Personal Identity (What It Is, Characteristics And Elements That Define It)

The personal identity It is a very important term, and it is present in each individual. It consists of the way in which each person perceives himself, directly related to all the experiences that are acquired over the years. It begins to develop as a child, at the moment in which we acquire awareness of ourselves and the people around us.

It is a complex term, but it could be said that it is what defines us as a person. If you want to know a little more, keep reading.

What is personal identity?

Without the presence of personal identity, we could not identify ourselves in any way. We would not have specific tastes or behaviors. Each person develops personal identity with the ideologies observed since childhood, linked to the environment and the acts that take place in it.

That is why since childhood it is considered that a child should grow up in an environment free of deficiencies and immoral acts, to prevent him from developing a personal identity that could harm others.

Likewise, the fact of belonging to a community with which one agrees with the ideas that it professes, means a huge influence. Other factors that affect identity can be nationality, social tribe, language, etc.

Approaches that define personal identity

There are different approaches to personal identity, these are some of the most important:

• The physiological-somatic approach looks for the answer to the identity in the own body.
• The psychological approach considers memory and mental processes as the main influences on personal identity.
• The narrative approach suggests that personal identity is shaped like a story, that it is constantly told and that it can be modified.
• Finally, the administrative approach usually speaks of personal identity as a set of data or a series of information, with which it is possible to access a space (considered as an account, application or profile).

Characteristics of personal identity

Personal identity has different points of view, but mostly it has characteristics that represent it:

• The adaptabilitySince, despite the fact that personal identity is constant, as time passes, new experiences are acquired and certain behaviors are replaced by others.
• The constancySince even though it adapts or certain behaviors are replaced, many traits will remain constant throughout life or in the long term.
• The coherence, since current traits can serve as a sample to predict future behaviors. Basically his actions help define who he will be in the future.
• Finally, the socio-cultural character, which indicates that personal identity is defined based on differences or similarities according to the people who make up the community.

Elements of personal identity

Just as there are certain characteristics that define personal identity, there are also elements that help to understand how it is forged.

• The experience is usually one of the main factors in the construction of personal identity, since all events that occur throughout life will be decisive in defining ideology or behavior. The experience is a completely individual factor, each person goes a different path. Even if they intersect or influence one another.
• The traditions and customs of each community is also a very important element of identity. All this historical context that is inherited, determines a large part of the behavior and personality, and can be for or against.
• The membership groups they are a third important element, and consist of all those groups to which we belong, whether voluntarily or involuntarily. For example, family, religion, political groups, among others.
• Finally, the political orientation It also influences personal identity, and it is an extensive issue where other elements such as militancy, the presence of institutions, among others, intervene.

Difference between personal identity and social identity

It is important to talk about both concepts, as they are constantly used in the wrong way.

The identity of each individual has two different fields, as regards psychology. These two are complementary, social and personal identity.

The personal identity, as we have seen throughout the post, are all those traits that characterize a person, attitudes, character, virtues, shortcomings, temperament, abilities, etc.

For its part, social identity, is one that a person assumes when feeling very close to some social group (work, spiritual, national, etc.). These attributed traits help each person to define the concept and place within society.

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