Identity

The term identity refers to a person's individual expression of himself or herself (personal identity) or group affiliation in reference to a culture, nation, gender, or religion (social identity). Identity can be described as distinctive characteristics of a person or groups of different affiliations. It refers to degrees of sameness with other persons or groups in a particular field. The term identity is mostly used in psychology and sociology and is used considerably in social psychology.

Psychologists who study identity focus on personal identity, which relates to self-modeling or self-image that distinguishes one from others. It is the unique aspects of a person that persist over time. However, whether this personal uniqueness is based on the continuous existence of the human body, the mind or consciousness, or some combination of these is a controversy among philosophers.

Cultural identity refers to the identity of a group that has its own customs, practices, values, and worldviews. Such a group can be centered on nationality, ethnicity, religion, gender, race, or language. The question whether one can belong to only one culture and thus have only one cultural identity is debated among social scientists. Some claim that cultural identity is exclusive and that one can belong to only one culture at any given time. Others assert that people's cultural identity cannot be locked into a single identity but that it incorporates other identities as well. Another argument about cultural identity focuses on the uniformity of individuals in a particular group. Some social scientists assign a homogeneous group characteristic to the individuals of a particular group. Those who oppose the uniformity argument criticize this on the basis that it is a stereotypical generalization and thus prevents the accurate understanding of the relationship between the individual and the group. Social scientists in this category assert that individuals vary in identification with and commitment to the common goals to the group with which they are associated. Cultural identity is passed on from one generation to the next through socialization. It provides an individual a perspective to view the world, an opportunity to socialize with other individuals, and a set of principles to live by.