Why Identity Matters and How It Shapes Us

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsDefining IdentityWhat Makes Up a Person’s Identity?Identity Development Across the LifespanThe Importance of IdentityTips for Reflecting on Your Identity

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Defining Identity

What Makes Up a Person’s Identity?

Identity Development Across the Lifespan

The Importance of Identity

Tips for Reflecting on Your Identity

Close

Your identity is a set of physical, mental, emotional, social, and interpersonal characteristics that are unique to you.

It encapsulates your core personal values and your beliefs about the world, saysAsfia Qaadir, DO, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at PrairieCare.

In this article, we explore the concept of identity, its importance, factors that contribute to itsdevelopment, and some strategies that can help you reflect upon your identity.

Your identity gives you your sense of self. It is a set of traits that distinguishes you from other people, because while you might have some things in common with others, no one else has the exact same combination of traits as you.

Your identity also gives you a sense of continuity, i.e. the feeling that you are the same person you were two years ago and you will be the same person two days from now.

Asfia Qaadir, DO, PsychiatristYour identity plays an important role in how you treat others and how you carry yourself in the world.

Asfia Qaadir, DO, Psychiatrist

Your identity plays an important role in how you treat others and how you carry yourself in the world.

These are some of the factors that can contribute to your identity:

Asfia Qaadir, DO, PsychiatristWe all have layers and dimensions that contribute to who we are and how we express our identity.

We all have layers and dimensions that contribute to who we are and how we express our identity.

All of these factors interact together and influence you in unique and complex ways, shaping who you are. Identity formation is a subjective and deeply personal experience.

Is Personality Genetic?

Identity development is a lifelong process that begins in childhood, starts to solidify in adolescence, and continues through adulthood.

Childhood

Childhood is when we first start to develop a self-concept and form an identity.

As children, we are highly dependent on our families for our physical and emotional needs. Our early interactions with family members play a critical role in the formation of our identities.

During this stage, we learn about our families and communities, and what values are important to them, says Dr. Qaadir.

The information and values we absorb in childhood are like little seeds that are planted years before we can really intentionally reflect upon them as adults, says Dr. Qaadir.

Traumatic or abusive experiencesduring childhood can disrupt identity formation and have lasting effects on the psyche.

Adolescence

Adolescence is a critical period of identity formation.

As teenagers, we start to intentionally develop a sense of self based on how the values we’re learning show up in our relationships with ourselves, our friends, family members, and in different scenarios that challenge us, Dr. Qaadir explains.

Adolescence is a time of discovering ourselves, learning to express ourselves, figuring out where we fit in socially (and where we don’t), developing relationships, and pursuing interests, says Dr. Qaadir.

This is the period where we start to become independent and form life goals.It can also be a period ofstorm and stress, as we experience mood disruptions, challenge authority figures, and take risks as we try to work out who we are.

Adulthood

As adults, we begin building our public or professional identitiesand deepen our personal relationships, says Dr. Qaadir.

These stages are not set in stone, rather they are fluid, and we get the rest of our lives to continue experiencing life and evolving our identities, says Dr. Qaadir.

Having a strong sense of identity is important because it:

On the other hand, a weak sense of identity can make it more difficult to ground yourself emotionally in times of stress and more confusing when you’re trying to navigate major life decisions, says Dr. Qaadir.

Dr. Qaadir suggests some strategies that can help you reflect on your identity:

How to Recognize and Cope With an Identity Crisis

7 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Psychological Association.Identity.Pfeifer JH, Berkman ET.The development of self and identity in adolescence: neural evidence and implications for a value-based choice perspective on motivated behavior.Child Dev Perspect. 2018;12(3):158-164. doi:10.1111/cdep.12279Hasanah U, Susanti H, Panjaitan RU.Family experience in facilitating adolescents during self-identity development.BMC Nurs. 2019;18(Suppl 1):35. doi:10.1186/s12912-019-0358-7Dereboy Ç, Şahin Demirkapı E, et al.The relationship between childhood traumas, identity development, difficulties in emotion regulation and psychopathology.Turk Psikiyatri Derg. 2018;29(4):269-278.Branje S, de Moor EL, Spitzer J, Becht AI.Dynamics of identity development in adolescence: a decade in review.J Res Adolesc. 2021;31(4):908-927. doi:10.1111/jora.12678Stirrups R.The storm and stress in the adolescent brain.The Lancet Neurology. 2018;17(5):404. doi:10.1016/S1474-4422(18)30112-1Fitzgerald A.Professional identity: A concept analysis.Nurs Forum. 2020;55(3):447-472. doi:10.1111/nuf.12450Additional ReadingAmerican Psychological Association.Identity.National Institute of Standards and Technology.Identity.

