Avowed Identities: female, young, Caucasian, funny, loving, adventurous, spunky, confident, trusting, happy, scatter brained.
Ascribed Identities: female, young, mature, Caucasian, funny, loving, annoying, fun, adventurous, confident, scatter brained, athletic, healthy.
My ascribed identities came forth through numerous different people who have been close to me throughout my life. I never realized that I was a funny person until I started hearing it from my peers, and how others were always grateful to be around someone so positive. I never have tried to be something that I'm not. I was brought up by my parents who praised many of qualities, and they were responsible for these qualities that I inhereted from them. We are very different but my sense of humor comes both from my mom and my dad, my spunkyness comes from my mom and the way she would play with my siblings and I and it rubbed off on all of us in different ways. It is unreal sometimes when I take a step back and look at how much my family's identities are similar between each of us but at the same time we all differ in specific ways.
When I was in junior high and high school my avowed and ascribed identities were a little different depending on who you were talking to. I was almost like two different people. I was very rude and hurtful towards my family when I did not get my way. I was more focused on my friends and trying to be a legitimate part of this group that I longed to be in. So I started treating my family disrespectfully, and if you had not known me you would say that I was not any of the avowed and ascribed identities that I listed above. Fortunately, I matured very quickly and after a few life changing experiences, I began to realize how much my family meant to me and how I should show them this more often and let them know how much I appreciate them. By the time I had graduated from high school I had developed these avowed identities above. With time they became ascribed as well as avowed, my parents were so happy with how quickly I changed my ways.
I think that these situations in my past have made me the person I am today and my identities keep growing and improving. I can honestly say that it takes rough times for people to really realize what they have in front of them and it should be treated with nothing but the best care, love, and respect. I have become a large hearted, person caring so much for others and sometimes not enough for myself in the process of change. This is one thing that I have been working on changing in my life. My happiness should never depend on others I must create my own happiness and have my own identities while continuing to treat the relationships in my life the way I do, I just need to do this mutually with myself as well.
Question: Were there specific life experiences that you can recall that have shaped who you are today and what avowed and ascribed identities that you posses?
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I don't think there are any specific events that created an avowed or ascribed identity for me. I feel it was more a cumulation of things since my childhood. For example being a female was ascribed to me from my parents by dressing me in pink clothes and buying me barbies which then became my avowed identity. I feel like this is more how these identities came about for me.
ReplyDeleteWhen I ride with large animal vets, sometimes the farmers look at me and give me the ascribed identity of being weak because of my size. However, when I am able to do the things the vets ask me to do and I am able to handle the animals, I give myself the avowed identity of strong.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I have any speific life time experiences shaping me into my identities. I just think my have mostly come natural being the oldest in my family. I am responsible, neat, and organized and I believe that most oldest children, especially coming from a big family, have these identities as well. I feel I am looked at as the most mature or responsible because I'm always helping out around the house or watching my siblings when I can for my mom. I'm ok with being known as these identies as well because I think being organized, neat, or responsible are good identities to have!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I would like to say that I love your terminology "scatter brained"--very unique and clever phrasing. As far as your question, I know that playing basketball in a very competetive basketball city has really given me the confidence to persevere as best I can. Also, college politics has really impacted me as a person. For instance, after I first realized all the politics involved in college I became more and more bitter. Needless to say, I don't think I was very bitter before college. Instead, I was just ignorant.
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