Personal Identity Changes as the Result of Acts of Identification - Essay Example

Claim that personal identity changes as the result of acts of identification. By Location Claim that personal identity changes as the result of acts of identification Personal identity is a term that is commonly used in reference to the unique characteristics that belongs to a person or a group of persons. The four main aspects of personal identity include change, persistence, time, and sameness. Therefore, it can be said that personal identity are those things that make people unique and different from other people. Personal identity can also be said to be how a person defines themselves. In some cases it is always seen that people do have different personal identity that is different from what they really are. There has always been a debate on whether acts of identification can lead to changes in an individual’s personal identity. These arguments have never been settled with other sociologists arguing that there is always no effect on an individual’s personal identity. This paper aims at evaluating the claim that personal identity changes as the result of acts of identification. Identification acts are those acts that are aimed discovering the unique characteristics of people and groups. This can be referred to as the process of labeling individuals or groups with the purpose of distinguishing them from the others. A person’s identity can take place through their identification with their significant others. This might be as a result of their biological connection or there being any social ties. People’s significant others can have an influence on their values, characteristics, and beliefs. Values, characteristics, and beliefs are fundamental aspects of an individual’s or group’s identity. This is the reason as to why some people are of the opinion that the indentation actions can lead to a change in the personal identity of an individual. The argument that personal identity changes as the result of acts of identification is fuelled by the fact that a person can have an identity which is different from the one that they actually have. This is possible through the adaptation of a new identity during the identification process. The picked identity is in most cases, temporal and is always meant to help in achieving some goals. Personhood also has some influence on an individual’s personality. The term personhood is mostly used in reference to the qualities that are counted as a necessity for a person. Therefore, it is always said that an individual is the person that they are because of the qualities that are seen in them. These are the things that differentiate human beings from animals such as chimpanzees or their own creations. As much as human beings might have some things in common with computers or chimpanzees there are certain characteristics that completely differentiate them from human beings. This explains the reason, even when human beings are disguised as animals with some animal attributes they still remain to be human and can easily be identified as human beings despite the fact that they in some way have tried their best to possess some characteristics that will associate them to something else. When looking at the argument that personal identity changes as the result of acts of identification it is important to look at what it takes for an individual to persist changing their personal identity over time. There are some experiences in life that makes it hard for people to remain exactly as they are. A person’s ability to go through such experiences without having to change their personal identity is what is commonly referred to as persistence under the study of personal identity. There are many things that people all over the world have in common with you. However, what makes you not want to be you instead of someone. Some people have high persistence in terms of personal identity while others do not. One of the ways through which people are identified is through their names. Someone’s name can tell allot about them. In most cases, one of the first things that people inquire about immediately they meet new people is their names. There are a number of things that you can know about someone by knowing their names. For example, names can usually be used to know someones ethnicity or religion. This further explains the reason as to why someone will immediately adopt a new name whenever they join new religions. Names are also used in the identification of individuals belonging to certain families. By inquiring on someone’s surname you can be able to know their ethnic inclination or whether they come from a particular family. Therefore, it can be said that names are usually used to associate individual to certain group. However, the names do not always show any form of similarity in personal identity. Another thing that is commonly used in identification of people is what they do. In this the main question is what profession or vocation. In most societies someone’s profession tells allot of things about them. By asking people what they do the thing that people usually do is seeking something that they can use to easily categorize them. This can explain the reason why some people easily identify themselves. At the same time there are people who would prefer concealing what they actually do or even lie about it because of the way the society views some occupation. For example, a physician will have an easy time identify themselves with their occupation while people in professions such as garbage collection will always find themselves fighting the temptation of lying about their occupations1. Physical appearance is also another way through which people are identified. This is one of the most used forms of identification. It is commonly used because of the fact that you do not have to make many inquiries in order to know the physical attribute of people. These are the characteristics that people usually tell. Someone’s physical appearance usually has allot of influence on someone’s first impression. This can be used to explain the obsession that people usually have to change their physical appearance. Some of the indicators of such obsessions are physical appearance modification processes such as plastic surgery, skin bleaching, and weight loss pills that are commonly used by ladies. All these activities are always done by people to change the way people view or judge hem at first sight. The languages that people speak usually tell allot about them. The language that you speak can be used to determine your age, ethnicity, race, nationality, and social class. However, in the realization of this fact, many people tend to change the language that they use so that they can give a different impression. Some people will choose the language that they use so that they could give the impression that they belong to a certain social class. This might be because they are not confident of their social class or there is a goal that they aim at attaining by being deceptive about their social class2. There are also languages that are only expected to be spoken by people belonging to a certain age gap. For example, it is expected for youth and teenager to use slang when they communicate to each other. However, adults might find themselves having to use slang when they want to blend in for specific purposes. Since language is something that can easily be learnt people commonly use it to give the wrong impression in accordance to their mission. Another way through which a person can be identified is the people that they associate with. There is an English saying that states that, “Births of a feather flock together”. This is a saying that implies that people with the same attributes always stay together. In the process of class association with people, a person can adopt certain characteristics that they did not have before. On the other hand it will be hard for people to have close association with people that do not have any common things with them. A person’s identity can also be determined by the interests that they have. There are certain things that are known to be appealing to only specific type of people. Therefore, some people might have the temptation of faking some interest that they can be able to be associated with certain people, ideas, or things. It is clearly evident that personal identity changes as the result of acts of identification. Given that people are always mindful of how people perceive them it will be right to say that people will always strive to give certain impressions. While some people are never tempted to change anything so that they can give a different impression, many human beings will always find themselves in a situation where they have to adopt some temporally identities. As much as it can be argued that the influence might not be long lasting the fact that the change take place is enough to prove which side of the argument is viable. Therefore, it can be concluded that personal identity can change as the result of acts of identification. References Bromley, S, E Jeffries, JMeegan& M Staples, Learning Companion 3, Introducing the social sciences, Milton Keynes, The Open University, 2OO9. Changing identities, Exploring social lives (Audio CD 2) Milton Keynes, The Open University, 2009. Read More