Three Social Forces That Build My Personal Identity

When I think of the word identity, I think of what makes up a person’s soul and persona. What makes them think the way they think and act the way they act? The word identity answers this question, it fills in the blanks of what make every person different from one another. Many times people face forces or personal hardships which shape and mold their own personal identity. In this paper I am going to discuss three social forces that helped build my current identity. These forces include my gender, education and the rural environment I grew up in. My gender has always had an impact on my identity. Growing up with four older sisters and me being the only boy was not easy. Most kids by the time they are roughly five years old have gender stereotypes engraved into their minds (Newman, 2015, p. 73). I on the other hand did not have gender stereotypes growing up because my sisters would play toy trucks with me and I would play Barbie’s with them. I never judged what type of toys kids would like based off of gender. This all changed once I hit my teenage years, I began to hang out with girls other than my sisters and realized
My family started up a band and we were always traveling. This led to my parents homeschooling me and my sisters. Schools primary goal is to socialize children (Newman, 2015, p. 74). I was never given the opportunity to socialize with children my own age until I started playing basketball for the public school’s team in sixth grade. I had a tough time learning how to socialize because I didn’t have the social advantage of seeing other kids every day. Sports was my gateway to learning how to socialize and make friends. When I finally went to public school in high school I was able to adjust and socialize normally. I believe if I didn’t play sports as a kid, I would have grown up to be socially awkward. The area in which I grew up has played a huge role in my identity as