Essay Identity

Psychology Identity

Essay by Janneke Dekker

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AMFI specialization Brand & Identity

“It seems like almost half of the time you don’t know who you are or you try to figure out who you are. We struggle to find out who we want to be, and when we have finally figured that out we struggle how to become that person. Look at any given moment at an adolescent and you will see what I mean.”

This is of course a basic subject of psychology. To understand and analyze the mind flow of human beings it helps to place this mind flow in a context of time and a period in life involving a certain identity.

The studies about psychological changes of a person and the causes of these changes start at the begin in ancient history. Philosophers like Socrates and Plato started to determine and analysing the different psychological phases of people. Think of the Socratic method* as demonstrated in the Dialogues of Plato. With his book The Republic, Plato is one of the first to call a different converse code for the different phases in life. (The Republic Plato 380 BC). So it is a given fact that people at the beginning of time have seen the importance of identity.

But as we all know these ancient philosophy had to make place for the dark ages and Christianity.

Your identity was that of a servant of God and further determent by your sex. Around the 15th century people slowly started to acknowledged the existence of psychological changes within people that influence ones identity . French philosopher and mathematician, René Descartes found that a person had a “corporate identity” a mix of natural an internal factors which combined defines your “image” of your “identity”. So you are not your body and you are not your mind but a mix of both. This is still the most conventional definition of a person’s identity.

When you look at every theory that there is about identity you can see influences from every angle.

Mathematical, philosophical, biological, social,

religious and so on. It is very hard to define an exact overall statement about the identity changes in life. However many people agree on the statement that people change about six times in their life’s. Biological studies of the human body shows that there are 6 hormonal “waves” in our lives. (“Hormone indicator in age groups” assay by Essex university 1987) these waves leads the transmission to: Infant to pre-adolescent, adolescent, early adults, adults to elderly.

And these ‘waves’ come at the age of: 0 - 10 - 17 - 25 - 43 - 68 But everyone knows an example of people in their environment who do not act like their age. An uncle of 45 who acts like an adolescent or maybe a mother trying to keep up with their early adult daughter. Your body alone is not strong enough to determine how you feel ore must feel. So these physical changes alone do not determine your identity changes.

Post Freudian ego-psychologist Eric Ericson agrees with the fact that we have six identity changes. We have six phases in our life regarding to our role in society. For each phase the body changes. During this change your identity and your ego also adapts to this new function of your body. It’s important to fully give ourselves to these phases in life.

Because when we don’t do this we can harm our identity.

*Note Socrates Methods where theories of Ancient Greek Philosophers Socrates and Plato about how to educate children.

For example when we do not embrace our adolescent experimental phase we experience problems in our adult phase.(Identity: Youth and Crisis” by E. Ericson 1968).

And therefore Ericson advised to embrace every form of change to delineation this phase in life. We can see this embracement of phases in life everywhere in our society.

You see a very clear separation in food, clothes, schools, brands, books and nearly everything for this six identities.

Social studies also showed that social environment plays a big part in our identity changes. Dr. G.R Claybis an American social anthropologists saw certain social groups in western society. He divided them in Home bases, natural, variable and extreme variable*.( “Natural needs” essay Minnesota university in collaboration witch Dr. Harmsburry 1994) He studied each group on physical changes but also psychological. What is their social context, their desires and dreams for the future? He analyzed what their definition of life was and how they wanted to pursuit happiness.

His findings where that the less humans differentiates of their basic natural cause which is propagate, the less their identity’s changes in life. The people who were variable and extreme variable changed their identity’s more often in search of happiness. So Claybis has showed that identity change is a current phenomenon as an interaction of our modern society in which we can choose to be a home bases or an extreme variable person.

our mind and their for our “corporate Identity”. But nowadays we change our mind and body ourselves without these biological changes. We live in a world that can let us determine whenever we want to change. Progress in medical science makes it possible to cheat on natures laws. Phases like adulthood to elderly can be stopped for many years though by medical innovations. Or teenagers who act like adults because of social pressure. We are still bound to our bodies and that we see changing over the years. But we live in a society where the possibilities are endless and options are available for everyone.

Plastic surgery is rising with 12% each year. (American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery 2001) And according to a survey about the ultimate life goal the desire to making enough money to life “care free “rated at number 1. Children and family rated down to number 4 (Global life fulfilment, Nick Marks,2004 ) So you see that the reasons why we change are connected to the wishes of modern society. And. Which leads to an increase of identity changes in one’s life. According to physiologist N.B Neill some life phases begin and end sooner.

He founded that in the 1930’s pre-adolescent and adolescent years lasted for about 7 years. Nowadays a pre-adolescent and adolescents’ years last about 5 years. In this fast changing society we changes more and faster.

To conclude, if you look at psychological statements it is important to include the social context we live in. We know the changes in our body and how they influences

*Note Social groups according to Claybis are: Home bases: people how wish a traditional family, Natural: wishes the same but in combination but combined with other goals as well.

Variable: wishes a variation of goals like traveling and a career and extreme variable wishes to reach any goal they set for themselves even if they have to take extreme measures to pursuit these goals.

So don’t waste your time,

live your life to the fullest and embrace every phase of your life. Many companies and

brands are waiting to support

you in this every step of the way with all the products and assistance you need.

Resource directory

-http://www.iep.utm.edu/identity/ - http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/mind-identity/ - “Filosofie 100 essentiële denker” by Philip Stokers Atrium - “de wereld van Sofie” by Jostein Gaarder Hotekiet Amsterdam 1994 55de printing -“global life fulfilment “ by Nic Marks social sciences researcher at Surrey University, essay 2004 - American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery Opinion report 2001 - “Natural needs” assay Minnesota university in collaboration witch Dr. H Armsburry 1994 -“Identity: Youth and Crisis” by E.Ericson Norton New York 1968 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_identity -http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9_Descartes