Overview
I've always been someone who is very passionate about individuality and identity. I definitely subscribe to the Oscar Wilde mantra: "Be yourself; everyone else is taken." However, the identity module reminded me that the sum of my own identification is the calculation of all the number of influences in my life, many of which I am unaware of due to the regional and religious cultures that I am apart of. Whether I join or resist them, these cultures and social identities inform my being. I think the social identity I am most a part of is that of my Christian faith. Social Theorists Tajfel and Turner describe one aspect of social identity as , " the extent to which individuals identify with an in-group to internalize that group membership as an aspect of their self-concept." I resonate with this idea because I often say things like, " I am a Christian" so easily but have a tougher time saying things like "I'm from Michigan/I'm a Michigander" partly because when I was young I always had it in my mind that I would never assimilate to becoming a Michigander due to Pennsylvanian roots and birthplace. However, somehow I find myself continually returning to Michigan. The social identities that additionally represent me are illustrated in the PDF below:
social_identities_chart.pdf | |
File Size: | 71 kb |
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