Defining A Person's Identity

“Identity” is a commonly used word amongst many people. Although do people really take the time to think about the true meaning behind the word when it is used? Often it is used to describe who someone is. Nowadays, to identify who someone could be, passports and documents are useful to prove one’s identity. Yet what some don’t know is that there is so much more to identity than the name and date of birth. Recall, identity is a term used to define someone, or is a character trait each individual carries differently. So many things, although, can define someone and perhaps make them different than others. Things such as, what one has grown up on, one’s personality, and citizenship. These are all factors that make people, well, individual, and …show more content…
Again, this is down to what one has been exposed to. Things such as rules and laws of one’s community can have a great impact on telling a particular individual what is right and what is wrong. The environment can also affect the way one interacts with people of different races, religion, and ethnicity. Not only that, but growing up in a certain area can affect a person on how they carry or handle their lives as it goes on. In addition, a certain environment or society can affect one’s worldview. To explore this idea further, think about the character Erik from the film X-Men First Class. Erik had grown up in a harsh environment. He was forcibly separated from his parents by Nazi soldiers in German-occupied Poland, specifically at the Auschwitz concentration camp. He had witnessed his own mother’s life being taken away, had worked for the man who had taken her life away throughout his childhood, and had participated in the second world war with absolutely no family member to help. Due to him living in such misery, his knowledge about peace and good in the world is very minimum. That is why he had grown up to be aggressive, against others of different species (humans), and thinks in a way where conflicts are resolved with violence. People who had experienced more joy in life would have reflected more positively in life. Consequently, one’s environment can definitely be a …show more content…
Experiences can have an impact on how a person responds to life, what they value, and affects the choices they make. An individual’s environment can be a factor to affect one’s citizenship, worldview, and interaction with others that are traditionally different from the person. Last and definitely not least, one’s social group can affect their behaviour as well as their attitude. Although most importantly, it is always one’s job to be able to turn these factors into a positive, beneficial, impact in their life and make a great impression of what a powerful identity can