SOURCES OF IDENTITY

Sources of Identity

Sources of Identity



Introduction

A person is recognized by an identity that makes an individual recognizable in millions of people. Identity of a person is the set of characteristics, which distinguishes the person from all other human beings. For instance, a person may be recognized by his height, body shape, color of hair, shape of face, and the sound of his voice. These characteristics are a part of physical identity.

Similarly, if I face any health issue then, I might go for a blood test or a DNA test that will recognize my blood group for determining my genetic makeup. These characteristics are a part of biological identity (Schwager et al. 1999).

An individual is characterized, among other things, the genetic program contained in the nucleus of each cell. This program is in his genes, which together make up the genotype. It is estimated that, in humans, the number of genes is about 30,000. The genotype determines the biological identity, but it is not directly accessible to observation. However, it contributes to the development of visible characteristics (or easily detectable) of living beings is called the phenotype. Also, it characterizes the biological identity of cells and organisms that are to identify elements of the phenotype, whose presence is directly related to the expression of the genetic program. Only identical twins have the same biological identity.

Thesis Statement

Identity may be an expression of biologically inherited traits, personal choices, or influences from our environment.Discussion

Although people have distinctive identities, those identities produced through their participation in dyads (for example single parent-single child families), groups (for example families with three or more members), and larger collectives, like organizations and societies. Dyads, groups, and collectives provide, among many other things, language and other salient symbols that shape people's perceptions, beliefs, attitudes, values, and behaviours, including their view of themselves (Brown et al. 1994). Such influence explains, for instance, why people in strongly individualistic cultures privilege individual rights, whereas those in primarily collectivist cultures prioritize the needs of groups over those of individuals. In both cases, people hold their view because of what they learned as members of dyads, groups, and collectives (Schwager et al. 1999).

Emotions and Professional Identity

I always felt that emotion work is gendered specific, and in general it is more important for women than it is for men. Further, I have observed that gender differentially influences the emotional tasks required in managing interactions ...