Social Issues With Identity

People spend their whole life trying to find their true identity, but what if this identity they have been trying to obtain isn’t actually their own? Issues with identity appear at birth when society labels children as either male or female. Before even beginning to learn how to walk or talk half of their life has been planned out based off of their gender. It is from this point that society begins to shape these children in order to fit a certain identity. Issues with identity stem from society, and beliefs that the people are programmed to follow. Personal identity affected by functions from within societal structures like family, environment, culture, societal behaviors, social status, and ethnicity.
To begin with, family plays a large role …show more content…
From a young age children begin to learn about their culture including certain types of food, clothing, music, and traditions. Their culture becomes a part of who they are and it becomes a part of their identity. Although culture is an important aspect of someone’s personality, society makes it seem as if it is the most important part. People begin to stereotype and associate others by their culture instead of that person’s unique attributes. They become known by their culture and sooner or later their accomplishments no longer mean something. Take for example, someone who is of Puerto Rican descent, people in society seem to believe that since they were raised in that type of culture that the person automatically eats certain foods like rice, and listen to only Spanish music which is not always true. Although they come from a Spanish background does not mean that is the only culture they associate themselves with. That person no longer is a female, she becomes a Spanish female who listens to salsa and loves rice. That may not be that person’s identity, but society labels them anyway. Instead of viewing themselves as a male or a female who is multi-cultural they begin to take on that identity that society gives to them and question the person that they thought they …show more content…
A way a person identifies who they are is based off of their actions, and reactions to their surroundings, but those actions and reactions are learned. Society has a set of rules that the public must follow, some are enforced by the law, while other rules are enforced by other members of society. It is a criminal act according to the law to steal others property and is punishable by serving time in jail, as a result most people do not steal from others for a fear of being caught. It is socially unacceptable to humiliate another person and as a result other member of society will come to the defense of that person who is being humiliated. People act the way they act based off of morals and beliefs that society has deemed acceptable. People monitor their behavior, and react to certain situations according to what society believes is the correct way. People are not born with these types of behaviors programmed in them, they are learned. These actions and reactions that people have are another form of how people identify themselves, but again these are not actions created by the individual, but were created by the society around