Rachel Fox

Jennifer Rodrick

English 115

10/16/17

Stasis and Fluidity in Identity

Throughout history, identity has been a concept both simple and complicated; complex

yet obvious. Its no surprise that identity is shaped by our environment - by the atmosphere and

culture in which we were raised - as well as influenced by the people in our lives. Identity is

simultaneously social and personal. Evidence of our social identities can be found in everything;

the most widely influential being civil rights movements, world wars, and educational

institutions and can manifest in everything from political opinions to the social groups we

interact with as we grow. In this way, identity is characterized by conformity and the innate

human desire to be accepted by others. Personally, identity is established by the exact opposite; a

desire to stand out from the crowd, or simply to be an individual. As children, we are subject to

the opinions of others we deem to be intelligent and correct. As we grow and learn, we

understand that our early influences will not, and perhaps should not, shape our future ideals.

These aspects of identity can be analyzed while studying Nazi Germany to the mid-1900s civil

rights movement in the United States, from saying the Pledge of Allegiance in our schools and

then collectively rejecting the same as we age and form our own opinions. By possessing the

insight that every persons identity is constantly changing as a result of their environments and
the people they have around them, we can examine external influences in the past and present to

learn, to understand, and to even change the future.

From infancy to our golden years, family and society have determined the paths that we

will take and the beliefs that will guide us in our lives. In Navigating The Lines Between

Ethnicity And Identity, an NPR podcast, they state that as children, our parents, siblings,

relatives, teachers, and friends sculpted our personalities and helped to build our view of the

world and the people in it. Growing up, our network and community frequently shift and with it,

so too do our personalities and perspective. Specifically, in my life, my parents were raised

Jewish, and as a result, my siblings and I were also raised Jewish. Due to my upbringing, I was

instructed in both religious and cultural aspects of Reform Judaism and to this day I still identify

myself as such. In like fashion, I was raised, by both my family and my congregation, to accept

all people regardless of religion, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, social status and

disabilities. Because of this, when I came out to my family and friends as gay, I had the

incredible advantage of not being afraid of rejection. Published journalist Stacy Tabb from How

to Adult wrote an article titled, The Familys Influence on Identity and stated, Parents who

are more responsive to their children, more encouraging, and who offer more support will most

likely develop a child who has a higher level of self-esteem. (par. 4). I have no doubt that my

parents support and faith in me made me not only a better person but also gave me the

confidence to be who I am today. These beliefs have guided me throughout my life and will

continue to for as long as I live. The familial bonds as well as morals and values instilled by a

community directly and indirectly construct and model the people who reside in it. Equally
important to figurative space of the people we surround ourselves with is the literal space that we

inhabit.

Everything about the environment, whether it is our proximity to a city or to an ocean, a

townhouse or a ranch, or even the weather, affects us in more ways than we can imagine.

Growing up in South Jersey, my experiences were intrinsic to my growth as a person. I had the

convenience of accessing large cities like New York and Philadelphia, exposing me to a variety

of cultures while also enjoying the small suburban lifestyle. Essentially, the environment of my

youth cultivated a much more well-rounded and socially conscious person rather than if I had

grown up in a midwestern rural community. In Turns Out Where You Live Really Does Shape

Who You Are, by Emily Badger, Badger interviews Victoria Plaut, a social and cultural

psychologist, discussing her findings that led her to discover that, We knew that cities have

local dialects and local vocabularies and local economies and industries and economic realities,

local newspapers and radio stations We thought all of those things should mean that cities are

cultures, too (par. 6). This assertion supports the idea that, as Plaut concludes, Place does

shape people at a fundamental level. (par. 14). This aspect of identity is absolutely crucial to the

enrichment of the human experience and plays a huge role in shaping the people that we become.

However, the circumstances of our development are not without change, and with change comes

choice.

In Is identity given or created? in an TedxExeter Talk, they discuss that the true mark

of self-identity is the development of conscious decision-making and the ability to distinguish

between the way that you were brought up and the way you want to live the rest of your life.

This can mean rejecting behaviors and opinions from your past and adopting new perspectives
and attitudes for your present and future. As a former public school education student, I was

required to stand every morning and recite the Pledge of Allegiance with my classmates. Todays

controversy confronts the expectation to follow custom and gives me the power to challenge

authority and kneel for a cause that I believe in. I have made the choice to disassociate from the

political mechanism, with NFL football players and fellow Americans who are protesting against

police brutality specifically amongst the African American community. This choice, while not a

defining one in my life, is still a component of my ever-evolving identity. A more distinctive

choice I have made in my life has been a decision to stray away from the traditional monotheistic

Judaism of my childhood and favor agnosticism. While I am unconvinced of the existence of a

higher power, I still maintain the many morals and values of Judaism that I was taught and

continue to observe them both religiously and culturally. It is undoubtedly a part of my identity

and a definitive one as well. David J Ley Ph.D., author of the Psychology Today article, Can

We Choose Our Identity? attests, It is in fact countless small choices about characteristics and

behaviors, all of which aggregate into our sense, and external appearance of a single, formed and

coherent identity. (par. 15). While identity continues to be a fluid concept, it is completely

unique to every individual. Decision-making is both private and performative in nature, and

influences social and interpersonal interactions. This allows us to align ourselves with people

who identify similarly with us, gratifying the part of ourselves that craves acceptance.

Consequently, the human race is always in a state of flux, guaranteeing perpetual change

and an infinite number of possibilities. Obviously, when it comes down to it, the circumstances

and conditions of our lives, from the people to the location, have massive effects on who we are.

Identity, like the human race as a whole, is never truly in a state of stasis, but constantly evolving
throughout our lives. The extent to which space has shaped aspects of our identities is

immeasurable. External influences have everything to do with the fluidity of our sense of self

and allow us to consciously make decisions in paving our individual paths. We can attribute all

that we are to the people and places that raised us, and we must trust ourselves to make the best

of the life that we were given.

 Work Cited

Badger, Emily. Turns Out Where You Live Really Does Shape Who You Are. CityLab,
CityLab, 25 Sept. 2012,
www.citylab.com/design/2012/09/turns-out-where-you-live-really-does-shape-who-you-are/3353
/. Accessed 14 October 2017.

Ley, David J. Can We Choose Our Identity? Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 23 June
2015,
www.psychologytoday.com/blog/women-who-stray/201506/can-we-choose-our-identity.
Accessed 14 October 2017.

Lyon, Marcus, director. Is Your Identity given or Created? YouTube, TEDx Talks, 11 May 2016,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tJKGZ_xSZ0. Accessed 14 October 2017.

Tabb, Stacy. The Family's Influence on Identity. How To Adult,

howtoadult.com/familys-influence-identity-7846142.html. Accessed 14 October 2017.

Thompson, Matt. Navigating The Lines Between Ethnicity And Identity. NPR, 18 Apr.
2013,
www.npr.org/2013/04/18/177788376/navigating-the-lines-between-ethnicity-and-identity.
Accessed 14 October 2017.