A person's identity can compare to the structure of a building. The first impression of a building is the outer walls, just as the first impression of the identity is the appearance. Once inside the building, the personality is revealed. It could be a stuffy office or a friendly restaurant. The heart and soul of the identity is found inside the person. Over time, the inside of the building changes as the environment changes. Similarly an identity grows through a person’s experiences. Catherine Latterel wrote how the identity shapes from genetics, experiences, and personal choices (5-13). All three are needed to form an identity, but experiences and personal choices need a beginning. Structures need a base to build; similarly, the identity builds upon the foundation of genetics.
The first part of the identity people associate with is the outward appearance. People first identify my sister as the skinny green-eyed blonde. Genetics form the base for appearance, the body structure, height, hair and eye color, and facial features. My appearance is similar to my mother's when she was my age. She graciously gifted me with an average height similar to hers. The brown hair with red highlights, the dark brown eyes, and the freckles dancing across fair skin all come from my mother, resulting in a head to toe copy of her. My sister received genes that gave her the gorgeous blonde hair and green eyes that resemble my aunt. Because of our looks, people identify me with my mother and her with my aunt. There are people who do not like how their appearances define their identity, so they modify.
People can choose to leave their natural outward identity alone or choose to change. Some people do not like to be identified as blonde because of the stereotype that blondes are dumb, so they dye their hair. I am fond of my appearance and do not see a need to alter my looks. I have been told that I would be an idiot if I colored my hair. My sister on the other hand, put low lights in her hair so it would be darker. A number of people feel the need to color their hair or have plastic surgery to change their appearance. Before they can change their appearance, they had a foundation from their genes. After being pulled in by the appearance of the identity, people go in to reveal the heart and soul.
The central part of the identity is the inner characteristics. Many of those qualities grow from life’s experiences, but they needed a starting place. The basis of the personality comes when born. The core of who I am came from the genes my parents supplied to me. Somehow, I have a personality that is a mixture of my parents. I skipped out on my mother's stubbornness, and have my dad's easygoing nature. I received my dad's sarcastic attitude or as my mom likes to say a "warped sense of humor.” These traits are so similar to my parents that I could not invent them for myself nor could the environment create them. This fact is evident with my intelligence.
A major element in my identity is my understanding of academics. Both of my parents did well in school and passed down the characteristic. Academics have always come easily to me, especially math. The subject makes perfect sense to me. I can look at math problems and easily understand how to solve. Classroom experiences cannot create the automatic comprehension, but they add growth to what I know. All experiences have this type of effect on my personality; they build on the foundation created by my genetics, which happens with my shy personality.
My introverted personality resembles my parent’s; we do not need millions
of people surrounding us to be content. When I was younger, my sister always wanted to play with others, while I was happy entertaining myself. People identify me as the person content to read a book, while they are chatting around me. Through different environments, I have become more social. The past few years I have been part of a Bible Quiz team; I came out of my shell more and more as time passed. I am now more comfortable to sit around and joke with them, instead of just watching. The more I am in a group of people, the more outgoing I become. The experience of college has me coming out of my comfort zone and approaching people, instead of just staying to myself. These experiences built onto my born shy identity bringing me to my more social self today. The majority of myself comes from my home.
My family affected most of my identity in my life to this point. My mother and father gifted me with the genetics for the foundation of my identity, and then helped sculpt it in the environment they provided. Two strong people in their faith raised me. Through their love and faith, especially my dad's, I made the greatest decision of my life and accepted Christ. Now Christ is a major part of my identity. All of my values, respect, honesty, modesty, love, and others have grown in my family atmosphere. Who I am, comes from the experiences I faced, which were built on the foundation of genetics.
Work Cited
Latterell, Catherine G. "Identity.” ReMix Reading + Composing Culture. 2nd ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2006. 5-13.
Print.
The first part of the identity people associate with is the outward appearance. People first identify my sister as the skinny green-eyed blonde. Genetics form the base for appearance, the body structure, height, hair and eye color, and facial features. My appearance is similar to my mother's when she was my age. She graciously gifted me with an average height similar to hers. The brown hair with red highlights, the dark brown eyes, and the freckles dancing across fair skin all come from my mother, resulting in a head to toe copy of her. My sister received genes that gave her the gorgeous blonde hair and green eyes that resemble my aunt. Because of our looks, people identify me with my mother and her with my aunt. There are people who do not like how their appearances define their identity, so they modify.
People can choose to leave their natural outward identity alone or choose to change. Some people do not like to be identified as blonde because of the stereotype that blondes are dumb, so they dye their hair. I am fond of my appearance and do not see a need to alter my looks. I have been told that I would be an idiot if I colored my hair. My sister on the other hand, put low lights in her hair so it would be darker. A number of people feel the need to color their hair or have plastic surgery to change their appearance. Before they can change their appearance, they had a foundation from their genes. After being pulled in by the appearance of the identity, people go in to reveal the heart and soul.
The central part of the identity is the inner characteristics. Many of those qualities grow from life’s experiences, but they needed a starting place. The basis of the personality comes when born. The core of who I am came from the genes my parents supplied to me. Somehow, I have a personality that is a mixture of my parents. I skipped out on my mother's stubbornness, and have my dad's easygoing nature. I received my dad's sarcastic attitude or as my mom likes to say a "warped sense of humor.” These traits are so similar to my parents that I could not invent them for myself nor could the environment create them. This fact is evident with my intelligence.
A major element in my identity is my understanding of academics. Both of my parents did well in school and passed down the characteristic. Academics have always come easily to me, especially math. The subject makes perfect sense to me. I can look at math problems and easily understand how to solve. Classroom experiences cannot create the automatic comprehension, but they add growth to what I know. All experiences have this type of effect on my personality; they build on the foundation created by my genetics, which happens with my shy personality.
My introverted personality resembles my parent’s; we do not need millions
of people surrounding us to be content. When I was younger, my sister always wanted to play with others, while I was happy entertaining myself. People identify me as the person content to read a book, while they are chatting around me. Through different environments, I have become more social. The past few years I have been part of a Bible Quiz team; I came out of my shell more and more as time passed. I am now more comfortable to sit around and joke with them, instead of just watching. The more I am in a group of people, the more outgoing I become. The experience of college has me coming out of my comfort zone and approaching people, instead of just staying to myself. These experiences built onto my born shy identity bringing me to my more social self today. The majority of myself comes from my home.
My family affected most of my identity in my life to this point. My mother and father gifted me with the genetics for the foundation of my identity, and then helped sculpt it in the environment they provided. Two strong people in their faith raised me. Through their love and faith, especially my dad's, I made the greatest decision of my life and accepted Christ. Now Christ is a major part of my identity. All of my values, respect, honesty, modesty, love, and others have grown in my family atmosphere. Who I am, comes from the experiences I faced, which were built on the foundation of genetics.
Work Cited
Latterell, Catherine G. "Identity.” ReMix Reading + Composing Culture. 2nd ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2006. 5-13.
Print.