Aguayo 1

Kristopher Aguayo
Ms. Emily Ehrlich
English 131
15 January 2015
Identity is a moving target that can never truly be defined. Who we
are, who people think we are, and who we actually are is a matter of
perception. How do we know which perception is correct? Is there such thing
as a perfect genuine perception? Ones perception of who you are may differ
from the next. Your own perception of who you are may differ from someone
elses perception. Therefore how can we ever describe ourselves? In addition,
in process of describing ourselves we use words. Because we use words,
there is uncertainty in communication because we can never know if what
we are thinking and what we are saying is equivalent and. adding to this
complexity, we can never know if what we are saying is being perceived the
same in the mind of another person.
Identity is a moving target because our identity is greatly formed by
trends. These trends are constantly changing because culture is constantly
changing. For example, pink used to be a masculine color, Hitler put pink
stars on homosexuals and the result was pink becoming a feminine color in
western culture. Theyre always new ways to describe ourselves because of
the every changing pop culture and the trends they start.
Identity is a moving target because our identity is constantly changing
due to the various social interactions we inhabit on a daily basis. If our

Aguayo 2

personality is constantly changing to fit these social interactions, where are

we most genuine? Are we at all genuine in some place? Is our perception of
where we are most genuine correct? These ideas would imply us thinking we
know who we are, but how can we tell if that perception is correct
Our identity is in part a paradox. In order to define who we are, we
have to define how we act. In order to define how we act we have to ponder
if we are in control of how we act. If our person is constantly acting
differently to fit social interaction and if we act in ways too fit them then we
choose to act this way, if we choose to act a certain way we are following
trends. If we are following trends we are acting to fit a genre.
Around the world people describe themselves differently. They view the
question of who they are in a different manner than what one might
consider. Our perception of identity may be completely different from
someone across the planet. How can we ever know what is write?
This issue is important because one of the biggest questions we face is
the one of identity. We think of ourselves to one way, but we may be wrong.
If our identity is constantly changing and is also partly hard to pin point then
how can we define ourselves? Should we even at all worry about it?

Aguayo 3

Summary #1
In Genres: Shapes of meaning by the author Catherine McDonald
genres are the matter in question. McDonald starts the paper by
disassembling are perception of what a genre is by redefining it in various
ways. At the core one idea is pertinent throughout the entirety of the paper:
Genres are ways of being that we subconsciously create based on trends
practiced in various social interactions. She argues that we are each subject
to these trends without even knowing. Consider how we act in the lunchroom
compared to how we act in the classroom. There is an obvious difference in
our word choice and behavior in the two social instances. This is because
theyre different acceptable ways of being in both. Our person is constantly
adapting to the various social interactions we take part in. Alongside with the
idea if identity, this idea can lead one to question their identity. How can we
define something that is always changing; something that is fluid?
Summary 2 : Differentiation in Self-Perceived Adulthood: Extending the
Confluence Model of Subjective Age Identity

This study aims to find a correlation between youths self-perceived

adulthood and racial, ethnic, economic, and social variables. The study
shows that ones self-perceived identity varies depending on those factors.
This study also shows how self-perceived adulthood has been displayed in

Aguayo 4

younger ages over time. It is changing. Compared to 50 years ago, younger

people perceive themselves as adults. This means that the culture is
changing and it is starting to form younger people into thinking theyre
adutls. The study defines identity as the subjective sense of his own
situation and his own continuity and character that an individual comes to
obtain as a result of his various social experiences. The article says that age
identity has been changing because of gender roles: This would be another
factor. This information is useful because it shows the change in the culture
of age identity. It also says that identity by outside factors.