How does identity play a role in how people behave?
One thing that makes human beings so unique is the concept of our identity; how we perceive ourselves on a personal level, how we fit ourselves into different groups, and how other people view us. But identity is not just black and white. Who we are and how others see us is constantly evolving and can change depending on where we are and who we are with. One thing that is certain is that identity plays a huge role in people’s behavior. As stated in Chapter 5 of Intercultural Communications in Context, we are constantly adjusting our image to guide the impression that others develop of us by highlighting our strengths and minimizing our deficiencies (p.167).
Race, ethnicity, and even geography also have a huge impact on our behavior. This is why culture is so important to society; it is the way we define our values, our sense of self and community, and tells us how to behave. Consequently, the influence of culture on identity is also a cause of conflict. When different cultures live in different ways it makes it easy to judge and stereotype others. These differences have been used throughout history and even today to justify horrific actions because one group believes themselves to be superior. On the other hand there are other aspects of our identity, like gender or politics, that may cause us to act in ways that contradict our culture or the norm of where we live. For example, in the center of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a group of Jewish women crossed religious and cultural divides in order to help a group of Arab women exercise their right to vote. One woman said, “...women identify with other women, with not being able to vote. And we recognize the day-to-day difficulties, like lack of access or freedom of mobility. And maybe there is something very real about our thinking — this is just the right thing to do” (Prince-Gibson).
Something that is important to consider, especially in today’s age of technology, is that when people can disregard their identity, they can greatly alter their behavior. We have all observed the power that social media has on communication. When people can hide who they are behind a screen, they feel emboldened to bully, threaten, and hurt others when they wouldn’t do so in real life. When there are no restraints or social cues, people can change who they are much more easily than in real life, because in real life race, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, and age are more visible and therefore have more of an impact on our identity and behavior.
Martin, Judith N., and Thomas K. Nakayama. Intercultural Communication in Contexts. 7th ed., McGraw-Hill Education, 2018. Prince-Gibson, Eetta. “Jewish and Arab Women Unite to Defy Bedouin Voter Suppression in Israeli Election.” Public Radio International, 18 Sept. 2019, https://www.pri.org/stories/2019-09-18/jewish-and-arab-women-unite-defy-bedouin-voter-suppression-israeli-election.
