The term identity is the fact of being who or what a person or thing is. Famous author, Nathaniel Hawthorne once said,“No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself, and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true” (367). This quote, from a well-known novel, The Scarlet Letter, brought to my attention the many identities people often create for the convenience of the people around them. This way, we as people can feel accepted or maybe even respected in a sense. We often feel the need to alter our characteristic qualities, but who we are as a person isn’t necessarily affected.
People persuade themselves to act differently to meet the interests of other people. From parents, …show more content…
Who are you? Are you-Nobody-too?” (501). I portray this poem to mean that everyone is no one until you become someone. To do this means you must know who you are from the beginning and I don’t believe one knows who they are from the start. You have to find yourself and decide who you want to be and create that person. And in this case, you can be different people. It is never guaranteed that you will ever find yourself. Some may notice how their behavior changes and feel confused by themselves, but it’s normal to have contradictory traits. Think of your traits as a big filing cabinet. Your mind will naturally organize your traits into files. Psychologists call these files schemas. These are mental structures that guide how we think and what we do. Some may feel that having multiple schemas can create contradictory characteristics, but that isn’t the case. Your brain will naturally pull the file necessary to fit the situation you are in. This allows you to react appropriately to the situation at hand. After all, it is natural to respond accordingly to the environment surrounding you.
We often change our characteristics around others, but I believe this is more for the convenience of oneself to feel more comfortable and accepted around those contrasted people. An example of this behavior comes from a short story, Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? by Joyce Carol Oates: ¨Her name was Connie. She was fifteen and she had
People persuade themselves to act differently to meet the interests of other people. From parents, …show more content…
Who are you? Are you-Nobody-too?” (501). I portray this poem to mean that everyone is no one until you become someone. To do this means you must know who you are from the beginning and I don’t believe one knows who they are from the start. You have to find yourself and decide who you want to be and create that person. And in this case, you can be different people. It is never guaranteed that you will ever find yourself. Some may notice how their behavior changes and feel confused by themselves, but it’s normal to have contradictory traits. Think of your traits as a big filing cabinet. Your mind will naturally organize your traits into files. Psychologists call these files schemas. These are mental structures that guide how we think and what we do. Some may feel that having multiple schemas can create contradictory characteristics, but that isn’t the case. Your brain will naturally pull the file necessary to fit the situation you are in. This allows you to react appropriately to the situation at hand. After all, it is natural to respond accordingly to the environment surrounding you.
We often change our characteristics around others, but I believe this is more for the convenience of oneself to feel more comfortable and accepted around those contrasted people. An example of this behavior comes from a short story, Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? by Joyce Carol Oates: ¨Her name was Connie. She was fifteen and she had