Unit IDENTITY

Warm-Up:Identity Map.Fill in the map with ten words, phrases, symbols or pictures that describe you. It is very important not to think much about this, just put down what come into your mind first. Rank these ideas, number one being the most important and number ten being the least important. Shareandcompareyouridentitymapsinthegroup.

I.1. This text will help you to get a better idea what personal identity is and how it is correlated with self-esteem. Read it and be ready to discuss its main problems in class.

Personal Identity

Your personal identity is the way that you see yourself and how others see and define you. Personal identity is formed through the communication and the influence of the family, the educational system and the mass media. It is very important as it is only through establishing your own identity and learning about the identities of other individuals that we come to know what makes us similar to some people and different from others. It affects the friends you have, who you will marry or live with, the groups to which you relate and belong, as well as the way you behave in challenging situations. In other words, identity ‘fits’ you into the society in which you live. Nevertheless, we are not free to adopt any identity we like, and it is also influenced by such factors as our social class, ethnic group, sex.

Thinking over your identity, you should take into consideration so called Identity Statements and Identity Questions, like: I can…, I have…, I like…, I am…, I remember…, What Am I? What makes me who I am? What are my values? What are my personal goals? Where do I belong? Who do I belong? How many of me are sitting in my chair? Do I persist through time? etc.

A well-developed personal identity will help you to be at harmony with the world and others around you. Understanding your personal identity means to be clear about who you are and what you believe and it is a first step towards self-acceptance and higher self-esteem that will change your life positively. Lack of self-acceptance creates a number of problems in your life that affect you personally and how others treat you. If you manage to develop self-acceptance your life will be free of self-criticism and you can begin to face the challenges in your life and succeed. Everyone holds opinions about the type of person that they are. These opinions are at the heart of self-esteem and they affect how you feel about and value yourself. Self-esteem is not static and fixed; your beliefs about yourself can change throughout your life as a result of circumstances and experience. The impact of low esteem on your day-to-day life can be dramatic, as it affects your personal relations, social life, work, behaviour and so on.

You should make your own decisions in order to live as you want to, not as others want or how you feel you should. You should remember that nobody on this planet is or was ever exactly like you. If you want to feel good about yourself then you need to understand what your values are and start living them. Your internal identity, your personality and character, make you unique and you should value them.

It should be pointed out that our identity changes often over the years. The sense of identity appears early on in life as the infant begins to differentiate themselves from their mother. Later on we identify with our career orientation, then we go into relationships, maybe parenthood, then on through those busy years towards midlife and then the empty nest, forward to our senior years.

Text exercises

I.2. Match the words from the left column with their equivalents from the text in the right one

1. distinct 2. to think of 3. an emotional letdown 4. to have regard for 5. everyday life 6. elderly years 7. considerable 8. resembling 9. interaction 10. middle age 11. inflexible 12.difficult circumstances

a) senior years b) dramatic c) midlife d) challenging situation e) similar to f) communication g) to value h) to hold opinions i) fixed j) unique k) empty nest l) day-to-day life

I.3. Answer the following question using the words and word combinations from the text above:

Ø What makes up personal identity?

Ø How is personal identity built?

Ø In what way does personal identity make you different from others?

Ø Are there any limits for picking up any identity you like?

Ø Could you complete Identity Statements and answer Identity Questions above?

Ø What does it mean to live in harmony with the world?

Ø Could you agree that the key to happiness is appreciating yourself?

Ø Do you live out your values? If not, explain why.

Ø Are you pleased with yourself?

Ø Is personal identity static or dynamic?

‘Look, don’t identify me by the size and shape of my body, my social class, my job, my gender, my ethnicity, my sexuality, my nationality, my age, my religion, my education, my friends, my lifestyle, how much money I earn, the clothes I wear, the books I read, where I go shopping, the way I decorate my house, the television programmes and movies I watch, my leisure and sports activities, the car I drive, the music I listen to, the drinks I like, the food I eat, the clubs I go to, where I go on holiday, the way I speak or my accent, the things I say, the things I do, or what I believe in. I’m just me. OK?’

II.1. Here below you will find some definitions of some basic forms of identity which should be matched with the correct term.

