How Culture and Tradition Influence Choices Essay

Is it who we are, our names, or the environment that shapes us and determines our identity? Every society lays rules to be followed, and obedience only leads to repression for the individual who in turn loses their individuality. The liberty to be what we desire to be is of significance and worth upholding. It is also believed that an individual's name influences their sense of self and identity. This essay argues that cultural experiences influence a persons' choices which in turn determine their identity; while names play a minor role in personal identification.

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It is believed that a name shapes an individual's inner life. "Like the magic name accorded to you by your folks, to distinguish you from the many alike and almost similar" (Windt-Val 274). But in reality, names are rich in knowledge concerning our environment, families, and the time and circumstances surrounding one's birth. A researcher claimed that the name a parent chooses for their children has an impact on the personality development of the individual kid (Windt-Val 275). I tend to contend with this approach since an individuals' awareness of identity fails to signify a substantial unity. Personality changes as one gain experience and interacts with different stimuli in the environment throughout their personal growth.

Choices shape our identity, and our individuality determines the choices we make as well. Every day, the actions you take, the people you socialize with, and the principles one chooses for defense defines their identity. For this reason, individuals ought to decide to generate an identity which signals others on their unique choices and core values. Being social beings, we acquire our behavior, beliefs, and knowledge from social interactions."Humans have inherited their ancestors' customs, beliefs, and discoveries that have been collected and changed generations and to which they add up new facets for the coming generations" (Liden 1435). Thus this makes it easier to comprehend why a child who lives outside the society turns out to be entirely lacking in behavior. Our selections for friends, career, and clothing are vastly controlled by our society's. Our relationships play a crucial part in developing and shaping our identities. It is from this social framework that we tend to shape our characteristics and personal qualities, and this connection provides meaning to our identity.

Values are adopted in childhood and manifest themselves in our development as enduring insights which influence and shape our choices and conduct. Ourself-perception and experiences within our environment are of such significance that societies enact policies of behavior which relate to practice. Adolescents who decide to choose a detached life from their parents may get to associate with peers who hold similar lifestyle choices instead of those with cultural similarities. Peer relations comes with many changes in an individual. "Parents tend to question why their previously obedient children start behaving negatively towards them and engage in undesired behaviors" (Seth 1). The fact is that teenagers are exploring their existence and their interactions with others and the environment impacts their perceptions on different things, therefore through this, they make choices which tend to shape their identities.

Conclusion

In conclusion, names do not affect our identity since different people could be sharing a name, but their personalities are not similar hence no evidence of individual identity being influenced by naming children. Our individuality is our vector, a course determined by what we do and how we do it; every choice we take, be it minor or significant, may have some impact to others and hence we need to be considerate about shaping our individualities.

Works Cited

Liden, Robert C., et al. "Servant leadership and serving culture: Influence on individual and unit performance." Academy of Management Journal 57.5 (2014): 1434-1452.

Seth, Mullins. "Teenagers and the Struggle for Identity." Family Lobby.com(2015): 1.

Windt-Val, Benedicta. "Personal names and identity in literary contexts." Oslo Studies in Language 4.2 (2012).