We learned about the Identity vs Role Confusion Stage, and I have recently been thinking that it is possible that in this day and age, it is an even bigger problem than 100 years ago. There are so many distractions in life now, that it may be harder for us to figure out who we are. We receive all types of messages, some very different from one another. Society is inconsistent about who people should be, and about what is acceptable or not. One day it is cool to have crocs, and the next day you are the biggest dork if you wear them. In today's rapidly changing world, I think that identity crisis are probably more common, difficult, and last longer.
I was wondering what everyone else thought. Do you think that it has become harder for us to form an identity? Or possibly it has become easier because there is such a wide range of "socially accepted" things?
I was wondering what everyone else thought. Do you think that it has become harder for us to form an identity? Or possibly it has become easier because there is such a wide range of "socially accepted" things?
I think that this question is very important. It is definitely difficult for some to figure out who they are because of all the options out there. However, in some cases this makes it easier. Some people immediately see the path that they are supposed to take and stay away from everything else surrounding them, but this is not so easy. At the same time it could go both ways for people 100 years or more ago. Most people knew that there was a certain way they were supposed to live their lives and did not argue. Being gay or something like that was not accepted. But, there were definitely those who felt trapped because of this. They wanted to be different but couldn't. There are positives and negatives to every situation like this. Even today with so much out there Judaism also expects us to be a certain way, but because of all the new things that have come about, people find it easier to break off. It just depends on a person's feelings toward themselves and how they choose to take in their environment.
ReplyDeleteDear Zed,
ReplyDeleteYou have posed an excellent question. I have formed my opinion and will be glad to share it with you. Although i do agree that so many different kinds of people are accepted in our society in this day and age, i actually think that that causes role confusion to occur even more frequently. The world can be very overwhelming to us because we know that we have so many opportunities and can basically be whoever we wish to be. There are so many different groups and kinds of people to chose from that sometimes we don't know what it is that we want and who we want to be. In the past, a person's role was very clear. Think about the Stone Age, men were the hunters, women were the gatherers who stayed home with the children and made clothes. People were born and from an early age they knew what their destiny was and trained for it. Although to us that seems very sad, they simply knew what their role was in life. today, we can become (almost) whatever we aspire to be. You can move to Africa and be a doctor there. you can go to Paris and practice law and get married to a cute French man with a completely different culture. You can go to Israel, Spain, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and become an Astronaut, Psychologist, Accountant, stay home mom, etc. With these choices you will come in contact with so many different people, maybe people who are SO different from you that you sometimes forget who you really are and what you really want. In conclusion, i think role confusion is much more common today due to the many opportunities we are given.
I agree with Carmit. However, I wouldnt actually say opportunities. I would say mixed signals. While there are many options, they are not always accepted. Imagine a young person who realizes they are gay, and sees that on TV gays are perceived as cool, fun people. This person will tell their parents they are gay, and tell his/her friends he/she's gay, and instead of being accepted, this child will receive disgust from parents and perhaps lose friends. It is very confusing.
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