if opposite) clothing, and conventionally masculine qualities” (Evans). These small similarities; however, do not distract the characters from fighting for their individual beliefs. Both McMurphy and Nurse Ratched approached their leadership in different ways. McMurphy uses transformational leadership, which is a leader that “must perform some combination of the transactional functions (plan, direct, organize, control) in order to build respect and trust… [and the] leader gets people to work towards some higher purpose or goal” (O’Connor). In other words, it is a leader who achieves a “higher goal”, while “build[ing] respect and trust” from the people. On the other hand, Nurse Ratched uses authoritarian leadership, which is when “Policies [are] determined by the leader. [The] leader determines what each member should do and with whom he should work… Some find it difficult to diffuse authority… [which] causes some to feel threatened and insecure” (Sferra). More simply, an authoritative leader is one that has supreme power over the people. McMurphy’s transformational

Since the beginning of the human existence, man has always dominated and ruled over one another be it empires, corporations, or small groups. Authority and obedience has always been a factor of who we are. This natural occurrence can be seen clearly through the psychological experiments known as The Milgram Experiment and the Stanford Prison Experiment. Both of these studies are based on how human beings react to authority figures and what their obedience is when faced with conflict.

Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron is a short story published in 1961 that I would describe as having the theme of futuristic-science-fiction. The short is set in the year 2081 where in the United States new amendments to the constitution has equalized all humans. Although, the author does not mention how this dystopia came to be and if the rest of the world has equalized all human beings, it is clear to me that in this dystopia, equality is an illusion, equality is not real. As I read this short, it became more and more evident to me that this society was strange, and when I finished the short, I was convinced that this society was conformed to act and think in the way that they do, which unfortunately, for a country in year 2081, that claims

Patricia Hill Collins matrix of domination is concerned with the pattern of intersecting systems of oppression orchestrated by the most elite organizations in society. According to Collins, the systems of oppression are organized through four interwoven domains of power; structural, disciplinary, hegemonic, and interpersonal (Patricia Hill Collins: Intersecting Oppressions, n.d.).

Every type of person struggles with a thing we call, identity. Personal identity come from multiple factors from our race to our own personal beliefs. Some people say we have the choice to choose our own identity, but is that always true? No, in fact other people can affect how we look and essentially identity our self’s. In the article called. “Gawking, Gaping, staring” this article is written by Eli Clare from Tim Marrows telling. In this article it is about a transgender individual who throughout their whole lives have been ridiculed by this one characteristic. The person in the story tells you about many years before today these people such as drag queens or transgender were normally put on display and called freaks, they were starred at and ridiculed. The person who is telling the story on how now we might not have “Freak Shows” we do still stare, and judge without realizing the affects that it can have on the ones being targeted. We do not know how bad our words hurt but some time they can cause

A set of characteristics by which something is familiar is an identity. People are able to recognize a chair by its flat surface and the legs that support it, however, humans adapt to this identity. For instance, there may be only one leg, but that does not stop it from being identified as a chair. When talking about humans the basic idea of identity tends to become perplexing. This does not stop oneself from identifying various people. It just means people have to be aware that identity runs deeper than the bare facts. There are two primary angles to the concept of human identity; the first being that people like to be perceived a certain way. Whether that is to stand out or fit in, it comes down to the individual. The second aspect indistinctly

According to Shahram Heshmat, author of “Basics of Identity”, “Identity is concerned largely with the question: “Who are you?” What does it mean to be who you are? Identity relates to our basic values that dictate the choices we make…”. But sometime within every human being’s life, a situation arises where someone is not able to identify themselves, and because of this they can act strangely and sometimes hostile. In the book, A Separate Peace, four characters who are instrumental to the plot, Gene, Finny, Leper, and Brinker all face what most laymen would identify as an “identity crisis”. But in order to truly evaluate the identity struggle of each of these four characters, one must first identify what an overlying

People always suggest others to be themselves. To not care about what others have to say about you. People try to ignore society 's opinion about them, not realizing the importance it plays in identity. For a person to feel identified, they must have similarities or differences, and some type of involvement. Identity involves a combination of how you see yourself and how others see you. How others see you is influenced by material, social, and physical constraints. This causes a tension between how much control you have in constructing your own identity and how much control or constraint is exercised over you. How we see ourselves and how others see us differ in many ways, but is an important factor of our identity. “A Lesson Before Dying”,

Most people have the desire to establish dominance on others and have power over them even if they do not admit it. This aspect is quite common in people to be trying to obtain dominance. In the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck it is set in the Great Depression, the novel tells the story of two migrant workers, George and Lennie who both try to get a job and own their own farm. Some people George and Lennie meet have attempted to try and establish dominance over them. Steinbeck shows, through multiple people’s personalities that most of them desire dominance and power over others.

Sheltered by those who hold it and coveted by those who lack it, since the dawn of civilization, power, or the ability to influence and control others’ behavior, has played a central role in human societies. The notion that one could have power over another was a major factor in the development of many organized civilizations, as having order and direction to society necessitated that someone, or a group of people, held power over everyone else. The idea of power, however, also led the creation of classes and hierarchies of people, which have for thousands of years been used to justify practices such as slavery and oppression. While power can be used for the benefit of society and the individual, too often is it abused and used solely for

Step 1. Firstly, the clients’ point of view needs to be understood. In this session it is important to show core listening skills of empathy, genuineness and acceptance. A crisis will be caused by an event - an initial, identifiable occurrence in the life of the individual. The scale of such events can vary enormously, from large-scale natural disasters and wars to situations that can appear less dramatic (e.g., incidences of bullying in a school, a marriage, transition from college to a job). The important element about the event that causes a crisis is that some element of it is perceived as threatening to the affected individual. (Tedrick Parikh & Wachter Morris, 2011)