PERSONAL IDENTITY

The process of becoming a person is the task that all human beings, men
And women, we are confronted. It is based on our life experiences that we are going to
forging our personal identity, which, in very simple terms, can be defined
like 'the ideas we have about how we are and how the world sees us.'

In the construction of our personal identity, we can say that it is adolescence.

when the first tentative answers to the question of who am I arise, answers
that we will be reviewing and updating for the rest of our lives. The identity
personal is a process that begins to take shape in childhood and is built over time
life.

In childhood, the attitude of our parents and/or significant adults around us,
plays a very important role in how we perceive ourselves. Thus, a child
who has been praised and encouraged and feels the support and approval of his parents and others
important adults for him/her are more likely to feel good about themselves
same, to value oneself as a person and develop confidence in one's ability to succeed,
a child whose parenting style has been characterized by constant criticism and the
excessive punishment.

In the past, more frequently than today, the trend in education, both
In the family as in school, I used to emphasize correction and punishment of the negative more.
that the reinforcement and promotion of the positive aspects of children. Such aspects
positives did not stand out because it was considered that, by doing well what you
I expected from them, the child was only fulfilling his duty. If a child has been subjected to this
type of education, it is most likely that they will learn to see only the negative aspects of their
personality (the flaws) and it will not be easy for them to discover their positive aspects (their
virtues) and develop self-confidence. The truth is that human beings have
virtues and defects, and we learn to see ourselves and to know ourselves through the eyes of our
parents in the first instance, and then through our interaction with the people who
surround us. It is undeniable that all, or almost all, can remember some experience of
punishment as a form of sanction for not having complied with any norm: however, the ideal
that punishment and constant criticism were not the predominant note that marked
our childhood.

Currently, research in psychology indicates that human beings need

of sincere praise, of feeling loved and accepted by others to facilitate the
development of self-confidence.

Parents play an important role as the first role models we have.

To a great extent, human beings learn to perform the roles of man and woman,
of wife and husband, of father and mother, that shape aspects of what will be our
identity as adults, through experiences with our own parents. They us
They serve as models: Children learn many things by imitation and this is very evident.
clearly reflected in children's games, such as, for example, playing to be the dad and the
mom.

In childhood, there is generally an attitude of admiration from children towards the

Parents; in the eyes of their children, parents are 'infallible' and 'perfect'. Upon arrival at
adolescence, parents acquire more human characteristics for them, and sometimes, more
what models become 'anti-models'. Thus, it is not uncommon to hear a teenager say that
he is upset: 'when I have children, I will never behave like my dad (mom).'

However, regarding this last point, one should not think that the period of adolescence
it has to be necessarily conflictive and ungrateful for parents and children: while an older
level of conflicts among them, only a minority of families with teenagers
they experience a market deterioration of parent-child relationships 3. Many of the
conflicts that arise have their roots in the adolescent challenge of building their identity and
achieve independence. At this stage, most of the conflicts with parents are
they are due to the way young people dress, permissions, outings, and dating, school grades and
leisure time management. Nonetheless, it is important to keep in mind that those conflicts that
emerging at this stage should not be a cause of deterioration of the emotional bond between parents and
children, if a healthy communication is maintained that allows to solve the problems that arise
presenting in everyday life: that is to say, if conflicts are well addressed, they can
to contribute positively to the development of a more mature and deeper relationship between
parents and children.

A strategy that helps to resolve conflicts that arise in family life is

for both parents and children to develop the ability to 'put themselves in each other's shoes'.
Parents, it is important not to forget their life experiences as children when they were kids.
and adolescents: this facilitates contact with their children. Likewise, it is important that the
adolescents have access to knowing about their parents' lives when they were children and
young people, so that, understanding their history, they better understand their role as parents. To
It is important for children to know and keep in mind the feelings of their parents. Many
Children do not realize that behind the conflicts over permissions is the concern of the
parents for their personal safety and well-being, and not a desire for control. Therefore, it is
It is important for parents and children to communicate what they feel and what they think in an environment.
of mutual affection and respect.
Personal Identity
Every human being is unique among others that are not identical to each other. As very
as Martin Buber rightly says: "In this world, each person represents something new, something that
there has never been anything unique and original. It is everyone's duty to know... that never
there has never been anyone like him in the world, because if someone like him had existed
for him, his existence would no longer be necessary. Every person in the world is something new and
is called to realize its peculiarity. And that is precisely what each person has.
to defend herself.

When talking about Identity, it is emphasized that:

Identity is the most intimate and personal aspect of each one of us and that formation
This is a social nature process.

The role that we are willing to take on is what will depend on what
it will be our identity at the end of the process.

Personal Identity is based on 4 characteristics:

It is relatively stable:

There is an evolution throughout life, but the person maintains a continuity with themselves.
same, whether she is aware of it or not. The person may find crucial modifications in
his own self throughout his existence.

This refers to a world:

A person always belongs to groups of different nature, each of them with a

peculiar meaning and a special significance given to it by the social environment.

Identity is affirmed in interpersonal relationships:

We all come from a father and a mother, therefore we resemble each other, not so much in the physical sense,
except in the way of being and thinking, in the way we relate to the world, with
people. That is why the connections with parents in the formation of Identity are
very important.

It is both a product of society and the action of the individual person:

The influence is reciprocal since it not only depends on the people around us but also
Our actions also significantly influence the formation of our identity.
Our identity also depends on various factors and the relationship we have with them.
among the most important we have:

Identity and Fiscal Development.

