Who Am I Identity and Influences - Essay Example

My personality as both social and personal could be an evidence of this strength, in terms of handling difficult situations and having the initiative to work on it. The influence of my environment and the innate characteristics of women are the ones which make up my personality. Personalities are built by both environment including peers and experiences and a person’s natural tendencies; where social and personal identities types are distinguished vaguely. Identity and Influences Personal identity could be a complex thing to define as it changes with experiences and life’s realizations.

Most often, the word “identity” is made synonymous with “self” which arouses confusion about what implies the abstract characteristics. According to Cote and Levine, the term "self" is used to refer to a person’s "motivational structure,” the physical embodiment of a person which is able “to feel, perceive, and have intentions" (70); while identity is "an entity with particular characteristics, distinguishable from other entities" (71). With these definitions, it is clear that when referring to a more abstract and unique aspect, identity might be the best word, as opposed to "self" which pertains to what the eyes can see.

Both “self” and “identity” are influenced with the external environment or an innate personality. With these factors, the concepts of personal identity and social identity are formed. A general thought exists that personal and social identities are two different things. In reality, however, they are still interrelated and can exist in one person. This comes with the fact that human personality development comes in "two poles"-- psychological and sociological. Both personality types may be categorized as social since personality development is established primarily through social interactions (Worchel 2).

As for social identity, by the term itself, it can be implied that its influence have much to do with the environment and the people closest to that person. It refers to the fact of what “the individual perceives him- or herself as similar to others of the same background" (Worchel 3). In other words, the group or the society where the person belongs could be a reference to the kind of personality she has. Personal identity, on the other hand, deals with what the person knows about himself and how he distinguishes it from other people.

I could not really categorize myself, black or white in these personality types because there can always be something in between. As how Worchel expressed it, social and personal identities have underlying concepts similar to each other. If this should be regarded true, then there must be something in between that connection. I like being with people and I can say that I am an extrovert. However, I also believe that a person should have his time for himself, a time for meditation and deep thinking.

I like the fact that I am able to adjust with both silence and noise, depending on the need of the situation. I like to read books in a quiet place, most often in a secluded area of our university park, but I also play soccer with my friends and even compete with various amateur matches. Once in a while, silence should be valued as an opportunity to rationalize things and become a better person. In my family's practice, we always make way for a once a week gathering, like a picnic or an outing.

This way, we discover new things about each member, since we do not see each other often. During the busy weekdays when we are doing our personal businesses, we spend time for ourselves and by the time we gather again, there is a lot to discover. Furthermore, there is enough social support coming from my parents, siblings, and peers that made me balance extroversion and introversion. This is