Identity vs Society
Elizabeth Gamboa
Professor Picardi
Eng. 102 Title - Identity: The Individual vs. Society We all develop identity from the world around us. Society offers us a wide variety of roles to play, and we are rewarded if we play them as well as possible. We fail to realize that being teenagers, parents, workers, doctors, and etc. are just roles and assume that we are simply participating in a genuine life. No matter how much effort a person puts into his or her own image, in the end it’s all a fraud, psychologically speaking, because so much of our lives is unconscious. From all the things that appeal to us in the world, we create images of how we want to see ourselves. We try to make ourselves seen in the world so our images can be reflected back to us through the desire of others. Individuals will struggle to find their true identity if they fall under the pressure of society or certain religious beliefs. Although we have the complete power over our identities and personalities, if allowed, society or the church can mend each and every individual to be the same. Each individual has the choice to their own paths in life and the choices we make are based on self-realization. The mind is a very powerful thing and sometimes our conscience sends us down the wrong path when under society’s influence. As any individual, learning from our mistakes and having to deal with consequences is a part of life’s everyday struggle. Can Society Change an Individual? Society can have the power to change our identities as individuals if we fall under its influence. For example: The short story “Young Goodman Brown,” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, shows how society persuades us throughout our lives and the power between good and evil in a community. “Conscious of the guilty purpose” (7) conveyed Brown to devote himself to the devil because the rest of the town did also. The community’s fail to stay loyal to God shows how weak and persuasive an entire community can be,
Professor Picardi
Eng. 102 Title - Identity: The Individual vs. Society We all develop identity from the world around us. Society offers us a wide variety of roles to play, and we are rewarded if we play them as well as possible. We fail to realize that being teenagers, parents, workers, doctors, and etc. are just roles and assume that we are simply participating in a genuine life. No matter how much effort a person puts into his or her own image, in the end it’s all a fraud, psychologically speaking, because so much of our lives is unconscious. From all the things that appeal to us in the world, we create images of how we want to see ourselves. We try to make ourselves seen in the world so our images can be reflected back to us through the desire of others. Individuals will struggle to find their true identity if they fall under the pressure of society or certain religious beliefs. Although we have the complete power over our identities and personalities, if allowed, society or the church can mend each and every individual to be the same. Each individual has the choice to their own paths in life and the choices we make are based on self-realization. The mind is a very powerful thing and sometimes our conscience sends us down the wrong path when under society’s influence. As any individual, learning from our mistakes and having to deal with consequences is a part of life’s everyday struggle. Can Society Change an Individual? Society can have the power to change our identities as individuals if we fall under its influence. For example: The short story “Young Goodman Brown,” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, shows how society persuades us throughout our lives and the power between good and evil in a community. “Conscious of the guilty purpose” (7) conveyed Brown to devote himself to the devil because the rest of the town did also. The community’s fail to stay loyal to God shows how weak and persuasive an entire community can be,