What is Identity? Reference Sheet

Personal Identity is how a person sees herself/himself in relation to those around them; it what makes them unique. Personal identity may be described by factors such as age, gender, nationality, culture, religious affiliation, disability, sexuality, interests, talents, personality traits, and family and friendship networks. Part of our personal identity is given to us at birth, such as sex, nationality and genetic history. Other aspects of our personal identity are formed during our early years of development and continue to develop during our life as we grow, mature, make choices, forge relationships and build an evolving identity for ourselves, these include: gender, profession, hobbies, etc.

Social identity is how we function within many different social situations and relate to a range of other people. Social groups may involve family, ethnic communities, cultural connections, nationality, friends, work, etc. They are an important and valued part of our daily life. How we see ourselves in relation to our social groupings defines our social identity. Children who have been separated from their family or country of origin may become confused about their personal and social identities. They may have experienced a number of moves, been cared for by different people in different places, lost important contacts and relationships from their past, been separated from family, friends and their ethnic and cultural networks. However, these same children might also experience a greater degree of freedom to be able to relate to or identify with many different groups as a result of their experience with adaptation.

Ethnic identity is drawn from the realization that a person's thoughts, perceptions, feelings and behaviours are consistent with those of other members of the same ethnic group. Ethnic identity recognizes that a person belongs to a particular group that shares not only ethnicity but common cultural practices.

Sources:
Queensland Government, Child Safety, Child Protection: http://www.childsafety.qld.gov.au/adoption/education/intercountry/module6/definition-ethnicity.html

Thirteen Education Online: http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/lessons/whoami/b.html

Humanity Quest: http://www.humanityquest.com