I am very interested in the way that humans form and maintain an identity. Why do people generate a sense of self and how does that mold and change with time and experiences? How much does a person’s genetics impact who they are mentally and emotionally?
I recently read a book that explained a very simple but deeply profound fact. Every single experience that a person has, from major life milestones to basic daily processes, impacts and influences who they are. This process of living and sensing and changing is constant and impossible to escape. A person is, in simplest form, a summation of all of their past experiences, including the impacts and interrelations of those experiences and the role their genes plays in this information. This leaves a truly infinite number of potential identities that a person could have.
So why are people who they are? How is it possible to relate to others when there are so many possible identities? How can there be parts of our identities that we don’t fully understand and realize? These are the kinds of things I wonder about.
Stephen Marley, North Carolina
Student
I recently read a book that explained a very simple but deeply profound fact. Every single experience that a person has, from major life milestones to basic daily processes, impacts and influences who they are. This process of living and sensing and changing is constant and impossible to escape. A person is, in simplest form, a summation of all of their past experiences, including the impacts and interrelations of those experiences and the role their genes plays in this information. This leaves a truly infinite number of potential identities that a person could have.
So why are people who they are? How is it possible to relate to others when there are so many possible identities? How can there be parts of our identities that we don’t fully understand and realize? These are the kinds of things I wonder about.
Stephen Marley, North Carolina
Student