Self Identity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Self Identity - Essay Example It is an important aspect of the educational system to avoid breeding racial injustices into the newer generations so that a better balanced world can be expected in the near future. However, as a person steps into adolescence, one tends to become more aware about their heritage and racial background. It is essential that people are led the right way at this particular stage so that racial equality can be established. Race has been defined as â€Å"a sub-group of people possessing a definite combination of physical characteristics, of genetic origin, the combination of which to varying degrees distinguishes the sub-group from other sub-groups of mankind† (Casas 3). Hence any group of people that can be differentiated from another group of people on the basis of certain characteristics are said to belong to a specific race. These common characteristics are established more on a physical note than mental. Numerous materials and models are available online that help in racial identity development. The concept of self-identity is more often complicated and may include a combination of identities instead of a single identity. The self-identity generally encompasses three fields; the gender, the racial background and the sexual orientation. Biologically, I am a fit male in my early twenties. I recognize myself as an African American since I can trace back my origins to Liberia, Africa. I possess a distinctively dark skin color characteristic of African Blacks. I have lived a major part of my life in America, with my ancestral linage consisting of African Americans. Several of my distant relatives still reside in my homeland Africa. I do not feel ashamed to belong to the African American nation, and I am fully aware of my enslaved past. However, today, the scenario regarding â€Å"color† discrimination is very different from what it was before the Civil War. There are three traditional models of racial/cultural identity development; (Cass, 1979), (Cross, 1971) and