Thoughts on Identity

This quote really jumped out at me from this week's reading: "I think identity is present when other people's opinions become something to reflect upon, rather than to live by." (p. 12) This quote is in the first reading "Perspectives on Identity," and a quote from a 40 year-old student in an undergraduate human development class. As I thought about it, it struck me as true to identity formation. Obviously adolescents rarely have the ability to take other's opinions of them and reflect, they almost always let other's opinions affect how they act/behave etc. But, how many adults can really claim that they truly take what others say as merely something to reflect on. The stages of this type of identity formation probably vary greatly from person to person. I believe it is something I recently learned to do in the last five years or so, and probably still work on from time to time. Just a thought for next time, Staci