Identity Formation: Who I am and Who I am not (Part 1 of 2)

Identity answers the question, who I am and who I am not. An answer that is multi-faceted -both objective and subjective. Sometimes obvious and other times obscure. And to make it trickier, it shifts over time. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Ted Witzig Jr helps us understand the nature of identity formation and how we can better steward this area of our life.

Show notes:

Identity is:

• The sense of self - who I am and who I am not.

Aspects that make up identity:

• Demographics: age, sex, address
• Relationships: child, father, mother, husband, wife
• Roles: job, family, volunteer
• Values: likes, dislikes, religion, beliefs, loyalties
• Experiences: health, hobbies, accomplishments, ownership
• Personalities: gifts, character traits, talents

Events that unsettle identity:

• Development
• Loss
• Transition
• Role shifts
• Experiences
• Belief shifts

Process for forming identity:

• From exploration: trying, investigating, experiencing, researching
• To commitment: being settled, resolved and grounded

Troubles in forming identity:

• Moving to commitment without exploration.
  • This person's sense of self appears settled. But it is not their own. They have adopted another's identity. Crisis in life will likely cause distress.
• Remaining in exploration and not moving to commitment.
  • This person is restless, always searching without resolve.
• Not exploring and not committing.
  • This person is unaware of their need for identity formation.

Identity brings about:

• A sense of belonging, grounding, purpose, priority and worth.

The most important identity:

• A Christ-centered identity, being a child of God, is the identity from which all other identities rest. This identity offers stability when all others may ebb and flow.