Topic: An analysis essay of personal identity narrative

The qualities, beliefs, personality, looks and expressions that make a person or
group are called identity. According to Lustig and Koester (2003), cultural, social, and
personal identities build an individual’s identity or self-concept. This paper will
explore my personal identity and the factors that shape my identity.

Vietnamese people’ identities were defined by the ethnicity, language, food,

dress, and culture of the people and were altered by social and political aspects. For
example, “ao dai” is representative for women clothing or Vietnamese is the official
language of Vietnam. The consequence of membership in particular groups within
one’s culture creates social identity. Moreover, everybody has a sense of self or sense
of personal identity. In fact most people have a number of important ways of thinking
about themselves that are significant enough to be considered multiple senses of self
including roles, attributes, behaviors, and associations. How we see ourselves build
ourselves image makes our personal identity. It is so essential that it could affect the
way we feel about ourselves and how we behave in challenging cases. In other words,
Martin and Nakayama (2010) defined that personal identity is who we think we are and
who others think we are Personal identity answers the question “who am I?” and
represents the set of goals, values, beliefs and characteristics that an individual has
developed or internalized (Erikson, 1968).

In order to define our personal identity, we should answer these questions: Who
are you; what shapes who you are; why are you the way you are. There are many
different factors that contribute to one’s identity including family, culture, friends,
education and surrounding environments. Firstly, culture may influence a person’s
sense of responsibilities, ethics and morals, interests and many other aspects of life.
When it comes to the “iceberg” of culture, the way we think will influence the way we
behave. The top of water (visible) includes music, pace of life, language, food,
population, etc. The underneath (invisible) consists of tolerance of change, role of
family, comfort with risk, what motivates people in daily life, etc (Lustig and Koester,
2003). We should not see the visible culture of one person to evaluate that person when
we do not understand about his/her hidden culture. Taking me as an example,
according to visible culture, I most like to eat Asian food, especially Korean food. On
weekends, I usually dress in casual dress because I feel comfortable. For me, time
alone and personal space is essential to think and do whatever myself like, not to be
disturbed by others. In related to deep culture, I think it is important to be aware of
hidden cultural characteristics when we meet and interact with others. For me,
friendship means share experience and loyalty. I do not need too many friends but
some true friends because “a friend in need is a friend indeed”. I value most highly
honesty, so in the relationship with others, many people said that I am an honest person
and I also hope others to be honest to me. My other opinion on time management, I
think time needs to be managed effectively. It is essential to balance time of working,
studying and relaxing. In addition, culture is the combination of values, beliefs, and
practices of a particular group. Each person knows how to dress, talk, act and give
guidelines when living in their culture. A child could absorb the beliefs and practices
of a particular culture as he/she grows up.

Secondly, family is one of the most crucial factors that develop a person’s
identity. The beliefs and behaviors that family member impart to a child could shape
the child’s personality development. For instance, I was born in a family which parents
work for stated-owned organization. Besides that, because my father’s job is related to
law, when I was young, I was taught very strictly by my father about ethics, morals or
how to communicate with adults politely. Being a kid, I was quite innocent and
extroverted. However, when I grow up, I felt that I changed my personalities. Maybe I
have been influenced by other factors to contribute my other personalities. When I was
in high school, I was very interested in hip-hop and K-pop music. I often attended
music clubs or went to watch music shows. However, when I was older, I do not like
that music anymore because I think it is so childish and noisy. Furthermore, family
traditions and customs help to make each family unique. Even everyday events such as
family mealtimes reflect cultural practices. For example in my family, I was learnt
about the importance of close and frequent interaction. In mealtimes or leisure time,
my family is often spend time together. Moreover, family is also the factor that has an
impact on my important decision such as university choice or career orientation.
Although my father’s job is related to law, he did not urge me to follow his career but
advised me to choose whatever I like and I chose English as my major. After
graduation, my parents hoped that I could find a stable job, especially stated-owned
jobs. Also, I think that it is true and I listened to my parents’ direction. Another thing is
that I am inherited from my father both his appearance and some of his personalities
such as conservative, hot-tempered, punctual and have principle. Maybe it is the reason
why I changed my identity, from active, stubborn to a shy and introverted girl. Both
my job and my relationship have principle, not flexible. Sometimes I realize that I am
not creative and adaptable to change depend on specific circumstances.

Thirdly, when a child is growing up, peers and education are also important
factors that influence the child’s identity. During the adolescence, we often share
experiences with peers. Many young people go along with their peers’ choices. In
reality, they conform to the decisions made by others. According to me, because I am
not close to many peers, only make friends with some people. I share my ideas,
lifestyles and stories with them, but I could make my choice, not depending on them.
Besides that, the educational environment provides another significant impact on the
personality development of one person. A positive school environment provides us
with information and problem-solving skills as well as other useful skills such as team
working, communication skill, etc. I still remember one of my main reasons for loving
English is my English teacher at secondary school. She changed the way I think about
learning English by her dedication, inspiration and enthusiasm. So, a competent teacher
could help students develop skills that can last a lifetime or even change students’
thinking about an issue.

Lastly, each person’s personal identity could be affected by other elements.

They could be the economic conditions, religion, the technology and media. For
example, many young people could learn more about soft skills such as money
managing skill, communication skill or negotiation skill from part-time jobs. This also
helps them for their future jobs both in finance and skills. The media including
television, magazines and internet also has influence on the shaping a person’s
personal identity. Some studies indicate that young people who are addicted to violent
games tend to be more aggressive in daily life. Some of the advantages of the media
are that it is a source of providing information and entertainment. However, I see the
disadvantages of relying too much on the media such as dangerous viruses, increasing
diseases, etc, so I try to use the media as effectively as possible.

It could be answered the above questions that I am Linh, be just myself. Beside
some factors that shape my personal identity such as peers, education, family is the
most crucial factor influencing who I am. I think everyone is different from others. The
reason is that they have different values, beliefs, cultures and other factors to make
them unique. I am also included. I evaluate myself that I am an introverted person. I
enjoy having time to myself such as listening music at public area, going to the cinema
alone, or playing adventure games like roller coaster. I am scared of crowd and do not
like going to crowded places. I often keep all my secrets for myself, and rarely share to
another, even my closest friend. I think that I am quite sensitive; sometimes my action
is related to my emotion. However, whenever I make an important decision, I still try
to think logically, not emotionally. Moreover, I am quite honest, reliable and not
curious about others, so people around me often trust me and find me to give them
advices. Although I know my weaknesses of my personal identity, I am too lazy to
change my mind. Sometimes I tried to be different from myself, but that identity lasts
for a long time. So I think I need more time to change and adjust myself.

The way people represent themselves is a lifelong process. A person’s identity

is based on his/her own decision and choice. Everyone is responsible for making their
unique identity. Hence, we should respect the culture and identities of other people.
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