Pedro Rico

Marci Campbell
02/25/2018
Identity
The Concept of Self

Introduction
The point of this paper is to look into the concept of identity, is it based on external
factors such as environment, the people we hang out with, which shape who we are and form this
thing that we call identity or is identity formed by causal factors that we have no control over of?
Have you ever felt that you just didn’t belong? For instance, have you not experience a moment
in which you understood metaphysically that the people you surround yourself with have nothing
in common with you, then why do you still hang out with them? Are we not trying to emulate
them? What people reveal on the exterior surface for all the world to see, is that a valid form of
identity or is identity deeper than that? For instance, people have said that their identity is based
on their memories or past experiences. Could all of this have a role in who we are as people?
And more importantly is identity fixed, meaning does it persist through time or is identity
ongoing and ever-evolving, shaping to its new stimuli? This is what I hope to explore with this
paper.
Literature Review
I think before we go deeper into the question of what is self, we need to have an
understanding of the physical self and does that have a relation to identity? On a daily basis we
always identify on a physical level, it is the first thing that the rest of the world sees as well.
Which raises the question, is your complete identity who you are on the outside if so what
happens when you make a physical alteration to the body? Would that mean you would cease to
be who you are? Aristotle said once that in order to have knowledge of something we need to
understand its causes; he then went on to make four points on this matter, for us to better
understand the purpose of existence: the Material Cause “that out of which” (e.g. wood); the
Formal Cause, “the form”, “the account of what-it-is-to-be” (e.g. the shape of the table); the
Efficient Cause, “the primary source of the change or rest” (e.g. the carpenter); the Final Cause,
“the end, that for the sake of which a thing is done” (e.g. the table is made for a family to eat on)
(Aristotle, 2006).
 The point that Aristotle was making is that the physical world is derived from causes, for
example in order for the human body to come into existence, it must begin in the "Material
Cause" (Aristotle, 2006). This would be understood as prenatal development, in which the sperm
and egg form a zygote also known as the germinal period (King, p. 283). The final cause would
be that we all reach adulthood, or we become self-actualized. However, Aristotle believed that
identity only existed if the physical body was preserved, he claimed that there are accidental
changes and essential changes that can happen (Aristotle, 2005). For instance, let’s say that a
person who lived a conservative lifestyle suddenly went under an extreme makeover decided to
adopt a punk identity. This would be an accidental change for the physical body was unharmed
and fully functioning. Now, what if you had lost your memories? Well, Aristotle would still
claim that you are still you for the body still exist. Now, the only time an identity would be
jeopardized is if you were to suddenly undergo an essential change; which means you would
cease to exist at this point such as death (Aristotle, 2005).
However, Erik Erikson argued that it is much more than physical identity, that people
need to have a mental understanding of the self. He claimed that in order to find harmony you
must allow for identity exploration or you will fall victim to identity confusion (King, 2016, p.
308). Questions will be raised such as “who am I and where am I going?”; this is a constant
internal struggle to identify the self. Others have expanded on this idea as well, for instance,
Marcia claimed that there are four identity statuses that we need to focus on, which are: Identity
diffusion: no exploration or commitment; Identity foreclosure: commitment without exploration;
Identity moratorium: exploration without commitment; Identity achievement: commitment after
exploration (King, 2016, p. 308).
When listening to Erik and Marcia you almost get a sense of what an identity really is.
Perhaps they are right, and it's all about exploring the self, but is an identity as basic as putting
on a hat? David Hume mentioned that identity is merely impressions of who we think we are
(Hume, 1902, p. 171). Impressions are the idea, feeling, or opinion about something or someone,
especially one formed without conscious thought or on the basis of little evidence. For example,
let’s say you go on a date with someone, this person gives off the impression that they love the
outdoors. You conclude that they enjoy the wildlife and that they are most likely adventures; let's
say that you married this person, years down the road they no longer go outdoors their interests
have changed. Did they lie to you about who they were or was that one of many impressions that
they possessed? Hume also claims that identity isn’t as simple as some might think and that we
simply can’t consciously access the self. That there is no one impression of who we are, but we
have a diversity of impressions, and that they can’t be linked to a singular identity. Basically
what Hume is getting at here is that identity can’t be mixed up with impressions.
There is one philosopher that suggests a theory known as the river of selves (Rowland,
n.d. p. 116), Mark Rowland believes identity can’t persist through time and that you can’t
possibly be the same person you were 10 years ago, nor can you be the same person you were 5
mins ago. However, what makes you different and the same person from day to day is the
concept he calls survival (Rowland, n.d. p. 117). He believes psychological continuity is
reinforced because of our memories, beliefs, thoughts, desires, and emotion that we experience,
and have today is what can possibly persist through time. For instance, if you were to think back
30 minutes ago that you’ll understand that these mental states haven’t changed, but if you were
to think back a lot farther in time, you’ll come to the conclusion that you aren’t the same person
you were let’s say 10 years ago. That is because many of your beliefs, desires, or tastes have
changed over time, so “there is no you - there is just a succession of you, all of which are very,
very close descendants of the "you" that preceded them” (Rowland, n.d. p. 118).
Application
When I first read about this concept of identity and that it doesn't persist through time I
was blown away, yet I did found it cathartic. I simply didn’t understand what to make of it, but
the more I think about what Mark Rowland is trying to say the more I start to understand, he
makes a fair point about identity. For instance, I have had traumatic events happen to me as a
child but those events didn't bestow an identity that can truly persist through time, nor I am the
same person when they occurred. Another thing to be cognizant of is that as human beings we
tend to rely on the first bit of perceivable information we can get from someone which means we
make quick judgment calls about someone's character ergo one’s identity. Reading this has led
me to research epigenetics and environment, for instance, Aristotle mentioned Efficient Cause
which is the primary source of the change. He brought up an example of a Father who always
advises his child, this concept of efficient causes can also be construed as the stimuli that
influence recessive genes. Human beings are a bundle of neural networks meaning that we could
never zero-in on just any one aspect of the brain to identify an individual, we’ll have to look at
its entirety and follow the trail of causalities that led up to the person we see today. I suppose
what I have learned from this and how I continue to apply this knowledge to people I meet is that
you can’t ever truly know someone in the few minutes of an encounter. Human beings cannot be
put into a box, meaning we can’t label them and associate various stereotypes to their exterior
identity.

Conclusion
To make a long story short, we must not fall victim to implicit biases, or to stereotype
individuals based on who we think they are. There are of course several intersectionalities to
identity and human beings cannot be expected to stay the same person throughout the years.
Merely because the environment influences people’s behavior acutely, that in 5 years down the
road you will be too late to recognize the changes that have occurred.

Reference
Aristotle on Causality (Jan 11, 2006). In Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved
February 25, 2018, from https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-causality/#FouCau
Hume, D (1902). An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (2nd ed.). L.A. Selby-Bigge :
Oxford University Press,
Identity Over Time (Mar 18, 2005). In Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved February
25, 2018, from https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/identity-time/
King, L.A. (2016). Experience psychology (3rd ed.). New York, NY : McGraw-Hill,
Rowlands, M. (n.d.). Total Recall and The Sixth Day, The Problem of Personal Identity. New
York: Thomas Dunne Books. St. Martins Press,