Essay on Culture and Identity: Identifying Myself

Culture refers to the arts and myriad other manifestations of intellectual achievements looked upon collectively in human societies. On the other hand, identity refers to the fact of being whom or what an individual is. In many instances or rather conventionally, culture is used to accord people identity. Different people in the world have lifestyles that are defined by their cultures; the cultures in turn define who they are; their identity. This paper is going to give invaluable insights on how culture helps in the definition of peoples identity.

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Culture and Identity: an Overview

There are several influences that have helped define my perceptions of the person I am and the perceptions I hold of the people around me. I can attribute my philanthropic tendencies to the fact that we moved a lot with my family when I was little; this was due to the nature of my fathers job that got him posted in many places all over Europe. For example, I got the opportunity to live in Spain for a period of 9 years; such experience has helped me to love the differences; the diversity that is existent among cultures. Besides Spain, the other countries I have gotten an opportunity to live in within Europe helped me to get a lot of friends and to sharpen my people relation skills. Hailing from a family that was not conservative with respect to the ways of our native home and this way I was able to communicate and make friends with kids that were older than me; both in the neighborhoods within which we resided and in the schools I got to attend. In a nutshell, I have gotten to realize that since my childhood was defined by a lot of traveling and interactions with people from different cultures, it has become much of a challenge to get pegged onto a particular identity or to identify myself as from a particular culture.

How I See Myself and How Others See Me

On a personal level, I see myself as a person that is easy going and positive. Whats more, I am also a person that is friendly to each and every one. The way my friends see me resonates with the way I see myself; this is especially friends that I spend a lot of time with. All the same with respect to the people I get to meet for the very first time, they get to tell me that I am too quiet. Frankly speaking, I am not very much into talking to people that am not close to; this tendency has marred a lot of the first impressions I get from new friends.

Perceptions of Who I Am

In the event that perceptions of the person I am change, it is usually because the person and or persons in question had had an opportunity to spend time with me and fathomed that I am not the introvert they thought I was when they first met me. It is very much characteristic of me to be more social and welcoming to others that warm up to me in the name of friendship the moment we get close. I have to say though that in order to show respect and under the influence of certain surroundings, I attempt to flex by the habits of others and emulate their social tendencies.

Different people are bound to perceive me differently because not everyone I meet will be an extrovert or an introvert for that matter. I have noticed that for friends I have gotten to meet up to date, the extroverts and the introverts perceive me differently. In most cases, I have gotten to understand that most extroverts will perceive me as reserved and quiet whereas the introverts will deem me to be perfectly alright or normal. The above-mentioned perceptions, however, do not have negative repercussions; no one would criticize me or praise me for being an extrovert or an introvert.

Being Identified With or Identifying Myself

I must say that being identified with or identifying me with a particular group or groups revolves around my friends. During my childhood days, I got to interact with a lot of children that were older than me. My interactions with them got me to learn a thing or two about being disciplined and how to behave around others; overall, these friendships taught me etiquette and a lot of maturities. I am glad that I was able to pick the good from them and leave the bad. Most importantly, I was able to develop the confidence to talk to people from the friendships I realized. Having managed to learn five different languages in Europe and existing within a multicultural sphere helped me a great deal when it came to learning about the correct cultures and attitudes necessary for co-existing with other people.

Strengths that have Come with My Knowledge on Cultures; socially and professionally

Admittedly, there have been myriad strengths that have emanated from my knowledge on cultures more so in my place of work. In my workplace, people skills have helped me develop interpersonal relationships with a lot of my mates at work. In social settings such as the church, I have been elected in a couple of committees such as the Catholic Liturgy Association where I am the treasurer. My job revolves around marketing and with such a disposition, talking to people is a must.

Gender, Class, and Ethnicity

Gender roles define how people perceive my capabilities and attitudes. It cannot be denied that people have biases regarding both men and women can and cannot do; this resonates with matters such as jobs men and or women can do and cannot do. My ethnicity defines very little of me, perhaps only my second name is defined by my ethnicity; apart from that, having grown in cities, metropolitan cultures have made identifying myself a bit of a challenge. Also for ethnicity, I can say that nothing much has come out of it in relation to defining my identity, but the reverse is true for my culture.

My cultural identity has affected a great deal the way I communicate with people. In both informal and formal contexts, I try to behave myself in the best way possible. My cultural values recommend that one should speak when spoken to; being silent is usually perceived as rude. I am not very good when it comes to matters revolving around nonverbal communication save for the usual facial expressions that are common in many human interactions.

Conclusion

Culture and identity resonate in that they help define the behavior of a person. In most cases, culture influences the identity of a person. With respect to culture and identity, many people can possess the same culture, but it is very hard for individuals to have a similar identity. Identity can be likened to a fingerprint; there are never two similar identities.