Identity

10/06/13 08:42 Filed in: Culture | Theology

Who am I? To answer this question I have to understand myself in historical, physical, gender, psychological, social and religious perspective.[1] The identity of someone is a complex issue. The innate and relational character of a person make the answer kaleidoscopic in nature. The layers of bodily and psychological [2] are part of the package, but not whole thing.

I am more than my body and my psychic and cognitive activity, and I am even more than being a lack. I experience the world at the level of my σῶμα and this gives me the relational side of myself, but I approach the world critically at the level of my mind, and I am shaped by what I love and disapprove. The capacity to transcend the surrounding world makes me a person who lives life having an open horizon. So, perhaps a good way to describe myself is by bringing together this variety of concepts. The end result is that I see myself as 'a believing person.' This description brings together the layers of body, mind, soul, relations, togetherness, lack, transcendence, and open horizon.

[1] See the analysis made by Kagan where observable characteristics, psychological qualities, sex-role identity, racial, ethnic, and religious are all part in the development of someones' identity. (Kagan, 2013).
[2] These are the criteria used by Shaffer to determine personal identity; (Shaffer, 2013)

Kagan, Jerome. “Human Behavior.” Encyclopaedia Britannica. Ultimate Reference Suite. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2013.
Shaffer, Jerome A. “Mind, Philosophy of.” Encyclopaedia Britannica. Ultimate Reference Suite. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2013.

Sorin Sabou

Letter to the Romans, Nicomachean Ethics, and more

Identity