How much control do we have in shaping our own identities?

Having read Kayleigh James' blog on how language is used to control thought and behaviour,i felt encouraged to explore more on who really controls our identities.Kayleigh mentioned that religious beliefs and doctrines tend to control the way people think.And she wasn't convinced that these religious people had any control over their own thoughts.

How we perceive and make sense of each other is fundamental to all social interactions.Identities are formed and shaped through our participation and interaction with social structures such as gender, class, nationality and culture. I suppose we choose to identify with a particular identity or group.The question is how much choice and control do we have?

Personality describes qualities that a person may have,characteristics and traits that make a person unique as an individual. It is possible to describe yourself in several different ways, and the description may vary depending upon the person or group you are presenting yourself to.I am guessing that genetics play a role in the development of our personality, and we are born with some distinguishing characteristics which are more or less unchangeable. In this regard, we are born in a certain area or part of the world and it is natural to identify with the specific culture. Even though membership in a culture does not necessarily involve the desire to act in accordance with the norms associated with the identity it is difficult to resist the social environment.

During the last decades there have been considerable changes in society, and new possibilities have emerged and these are reflected in the way people identify themselves. People are flexible and they change jobs, move, travel and encounter, either personally or via media such as the internet, different cultures and religions. Globalization promotes cultural homogeneity and this could lead to a detachment of identity from the community. Furthermore, the roles for males and females have changed, for example, women are more likely to be working and it is more acceptably for males to show a caring side. All these changes and movements have made it possible for individuals to have more control over the shaping of their own identity. I consider globalization as a contributing factor in the loss of identities. People have no choice or control over the shaping of their identities. .

Experiences in childhood and adolescence lay the foundation for the development of self and identity. Young adolescents’ identities are less stable and they are more prone to be influenced by the social environment. Despite the fact that there might be a social pressure to conform and behave like the rest of the group, individuals do have a choice. Human beings have knowledge and skills to make up their own minds and deal with things in our own way. Therefore, it is possible to have a certain independence and control of the social environment, although you cannot stand apart from it.

The way one’s identity is formed is a complex process where social and individual factors are linked.I am of the opinion that individuals have some control over the shaping of their identity.In the interim changes in society and globalization has made it easier for people to reconstruct themselves. On the other hand, the individual has little control over some factors, for example, genetics and the organization of society.

Sigmund Freud believed that societies suppress people and it is for this reason that George Orwell reiterated in his novel 1984 - that societies are modelled around BIG BROTHER.