In this paper I will discuss the formation of personal identity socially, historically and economically. I will then conclude with an overview of how personal identity has been influenced by this perspective of social sciences.

Name: Gbemisola Agboola, T-number: T2188386, Programme: FCBLSS, 2 term, Module: FC005- introduction to social sciences, Title: the formation of personal identity.

TOPIC: THE FORMATION OF PERSONAL IDENTITY

MODULE: FC005-INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL SCIENCES

MODULE TUTOR: RIHANNON FIRTH

T-NUMBER- T2188386

STUDENT NAME: GBEMISOLA AGBOOLA

The Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy (2008) states that personal identity deals with questions that arise about ourselves by virtue of our being people. Questions such as what am I? When did I begin? And what will happen to me when I die? The Queensland government also states that “Personal identity is the way in which a person defines themselves in terms of their individuality and difference to others. This might include factors such as age, gender, nationality, culture, religious affiliation, disability, sexuality, interests, talents, personality traits, and family and friendship networks. The way in which a person sees themselves in relation to those around them, and what makes them unique, are all aspects of personal identity”. In this paper I will discuss the formation of personal identity socially, historically and economically. I will then conclude with an overview of how personal identity has been influenced by this perspective of social sciences.

To understand personal identity further questions such as those stated above need to be answered. An individual answers such questions to know where he or she stands in life. To decipher the personal identity the person has adopted and to evaluate the kind of person he or she is. As stated earlier personal identity can be formed or influenced economically, socially or historically. Firstly I will discuss how personal identity can be formed socially. A person’s personal identity socially can be called their social identity which refers to the way they act within social groups such as the family or the community. The Queensland government also states “How we see ourselves in relation to our social groupings defines our social identity.” Social identity formation begins from the birth of an individual into a family. This individual acquires or inherits traits from members of their family and this becomes the foundation of who they are and who they will be known to be. The social identity theory developed by Henri Tafjel (1979) states that “Social identity theory proposes that the membership of social groups and categories forms an important part of our self concept. Therefore when an individual is interacting with another person, they will not act as a single individual but as a representative of a whole group or category of people. Even during a single conversation an individual may interact with another person both on a personal level and as a member of a particular group. This show that an individual’s personality can be moulded by what kind of people he or she interacts with and what kind of people he or she was brought up by. In today’s world though, more individuals are starting to develop more abstract personal identities as the smallest social

Group in which identities are brought about are becoming different. The family known as the smallest social unit is recognized to consist of the mother the father and the children, but today families have become more diversified no longer consisting of the father-mother arrangement, families can be found to be single, gay, advertising, child-free, lesbian, step, divorced, socially excluded, nuclear and long term. Ordering lives: family, work and welfare (2004). This has given rise to an increase in the formation of diversified personalities with different views and approaches to life socially.

Moving on to the formation of ...

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Moving on to the formation of personal identity historically. It is of general knowledge that identity existed from the beginning of creation. Each human has a personal identity relegated to them from birth which is nurtured as they grow older by different circumstances in life. Raymond Martin and John Barresi however argue this fact in their book personal identity (2000) stating that personal identity made a new beginning at about 1970, where readings on the topic started to appear in different books. They also discussed in their other book naturalization of the soul: self and personal identity in the eighteenth century (2000) that the time period (the eighteenth century) “witnessed an intellectual transformation where theorists perceived personal identities. Personal identities now are said to more revolutionary than they were said to have been more than two centuries ago. This consociates with the social aspect of the formation of personal identity in which families have changed over the years from a stereotype known to the world as the approved type of family to the different varieties of families that have sprung up now. Also history has an important role to play in the personal identity of an individual, this is because history helps the individual know his or her roots and how he or she came to be. Without history it can be said that personal identity would never exist as a person needs to know how things were in the past. It also gives sociologist a perspective on how to explain how individuals behave in a community or as a whole due to their ancestral lineage. Stefan Berger states in his article that history has played an important role in the formation of national identities and identities in general.

Thirdly, the economy plays an important role in the formation of personal identity. A person’s personal identity economically is framed by the type of economical environment the person is brought up in. for example a person who is conversant with the economic activity will

be inclined to have an identity that agrees with the economic system, while a Nigerian person would have a free flow kind of identity when it comes to financials and economic problems as the person is used to the kind of free flow economic system that exists in Nigeria. John Davis gives an explanation of how economy relates to an individuals personal identity in his article Identity and individual economic agents: a narrative approach, “applying korsgaard’s idea of a “reflective structure of consciousness” to provide foundations for a richer account of the individual economic agent, and uses this to explain and distinguish the concepts of personal identity, individual identity, and social identity”. This clearly shows that an individuals personal identity can also be influenced by the kind of economy the person is exposed to.

In conclusion, we have seen how personal identity formation is influenced socially, economically and historically. We have come to see how families and social institutions influence an individual’s personal identity how the identity has been formed through out history and how a person can be identified through their economic environment. Personal identities have come through a lot of change and will continue to change as time goes on.

References.

E. Olson, (2003). Personal identity. The Blackwell guide to the philosophy of mind. Edited by S. Stich and T. Warfield, Oxford Blackwell 2003.

John, B. Davis (2009) identity and individual agents: a narrative approach. Retrieved 25th march 2010 at

Mark Hola. (2009) social identity theory. Retrieved 25th march 2010 from

Queensland government (2007) personal identity in children. Retrieved 25th march 2010 from

Raymond Martin, John Barresi (2000) naturalization of the soul: self and personal identities in the eighteenth century. Routledge press.

Raymond Martin, John Barresi (2003) personal identity. Blackwell publishing’s ltd.

Stefan Berger (2007) history and national identity. Retrieved 25th march 2010, at http://www.historyandpolicy.org/papers/policy-paper-66.html

Wordnet.web (2000) the distinct personality of an individual regarded as a persisting entity. Retrieved March 25th 2010 from

In this paper I will discuss the formation of personal identity socially, historically and economically. I will then conclude with an overview of how personal identity has been influenced by this perspective of social sciences.

This is a preview of the whole essay

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