Sexual Identity and Sexual Role.

Identity and Academic and Work Performance.

Identity and social expectations.

Identity and Physical Development

Our own body is the first element to consider for the formation of our
Identity.

In our times there are a number of offers available in the market, it would seem
that we are currently living in an era where a kind of cult is paid to
body.

Currently, teenage girls are more critical of their bodies than teenage boys.
men, this may be due to the fact that many teenage girls believe that popularity is linked to
her physical attractiveness, while men think it is associated with athletic ability.

So far, our culture seems to have valued female beauty more than
masculine. Society still seems to give more importance -in women- to their beauty
corporal than any other quality. While in man, the physical is valued and encouraged.
development of capabilities for intellectual and entrepreneurial work, in women has
valuing and promoting much more the care of their external beauty.

Despite all the new patterns that are imposed day by day, the most important thing is not
our body is nothing but what we think of it.

Sexual Identity and Sexual Role.

Another intimate element, very much yours, that is important for the formation of your identity is the
concepts of sexual identity and role.

Sexual roles are the forms of behavior that are socially attributed to people in
function of their sex. In other words, it is what is expected of a person solely because of the
the fact of having been born a man or a woman.

Social pressures exist, however, and they are forces we must take into account.
to understand people, since we are different and value those in different ways
pressures and we act accordingly.
Sexual identity is if we perceive and feel ourselves as such, that is,
as a woman, regardless of whether we agree with behaviors and conditions
that are socially ascribed to the female sexual role.

Sexual identity plays a very important role in the formation of our Identity.

Identity and Academic and Labor Performance

Although we are not what we act, it is true that most of the time
we act what we are. The good thing about this is that we have control over our actions.
we the control.

We must remember that much of what we do now and the way we do it

It will depend on what we are tomorrow.

Identity and Social Expectations

The social expectations, that is, what those close to us expect and wish for
we may be, are also elements that you should take into account to forge your own
identity. These social expectations have two aspects: On one hand, what the group
social believe the possibilities we may have; ~On the other hand, there is what we
we make, our actions.

But we must remember that not all of us are the same nor are we born with the same.
possibilities.

Conclusions.

It is important for every human being to achieve their own identity, that is, their own way
of being, of thinking, and of doing, as a consequence of the potentialities that exist in their
interior.

Adolescence is a privileged age to lean towards and shape our education.

identity the ending we wish it to have.
AREAS OF ADOLESCENCE

The concepts of adolescence and youth encompass a transitional period.

with important global changes (biopsychosocial) in the person. These
Changes have been outlined within the concept of 'tasks of
development," which has been defined by Havighurst as follows:
They arise at a certain period of an individual's life whose proper realization
leads to happiness and success in subsequent tasks, and whose failure leads
to the individual's unhappiness, to society's disapproval, and to
difficulties in achieving subsequent tasks.

The central task of adolescence has been defined by Erikson as

search for identity. It is related to feeling oneself as
stable over time, with the adoption of a psychosexual identity
definitive, expressed through socially accepted sexual papers, and
with the possibility of active sexual behavior. Closely related to the above is
feeling prepared for choosing a partner and its stabilization,
generally through marriage. This task has different steps of
"practice relationships" (dating), with progressive degrees of closeness
physical, which is consolidated at the end of the period with the ability to stabilize the
couple relationship, and to marry.

A second task of adolescent development is the separation from the family.

origin to enable the individuation of the person. This need for the
teenager defining himself (answering his typical question of,
Who am I?) implies a degree of conflict, even rebellion in the
relationship with parents, sometimes necessary to achieve a sufficient level of
personal autonomy. Psychological independence is a necessary step,
sometimes prior, other times parallel, to the achievement of social and economic independence.
This separation/individuation is significantly achieved through the
development of friendly and emotional bonds with adolescents of the same
age: the emotional center of gravity shifts from the family and parents towards
the peer group. This transition is important and especially fragile:
numerous problems arise when the two generations involved do not
allow it to cross smoothly.

A third task of adolescence is the definition of identity in the

plan for vocational and labor choice. This consolidation is perhaps the most
influenced by the sociocultural, geographic, and economic environment of the young person.
The appropriate balance between abilities, expectations, academic achievements and
job opportunities will largely determine the quality of life and
personal satisfaction of the subject afterwards.

Erikson has described how the outcome of these tasks, or "normative crises" of
adolescence can be the consolidation of identity, advancing, the
adolescent, then, to the next stage (that of young adulthood) or, well,
remaining in the so-called 'identity diffusion syndrome'. In
this subject, throughout his adult life, repeatedly tries to
define your areas of interest or vocational or partner choices.

A follower of Erikson, Marcia, has described four different stages of the

teen identity: achieved identity, when a period has been lived
decision making and one is pursuing their own choices and goals;
mortgaged identity, in which the commitment to occupation and position
They exist, but it has not been achieved personally, but through the influence of others;
diffuse identity, in which various options have not been defined,
regardless of having gone through a decision-making period
personal and, finally, the so-called moratorium by Erikson himself
of identity, in which the period of definitions is postponed and extended
towards the adult stage of life.
(Taken from: R. Florenzano, 1998. The adolescent and their risk behaviors. University Editions
Catholic University of Chile, Santiago.