7 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Psychological Association.Identity.Pfeifer JH, Berkman ET.The development of self and identity in adolescence: neural evidence and implications for a value-based choice perspective on motivated behavior.Child Dev Perspect. 2018;12(3):158-164. doi:10.1111/cdep.12279Hasanah U, Susanti H, Panjaitan RU.Family experience in facilitating adolescents during self-identity development.BMC Nurs. 2019;18(Suppl 1):35. doi:10.1186/s12912-019-0358-7Dereboy Ç, Şahin Demirkapı E, et al.The relationship between childhood traumas, identity development, difficulties in emotion regulation and psychopathology.Turk Psikiyatri Derg. 2018;29(4):269-278.Branje S, de Moor EL, Spitzer J, Becht AI.Dynamics of identity development in adolescence: a decade in review.J Res Adolesc. 2021;31(4):908-927. doi:10.1111/jora.12678Stirrups R.The storm and stress in the adolescent brain.The Lancet Neurology. 2018;17(5):404. doi:10.1016/S1474-4422(18)30112-1Fitzgerald A.Professional identity: A concept analysis.Nurs Forum. 2020;55(3):447-472. doi:10.1111/nuf.12450Additional ReadingAmerican Psychological Association.Identity.National Institute of Standards and Technology.Identity.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

American Psychological Association.Identity.Pfeifer JH, Berkman ET.The development of self and identity in adolescence: neural evidence and implications for a value-based choice perspective on motivated behavior.Child Dev Perspect. 2018;12(3):158-164. doi:10.1111/cdep.12279Hasanah U, Susanti H, Panjaitan RU.Family experience in facilitating adolescents during self-identity development.BMC Nurs. 2019;18(Suppl 1):35. doi:10.1186/s12912-019-0358-7Dereboy Ç, Şahin Demirkapı E, et al.The relationship between childhood traumas, identity development, difficulties in emotion regulation and psychopathology.Turk Psikiyatri Derg. 2018;29(4):269-278.Branje S, de Moor EL, Spitzer J, Becht AI.Dynamics of identity development in adolescence: a decade in review.J Res Adolesc. 2021;31(4):908-927. doi:10.1111/jora.12678Stirrups R.The storm and stress in the adolescent brain.The Lancet Neurology. 2018;17(5):404. doi:10.1016/S1474-4422(18)30112-1Fitzgerald A.Professional identity: A concept analysis.Nurs Forum. 2020;55(3):447-472. doi:10.1111/nuf.12450

American Psychological Association.Identity.

Pfeifer JH, Berkman ET.The development of self and identity in adolescence: neural evidence and implications for a value-based choice perspective on motivated behavior.Child Dev Perspect. 2018;12(3):158-164. doi:10.1111/cdep.12279

Hasanah U, Susanti H, Panjaitan RU.Family experience in facilitating adolescents during self-identity development.BMC Nurs. 2019;18(Suppl 1):35. doi:10.1186/s12912-019-0358-7

Dereboy Ç, Şahin Demirkapı E, et al.The relationship between childhood traumas, identity development, difficulties in emotion regulation and psychopathology.Turk Psikiyatri Derg. 2018;29(4):269-278.

Branje S, de Moor EL, Spitzer J, Becht AI.Dynamics of identity development in adolescence: a decade in review.J Res Adolesc. 2021;31(4):908-927. doi:10.1111/jora.12678

Stirrups R.The storm and stress in the adolescent brain.The Lancet Neurology. 2018;17(5):404. doi:10.1016/S1474-4422(18)30112-1

Fitzgerald A.Professional identity: A concept analysis.Nurs Forum. 2020;55(3):447-472. doi:10.1111/nuf.12450

American Psychological Association.Identity.National Institute of Standards and Technology.Identity.

National Institute of Standards and Technology.Identity.

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