I think that the most important dimensions of my identity are my intellect, my family status, and my relative geographical location. Above all things I value the intellect that was bestowed upon me in some way or another. To be able to state that my mind is free (hopefully) from serious physical or medical defects is a great fortune. Equally fortunate for me is the privilege that I have been given an amazing education over the past 22 years or so by my parents, government, and fellow citizens. This fact ties in closely with another important aspect of my identity, my geographical location, or basically the fact that I was lucky enough to have been born in a highly developed country. The fact that I have not been forced to fend for myself with regard to a variety of survival needs has allowed me to pursue avenues in my life that the majority of people in the world will never have the chance to do. Aside from major survival and educational needs that my state provides me with there are also several other aspects of my geographical location that influence the kind of person that I am. For example I have been living in New England for my whole life and consequently have been shaped by the various social forces associated with it.

identity

you know that stage that people, specifically young adults, go through in which they have to "find" themselves? well, i've just recently decided its more about understanding yourself. i'm a firm believer that people don't change, that with nature plus nurture that is who you are for better or for worse.

i've been thinking about this a lot lately, most likely because i'm currently in the aformentioned stage, and i've come to the conclusion that the most important dimensions of my identity are highly attributed to by the following: i was solely raised by my mother, i religiously attended church for the majority of my life, and i'm from jersey.

being raised by a single parent, i believe, is underrated. granted, at times it was challenging, but what is life without challenge? all of the structure in my life , my ways of communicating, my overwhelmingly stubborn attitude, my culture, my respect, my independence, my strength...it's all because of her. essentially i aspire to be the woman she is. she is pretty much my everything.

second: i was practically raised in the church. most of my morals were established through sunday school, youth retreats, bible camp, etc. in retrospect, i feel like i was sheltered from the world, but my religious beliefs are a huge part of me. i'm reading this book roadside religion and the narrator says, "i was raised with a strong sense of identity within conservative evangelical christianity. although i no longer identify with it, my childhood and teen years were steeped in that culture. you might say it remains a part of me even though i'm no longer a part of it." i can't even begin to explain how this passage resonates with me. my christianity is basically my theological idiom [if that makes any sense]. its at my core.

lastly, and what i think is most evident to others, is my jersey roots. i am a jersey girl in every sense. according to the star ledger this is what compiles the jersey girl: "..a love of an unpretentious good time, and a certain sense of style. Jersey girls are about attitude. They're about eating pizza, drinking beer, having great hair - and enjoying it all..She's got a mouth on her. She says what she means. And she's got a nice, cheerful laugh..Bottom line, all of them are sexy as hell." i'm not really sure how one's location can determine all of this, but that's me down to the t.

.tatiana.

First Post: Dimensions of Identity

In my mind the three most important dimensions of my identity are my gender, my status as a child and grandchild of my respective family groupings and my race. Beyond any of the other dimensions listed on the diversity wheel I believe these most make me who I am and directly affect many of the other dimensions. First, I am female which I believe is a specific mindset that rivals even race in its specificity. Being female means I face certain society pressures which my behavior and thoughts either support or defy. Being female affects such other dimensions as work style, organizational role, communication style, and income. The second dimension most important to my identity is my status as a child and a grandchild rather than as a mother or a grandmother. This dimension locates me in a specific part of the human lifetime. I have different responsibilities and freedoms in these roles and I make both day-to-day and larger decisions based on my status as a child. Last, I am Caucasian. This particular fact also contributes to a certain mindset, association with a certain community, and acceptance of a particular history which, while it is not as tangible, still directly affects most of the other dimensions of my identity.
In response to the second question, I believe that other people see entirely different dimensions as being most dominant to my identity. This is mainly because I live in a community of similar individuals. My college community consists mostly of Caucasian individuals who are my peers and are not yet mothers or fathers. Consequently, the dimensions of family status and race serve as a common ground rather than as important distinguishing characteristics. Within my community at Stonehill, my education, gender, and mental/ physical abilities and characteristics are significant dimensions of my identity. Outside of this particular community, however, I believe that race would again become much more important as a defining characteristic.
If I could change any aspect of my identity (I will qualify this as being only for a short time as sort of an experiment) I think I would like to change my geographic location, specifically the location that I was born in. Firmly entrenched in a Western consciousness I’ve always wondered what having an Eastern mind would be like. (Eastern in the sense of Asian or Indian). Would I suddenly perceive time not as linear but as cyclical? Would I think more collectively rather than individually? Or are these only the projections of what my Western mind considers to be Eastern thought? Maybe as an English major I’d have different insights into literature. In general, however, I don’t believe that I would like to permanently change any aspect of my identity. Perhaps this is because a part of me recognizes that I hold a somewhat privileged position in American society.

First Writing prompt

It is hard to narrow down the three most dominant dimensions of who I am. If I had to choose three aspects I would say that my education, my religion and my family status are the three most important dimensions of my identity. I come from a large family composed mostly of males. I was the first female born into my family and with that honor also came a lot of responsibility. Being the first born female, I was also the first one to graduate from high school and go off to college. It was so important to my family that I pursue my education, and it is also the most important thing to me. My family always stressed the importance of education and they worked really hard to give me the opportunities that I have had. I think that my religion has also influenced my education. While I wouldn’t consider myself a strict catholic, choosing Stonehill College to further my education was definitely influenced by the fact that it is a Catholic college. My family, my religon, and my education are the three most important things to me and therefore I think that they are the most dominant dimensions of my identity.
I would say that my family would consider the most dominant aspect of my personality my education. Attending college is the most important thing in my life right now, and it consumes most of my time. School affects where I live and how I behave and I think that my family would consider this that most dominant dimension of my personality. If I could change any aspect of my identity I don’t think that I would change anything. I believe that I am the way I am for a reason and I am comfortable with who I am and there is nothing that I would change.

First Writing Prompt

The three characteristics which most define who I am are my age, my family status, and my communication style. My age is important because 20 years has presented a crucial transitional stage in which I’ve had to seriously consider the career I’ll pursue, who I am as an individual in the broader social scheme, etc. These choices are so important because they not only shape who I am in the present, but also who I will become in the future. My family status is so important because long term divisions within my family have forced me to act independently and stand alone; it has unfortunately decreased my expectations of the strength of the family, but increased my confidence in my abilities as an individual. Finally, my communication style is a large part of how I view myself, and probably the most striking thing from the perspective of a person I have just met. My sarcasm and dry sense of humor hits some people pretty hard, and it either repels them or draws them in. I owe the close friends I’ve made, and consequently the support system I’ve built through these friends, to my unique style of communication.

1st Writing Prompt

The three most important dimensions of my identity are my mental and physical characteristics, my work, and my education. All of these things contribute to my daily life experiences. For instance, I go to the gym about 4-5 times a week so as to appeal to my desire to increase my physical attributes. Mentally, I love to express myself, so I often write during my free time, whether it be long fiction or poetry.
Because of my interest in reading and writing, I went to Stonehill and became an English major. My college education has been a central part of my life for the past three years, and will continue to be for at least another year after this semester. Everything I do revolves around school and the next important part of my life, my job. When I'm not away living at school, I'm home working at Sears, making money to pay for school, so it's all interconnected. I work so I can pay for school so I can find a career where I can express myself mentally in writing, or at least support myself financially while I continue to write on my own time.