Investigating Identity
Identity is difficult to comprehend because of its many sided facets. Recently, Nathalie Heinich wrote an essay – what our identity is not (cite{Heinich}) – starting by explaining what identity is not and then gradually establishing a framework with which identity issues can be understood. One of her conclusions is that someone only becomes aware of his or her identity when some kind of identity conflict is encountered. The purpose of this investigation in identity is to show how EMont models can make these conflicts stand out and to find remedies to overcome identity crises. This is of relevance because identity conflicts might actually hamper the willingness to progress although there are good, rational reasons to do so. In many cases, perhaps all, the human factor simply cannot be removed from the equation.
Identity cannot be reduced to a single aspect such as nationalism, gender, or religion. Also, someone’s identity is not immutable, but is subject to change in the course of life. Identity is often framed as a binary concept emphasizing contrasting notions such as ascribed versus acquired traits, or individual freedom versus societal acceptable behavior. Heinich argued that a binary conception of identity does not capture identity issues adequately. Instead, she proposes a three-dimensional model comprised of the following elements: self-perception, presentation and attribution.
Self-perception is about the relation with yourself, that is, who you are. Presentation is referring to how you present yourself to the outside world. Attribution is how other people label and approach you. In case of tension between those elements you become aware of your identity, which is felt as an identity conflict, or even worse, an identity crisis. For instance, if you are part of a religious community, you are supposed to act the part of what is expected from you. But this may be in conflict with your self-perception, that is, who you really are, which might not tolerated in a particular religious tradition, such as homophilia. Obviously, you then face a dilemma. You have to deal with the tension between your self-perception and your presentation if you want to remain part of the community you belong to.
To understand how identity can be modeled and evaluated consider the model shown below. The model is a combination of the human cognition and behavior model and the “different Q – same P-R” pattern of change.
The external party coerces the person to take forced steps to comply with the objectives set by the external party. However, these steps might or might not (modeled as a contributes: ?) have a positive effect on achieving concrete goals. In case of a negative effect, however, there is a clash between the person’s desires and what has been actually achieved, which results in an identity conflict.
The three-dimensional model identity model comprised of self-perception, presentation, and attribution can be recognized in this “coercion” pattern. The self-perception part corresponds with the intention (prepare plan and reflect) and the desires of a person. This coincides with the person’s reason of being (P-R). The presentation part has its counterpart in the carry out activities. This is how a person present itself to the outside world, or might be forced to do so. The attribution part can be recognized in the external party. The attribution is manifested in the condition “pressure to comply”.
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Referenties
- mission and vision statements, Iowa State University, 8 november 2022.
- Wat onze identiteit niet is, Nathalie Heinich, Prometheus, 16 augustus 2019.
- What identity is not; Building the bridge: how entrepreneurs work on trust, Nathalie Heinich, Bilderberg conferentie, 7 februari 2020.
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