Who Am I? Understanding Self-Identity

“Who am I”, this question leads to the word ‘self-identity’ which each of us may ask ourselves on an everyday basis.

When you think about defining yourselves, do you use words that describe your job, hobbies, family ties, nationality, religious beliefs and group affiliations? But how about what you think? Your morals and values cannot truly be known by anybody else. Nobody else can know your thoughts. These parts of self-identity can only be truly explained by you.

Since we all live in a world with many other people, the external world of our society plays a huge role in defining our self identity. As humans, we all have a need to develop a personal identity that distinguishes us from others.

Each human being is an individual with his or her own set of ideals and beliefs which they develop with regard to the surroundings they are exposed to. While establishing one’s own self-identity, there definitely will be instances where the values may be conflicting. The key to maintaining peace in this regard is having respect for each other’s beliefs, understanding the area of clashing ideals and in turn coming up with an amicable solution that suits best for both parties.

Take a moment to think about what you would say to someone when asked the question “Who are You?”