Authentic identity is what determines our actual state, namely nationality, race, gender, and more. That is, it is what allows us to identify ourselves in society. It is crucial to remember that each of these labels, or other conceivable labels, might appear to the individual wearing them to be a genuine and honest identity. In this sense, true identity is not something that can be decided for you by someone else. It is investigated and may change over time as people’s ideas and values evolve and define their identity.
It can be quite challenging to explain to a child what identity is, but it is also significant for every growing up person. The conversation should be aimed at showing that all people are entirely different. In the process of growing up, each of us faces the problem of self-determination (Yip, 2018). After all, identity is self-identification, the ability of a person to determine his belonging to any group. Social identity is essential for the development and formation of personality. Without self-determination, people cannot move forward, live among people, live in harmony with ourselves.
In my opinion, Mateo’s classmates did not want to offend or hurt the boy in any way. However, it is worth understanding that they are faced with finding a person slightly different from them. It was quite difficult for a child’s perception to understand the conditions in which Mateo grew up. They also need to understand the feelings of the boy himself and exactly how he feels comfortable. On the other hand, if a non-Hispanic person said something like that, it could be regarded as an insult. This is due to the fact that a person from another community cannot be sufficiently aware of how a representative of a particular group perceives himself.
The formation of personality primarily occurs under the influence of society. Studies have shown that age, ethnic, and gender identities are elements of a common social identity. The problems of forming an age, ethnic, or gender element strongly hinder the existence and normal development of the individual. For example, they are capable of destroying physical and mental health with all the consequences that follow from this (Haslam, 2020). Consequently, age differences also affect perception in society in different ways. I know that in China, people use the expression “egg-person”. It is used for white people who are sufficiently imbued with Asian culture. That is, they are white on the outside and yellow on the inside.
References
Haslam, C. (2020). Life change, social identity, and health.Annual Review of Psychology, 72, 635-661. Web.
Yip, T. (2018). Ethnic/racial identity – a double-edged sword? Associations with discrimination and psychological outcomes.Current Directions in Psychological Science, 27(3), 170-175. Web.