5 minute read
The inevitable
iD ENtITYTHE BEGINNING OF THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL BIRTH OF PERSONHOOD AND ‘THE SELF’
Eva Green Amelie Doll
What does the word ‘identity’ mean to you? Is it the qualities that define an individual, which could include: names, appearance, family, friends, personality, beliefs, hobbies, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexuality, experiences and memories?
It is difficult to define what in essence answers the question ‘who am I?’. The word ‘Identity’ in this context comes from the Latin ‘identit s’, which means ‘the fact that an entity is itself and not another thing.’ I will be exploring the history of identity, how it is formed, and why is it important.
Whilst we cannot know exactly when humans first recognised themselves as having individual identities, we assume that early humans recognised each other by sight, sound, smell and touch. There is no recorded evidence of individual names until much later. Prehistoric cave markings of stencilled handprints may be an example of written identity – a way of saying ‘I was here’. Spoken language emerged about 100,000 years ago. The earliest known names date back to around 3000 BC. These were names of Royalty that were passed down orally through generations and written down years later. Nowadays, almost every known society refers to individuals with a fixed personal name but there are some exceptions, including the Machiguenga tribe of the Amazon, a small tribe that refers to each other as ‘brother’ or ‘sister’. Ancient cultures generally used mononyms, which are single names. The ancient Greeks used mononyms and historians add epithets (descriptions of the person) to distinguish between people with the same name. These epithets could refer to a person’s skills, home or ancestry, which all associate with identity. Before the Second World War, the word ‘identity’ was not used to describe how one defined oneself or others, but to compare the certain aspects of a thing that remain unchanged over time. ‘Identity’ as we now know it derives mainly from the work of psychologist Erik Erikson, who in the late 1950s suggested that ‘identity’ was our sense of self.
According to Erikson’s psychosocial theory, identity forms throughout the eight main stages of development which occur from infancy to late adulthood. The first stage is ‘Trust vs Mistrust’ which occurs between 0-12 months of age. If carers consistently respond to a child’s needs, the child will learn to feel secure, however if the child is neglected, they will develop a sense of mistrust towards other people. The second stage is ‘Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt’ which occurs in toddlers. A child will gain independence as they complete tasks such as learning how to use the toilet, selecting foods, and choosing toys, but if they are criticised or overly controlled, they begin to lack self-esteem and become dependent. The third stage is ‘Initiative vs Guilt’ which occurs between three and five years of age. If a child is encouraged to participate in self-directed play, then they will gain a sense of initiative, but if they are discouraged, they will feel guilty when playing. ‘Industry vs Inferiority’, the fourth stage, occurs between the ages of six and eleven. Children start to feel pride in their work and achievements, but if they are discouraged, then they will doubt their own ability.
Occurring during adolescence, the fifth stage is ‘Identity vs Confusion’. Teens explore their personal values, beliefs and goals, and try to find their place in the world, whilst becoming more independent as they transition from childhood to adulthood. This is the major stage of development during which identity is formed. The sixth stage is ‘Intimacy vs Isolation’ which occurs between the ages of 19-40 years old, in which people wish to form intimate loving relationships, and those who fail to form these relationships feel isolated and alone. ‘Generativity (‘making your mark’) vs Stagnation’ which happens during mid-adulthood (40-65 years), and in which people raise a family or contribute to society, which gives them a sense of purpose. The final stage of development is ‘Integrity vs Despair’ which occurs during late adulthood. People reflect on their life and accomplishments, and if they feel that they have had a meaningful life, they feel fulfilled, but if not, then they may feel a sense of despair.
According to Erikson, during each stage the person experiences a psychological ‘identity crisis’ which could have a positive or negative outcome for personality development. A ‘successful’ completion of each stage results in healthy personality characteristics or ‘virtues’ which build
resilience against subsequent crises: hope, will, purpose, competency, fidelity, love, care and wisdom.
A ‘schema’ is an abstract concept that describes how we organise, store and interpret information in our brain. Schemas use memories and experiences to categorise knowledge and are added throughout life. They are unique to a person, contributing to their identity. The self-schema describes an individuals perceptions and beliefs about themselves. When the self-schema is first developed, generally between 18 and 30 months, it is simply the recognition that you are an individual being.
An experiment to test whether or not a child has developed their self schema is The Rouge Test. A red spot is painted on the child’s face, and they are put in front of a mirror. If the child looks behind the mirror or touches the reflection of the paint in the mirror, it suggests that they have not yet developed their self-schema and think that their reflection is another person. However, if they touch their own face, it suggests that they recognise themselves as an individual, and that the spot is on their face.
In today’s society, personal identity and how we perceive ourselves is important because it impacts our thoughts, actions and how we interact with others. The concept of ‘identity’ has evolved over time from simple recognition to how individuals are defined and their place in the world. As such, identity itself is heavily influenced by experiences in early life and can develop and change over a person’s lifetime.