1) self identity	1. Refers to a sense of where we came from, our values, our sense of humor, our history and sense of belonging to something comfortable, unique and bigger than ourselves; it is transferred to us by other, usually older, family members, and is important to us as we carve out our place in the big world.
2) national identity	2. Refers to as a personal conception of oneself as male or female (or rarely, both or neither); it is self-identified, as a result of a combination of inherent and extrinsic or environmental factors.
3) religious identity	3. Refers to a shared culture, a sort of collective 'one true self', hiding inside the many other, more superficial or artificially imposed 'selves', which people with a shared history and ancestry hold in common; it reflects common historical experiences and shared cultural codes which provide us with stable, unchanging and continuous frames of reference and meaning.
4) on-line identity	4. Refers to the global understanding a person has of themselves; it is composed of relatively permanent self-assessments, such as personality attributes, knowledge of one's skills and abilities, one's occupation and hobbies, and awareness of one's physical attributes (body image), and it is not restricted to the present: it includes past selves and future selves or "possible selves" that represent individuals' hopes, fears, standards, goals, and threats.
5) cultural identity	5. Refers to a social identity that an Internet user establishes in online communities and websites by means of pseudonyms, which reveal varying amounts of personally identifiable information; users can represent themselves visually by choosing an avatar, an icon-sized graphic image.
6) gender identity	6. Refers to a sense of group membership to a religion and the importance of this group membership regardless of religious activity or participation; it generally provides a perspective from which to view the world, opportunities to socialize with a spectrum of individuals from different generations, and a set of basic principlesto live out.
7) family identity	7. Refers to a sense of belonging to one state or to one nation, a feeling one shares with a group of people, regardless of one's citizenship status; is not inborn trait as various studies have shown that it is a direct result of the presence of elements from the "common points" in people's daily lives: national symbols, language, national colors, the nation's history, national consciousness, blood ties, culture, music, cuisine, radio, television, etc

II.2 Read what different people from different countries say about identity and define what type of identity they refer to (see Table II.1.)

Yessica, 16, Colombia	Identity? The only thing I’m sure of is who I am, and nobody can criticise me or change my way of thinking. I am who I want to be, and nobody can take it away from me.
Nedim, 18, Bosnia	Although all Bosnians share the same language and country, many still identify themselves by their religion. Religion is less important to me. My parents have different religions and I just feel proud to be Bosnian!
Brahim, 21, Algebra	Identity isn’t a word, but a feeling that someone belongs to a particular place or group of people. I believe that someone’s identity is not who they think they are, or who they’d like to be, but who they really are.
Jacob, 19, Poland	My national identity is not as important as to me as it was. I don’t feel typicallyPolish – I live near the German border and my first name is German. I see myself more as a European than a Pole.
Annes Mansour, 18, Palestine	Our identity is the soul of our people, because that is all we have left. Everything else, our land, our dignity, our economic life, is gone. As a people we care about each other and we help each other with everything. We have big families and nobody lives alone. Nobody dies alone.
Emerald Bricks, 21, the USA	Identity revolves around your personality, knowing who you are, and other things in the background like genetic traits from your parents who in turn inherited those from their parents and so on...

Text exercises

II.3. Fill in the prepositions if necessary.

1. Your perspective __ which you see ___ the world shapes __ your reality, whether you realize it or not, your unique point-of-view influences __ your life and the world __ you.

2. People are always telling me to smile, like smiling is going to just take __ all the hurt and pain.

3. Can you identify your baggage __ any special marks?

4. I don't think you should represent __ me as so perfect.

5. She tried to live her dreams __.

6. Unless public awareness __ the importance of preservation is increased, this trend will continue.

7. The time came to transfer their attention __ study __ practical life.

8. There must be equality __ rights for all citizens, regardless __ nationality.

9. One of the most important aspects of a child's emotional development is the formation of his sense of who he is and what his relation __ other people is.

10. A person, as he goes __ life, changes __ many ways; but he remains the person that he was.

II.4. What is your identity? The following expressions will help you to speak up: As far as I am concerned…, Speaking for myself…, My view/opinion/belief/impression/conviction is that…, I’d say that…, I’d like to point out that…, I believe that…, What I mean is…, I hold the view that…, I dare say that…, I suppose it really means a lot to me…., It’s quite an important part of my life…, etc.

III.1. We can divide the notion of "identity" into two parts: social identity and individual identity - this is the identity of ID cards, fingerprints and authentication. Work with a partner and discuss the following questions:

a) What documents do you usually use to identify yourself?

b) Do you always carry ID? Is this required by law in your country?

c) When are you usually asked to show your ID?

d) What information does you ID give about you?

e) Do you have any ID on you at the moment?

f) Do you like the photo? When was it taken?

III.2. What do the passports below say about theirbearers?

IV.1. One more type of identity is worth discussing, it is national identity. Work in small groups and answer these questions:

a) Where is your home town? Were you born there? If yes, were your parents born there too?

b) When someone asks you where you come from what do you say? If that person was a foreigner and obviously didn’t know your country very well, would you answer be the same?

c) Which is the most important to you in defining who you are: your town, your country, your language, your job or something else? Why?

d) What can you say about your national identity?

IV.2. Listen to Steve, David and Valeria (track 01.1, 01.2, 01.3) answering some of the questions above. Make short noted on their answers. Which questions did they answer?

