Short summary of Identity, Part 1 = (1) A sense of identity is crucial to our well-being. (2) Much of our identity is shaped as we become like the people with whom we spend our time.
I found these quotes interesting....
Like a trapeze artist, the young person in the middle of vigorous motion must let go of his safe hold on childhood and reach out for a firm grasp on adulthood, depending for a breathless interval on a relatedness between the past and the future, and on the reliability of those he must let go of, and those who will "receive" him. – Erik Erikson
In the social jungle of human existence, there is no feeling of being alive without a sense of ego identity. Deprivation of identity, can lead to murder. – Erik Erikson
Man's struggle for his self and his identity is doomed to failure unless it is enacted as dedication and devotion to something beyond his self, to something above his self. – Victor Frankl
Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children…. – Ephesians 5:1
When [the Sanhedrin] saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that there were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. – Acts 4:13
(Identity, Part 2 is coming later. Although, one sharp commenter has started to steal my thunder.)
AN
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Dr. Aaron A. New
Associate Professor of Psychology and Counseling at
Central Baptist College
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4 comments:
who we are to a large extent is determined by who we love!
Is our identity based also on circumstances? I've felt I've lost mine due to job loss, divorce and depression. Or is that a cop-out?
Anonymous #2,
I think the answer to that question partly depends on how you define "identity."
Certainly the way we choose to deal with our circumstances can affect our sense of self-esteem and self-worth. Bad circumstances can make us feel lousy.
But a sense of identity is built as we determine basic answers to questions about our core values and beliefs. When a person knows who they are, what they value, and what they believe, they have established a sense of identity.
So, your next observation might be something like this..... "Yes, but bad circumstances like job loss, divorce, and depression can make people question those very issues. People feel lost in those circumstances."
I would agree, BUT, I wonder if people lose their sense of identity in those circumstances BECAUSE they are losing a connection with people. Remember, it is the people around us that help us establish an identity. When we suffer job loss or divorce, we suffer the loss of connection with others. And that loss of connection can lead to a loss of identity.
I would imagine that a person suffering a job loss or divorce could maintain a health sense of identity as long as they had a loving, supporting, network of people around them during that time. With that kind of ongoing connection with others, people are more likely to maintain their core values and beliefs.
I'm speaking in generalities. Remember, there are always exceptions. I'm rambling now, but I hope I've shared my thoughts clearly enough.
I'm interested in what others think.
AN
I see what you mean. My identity is based on what I value and believe.....As a Christian I still have that knowledge. I do know who I am as a person. I guess I am just lonely and of course at the same time depression can blurr our vision of who we are........ but I have to keep reminding myself WHO I am "in Christ" and that other people do love and care about me.
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