Identity (social science)

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Identity is the set of qualities, beliefs, personality traits, appearance, or expressions that characterize a person or a group. Identity emerges during childhood as children start to comprehend their self-concept, and it remains a consistent aspect throughout different stages of life. Identity is shaped by social and cultural factors and how others perceive and acknowledge one's characteristics. The etymology of the term "identity" from the Latin noun identitas emphasizes an individual's "sameness with others". Identity encompasses various aspects such as occupational, religious, national, ethnic or racial, gender/sex, gender identity, generational, and political identities, among others, such as height, weight, name, etc. This reveals the polysemous nature of the word - the "sameness" of identity can be both objective or subjective, depending on the referent to which one is claiming or inhabiting "sameness," which can lead to confusion. For example, identifiable gender is objective and...

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