IV.3. Work with a partner and look at these five extracts from the recording. Two or three adverbials have been removed from each. Put the adverbials in the correct place in the sentences. They are given in the order you hear them.

a) He’s become Canadian and he’s proud of that…

just/after thirty-five years of living there/really

b) …people take it for granted that I’m English, or maybe they’re using the word English to mean British.

sometimes/ when I’m abroad/just

c) There is a Welsh TV channel and weekly papers and stuff, but it’s not such a strong presence I suppose. I mean, it is possible to ignore it. It is possible to live and not to be a Welsh speaker…

just / totally/ in Wales

d) …I’ve lived here and so have my family. My family have lived in the same house.

all my life/ actually/ for seven generations

e) … I like the idea that I’m the seventh generation of notaries in the family and that a woman can carry on what was a male tradition.

really / basically / until very recently

IV.4. Listen again and check your answers. Which person do you identify most closely with? Why?

Adverbials An adverbial can be a word (usually, really, probably, softly) or a phrase (at home, once a week, to get a good job, when I was a child). You generally use an adverbial to provide additional information about a verb or an adjective. You can use adverbials in three positions in a sentence. 1. Initial position: On the whole I prefer to eat home-made food. 2. You tend to use one-word adverbials of frequency, emphasis and probability in the mid-position: I never trusted him. I’ve always loved travelling by train. I really don’t think you should be doing that. (or: I don’t really think you should be doing that). 3. You tend to use longer adverbial phrases and adverbs of manner in the final position: They finished the job as quickly as they could.

V.1. What do you know about gender studies? What do you think about differences between men and women? Do these sentences refer to men or women?

a) __ value power, efficiency and achievement.

b) The issue of competence is very important to ____.

c) __ value love, communication, beauty and relationships.

d) __ experience fulfillment through sharing and relating.

e) __ feel satisfaction when they win a race, achieve a goal, or solve a problem.

f) __ take pride in being considerate of the needs and feelings of others.

g) __ are always doing things to prove themselves and develop their power and skills.

V.2. Find words or phrases in the sentences in V.1. to match the definitions below.

a) the knowledge and abilities that enable you to do something well, which can often be leant

b) something which someone has succeeded in doing, especially after a lot of effort

c) the general ability to do something well or efficiently

d) the quality of being able to do a task successfully without wasting time or effort

e) the pleasure you feel when you have done something well

f) the feeling you have when a hope, dream or ambition has been realised

g) thoughtful towards other people

h) to think that something is important and to appreciate it

V.3. Create a table and complete it with the verb, noun, adjective and adverb forms for your answers to 2 where appropriate.

For example:

noun	verb	adjective	adverb
skills	--	skillful/skilled	skilfully

V.4. Complete these sentences using words from V.3.

a) I always try to take other peoples’ points of view into __ before making a decision.

b) I find helping others very ___.

c) Honesty is the thing I __ most in a friend.

d) I always feel really __ when I manage to reach a deadline.

e) Passing my degree has been my greatest __ so far.

f) I really admire people who are super-__ and always manage to do everything on time.

g) My job is the one thing that gives me real __.

h) Using a computer is probably one of the most important __ I’ve learnt in my present job.

i) Feeling __ about doing my job gives me confidence.

V.5. Do you agree with the sentences in V.4.? If not, change them so they are true for you. Work with a partner and compare your answers.

V.6. Listen to Martha and Liz discussing the book Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus and answer the following questions:

a) Have they both read the whole book?

b) What do they think about it?

V.7. Look at the statements below. Are they true or false according to the conversation you’ve just heard?

a) Neither of them has read the book, they’ve only had a chance to look at it very quickly and superficially.

b) Both think the Mars/Venus metaphor is a good way to communicate the idea of the difference between the sexes.

c) The book claims that men prefer to find solutions to their problems by talking to someone.

d) The book suggests that men tend to reflect on their problems.

e) The book suggests that women tend not to show their feeling.

f) The book suggests that women do not like to discuss their problems.

g) The book suggests that men’s refusal to talk about their problems tends to depress women.

h) The main solution the author is able to propose is to learn to understand and to tolerate our differences.

V.8. Look at the sentences in V.7. again. Match the phrases in italics to the phrasal verbs below.

1.to sort out 4.to flick through 7.to talk through

2.to bottle up 5.to think through 8.to put across

3.to put up with 6.to get down 9.to come up with

V.9. Listen again and check your answers. What do you think about the Mars/Venus metaphor?

VI.1. Complete using the word from the box. You need to use one word twice.

get make put look bring fall grow

Personality

Some of us seem to be infinitely kind, while others seem to (1) __ down on everyone around them. Some of us never forget an argument, while others (2) __ up and forgive easily. As we (3) __ up, our personality develops and we find that we (4) __ on with certain people more than others. Who we are seems to have a large genetic element, bus is also influenced by those who (5) __ us up. If we (6) __ up to our parents or other family members, we may want to be like them. On the other hand, if our parents seem to (7) __ us down all the time and we (8) __ out with them a lot, then perhaps we will develop quite different personalities.

VI. 2. Find the extra word in each line

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