Tracy Zhou EAD 1 Section 10 Mr.Akey 2-26-2020 Paper 2 Identity Shape Our Choices, or Our Choices Shape Our Identity The term "identity" is a relatively new concept defined in the twentieth century, allegedly coined by American psychologist and psychoanalyst Eric Ericsson. (It is said that Ericsson was worried about his upbringing, such as his experience of discrimination, which had a great influence on the idea of ​​the concept of "identity" and his research itself.) Cultural assumptions greatly define the identity of an individual and allow us to identify others. Social and cultural identities still play a great role in shaping the sense of identity of human beings, and it still includes the ideas that are based on our gender, race, and bodies. The personal identity of an individual cannot be separated from the social contexts that everyone lines in. It is important for human beings to be encouraged to examine how most of the taken-for-granted aspects of identity, which include ethnicity, gender, and the able-bodiedness, are shaped or even impacted by the larger cultural forces. In “Home At Last,” Dinaw Mengestu shared about his amazing and painful journey from Ethiopia refugee to a member of the Kensington community in Brooklyn. Mengestu was living in many places until he realized his community in Kensington. In “The Fifth Flavor,” Ronald Kelts charts the history of his childhood, which was spent separately between Japan and the United States. His experience of two worlds left him feeling different in each one. Kelts makes a decision to live in Japan instead of America. All the three authors Latterell, Mengestu and Kelts discussed concept of identity as Latterell explained in her article assumption. In Latterell’s article various assumptions present the concept of identity and community the first assumption is identity is controlled by culture. Identity primarily answers the question of 'who I am'. It should not be seen as a permanent feature, but it would be useful to see the development of one's identity as an ongoing interactive process. “From the view of cultural attitude and assumptions mainly describe identity and let us label or recognize others”( Lateral pages l8). Identity can be considered both personal and social. Identification is made up of the qualities that make us unique. These qualities may include, for example, social groups, cultural norms, clothing, food, language, etc. The next hypothesis has to do with personal choice. On the other hand, the concept of one's own identity emphasizes aspects of social identity (including differences and relationships with others), while the concept of personal identity requires the inheritance and maintenance of consciousness. Personal identity can be thought of as a unique feeling. Based on the article: “By understanding identity we must examine the choices we make in our daily lives-choices about our social rela ...

1. Tracy Zhou
EAD 1
Section 10
Mr.Akey
2-26-2020
Paper 2
Identity Shape Our Choices, or Our Choices Shape Our Identity
The term "identity" is a relatively new concept defined in the
twentieth century, allegedly
coined by American psychologist and psychoanalyst Eric
Ericsson. (It is said that Ericsson was
worried about his upbringing, such as his experience of
discrimination, which had a great
influence on the idea of the concept of "identity" and his
research itself.) Cultural assumptions
greatly define the identity of an individual and allow us to
identify others. Social and cultural
identities still play a great role in shaping the sense of identity
of human beings, and it still
includes the ideas that are based on our gender, race, and
bodies. The personal identity of an
individual cannot be separated from the social contexts that

2. everyone lines in. It is important for
human beings to be encouraged to examine how most of the
taken-for-granted aspects of
identity, which include ethnicity, gender, and the able-
bodiedness, are shaped or even impacted
by the larger cultural forces. In “Home At Last,” Dinaw
Mengestu shared about his amazing and
painful journey from Ethiopia refugee to a member of the
Kensington community in Brooklyn.
Mengestu was living in many places until he realized his
community in Kensington. In “The
Fifth Flavor,” Ronald Kelts charts the history of his childhood,
which was spent separately
between Japan and the United States. His experience of two
worlds left him feeling different in
each one. Kelts makes a decision to live in Japan instead of
America. All the three authors
Latterell, Mengestu and Kelts discussed concept of identity as
Latterell explained in her article
assumption.
In Latterell’s article various assumptions present the concept of
identity and community

3. the first assumption is identity is controlled by culture. Identity
primarily answers the question of
'who I am'. It should not be seen as a permanent feature, but it
would be useful to see the
development of one's identity as an ongoing interactive process.
“From the view of cultural
attitude and assumptions mainly describe identity and let us
label or recognize others”( Lateral
pages l8). Identity can be considered both personal and social.
Identification is made up of the
qualities that make us unique. These qualities may include, for
example, social groups, cultural
norms, clothing, food, language, etc. The next hypothesis has to
do with personal choice. On the
other hand, the concept of one's own identity emphasizes
aspects of social identity (including
differences and relationships with others), while the concept of
personal identity requires the
inheritance and maintenance of consciousness. Personal identity
can be thought of as a unique
feeling. Based on the article: “By understanding identity we
must examine the choices we make
in our daily lives-choices about our social relationships and
anything”( Latterell 10). Group

4. membership, in turn, is a central part of the social aspect of
identity. This aspect of personality
needs to belong to and identify with specific groups such as
occupations, hobbies, culture,
language, and the role of history. It is characterized by
sustainability, such as common
knowledge and memory, the cultivation of "we" consciousness,
and the emphasis on concept
formation. An identity experience based on a good sense of self
can be an important asset, but if
it is based on, for example, perceived negative qualities,
identity can also be a challenge to
happiness. How we understand ourselves also affects our
behavior. This is why it is essential to
be aware of the qualities and components of one's identity and
strive to develop self-awareness
throughout one's life. Identity mainly answers the question,
"who am I?" It should not be seen as
a permanent feature, but it would be useful to see the
development of one's identity as an
ongoing interactive process. Identity can be considered both
personal and social. Personal
identity is made up of the qualities that make us unique. These

5. qualities may include, for
example, your values and interests. Personality can also develop
around, for example, any school
or club or gym we join. Therefore, it is important to recognize
and question how and by what
group or quality you define yourself. Through problematic and
conscious self-reflection, it is
possible to develop a person's identity throughout life.
Additionally, “Home at Last" by Mengestu reveals the realities
associated with the
concept of home and in other words home as identity. He started
his story with his search in
which he was looking for a home after reaching New York as a
refugee. Then he tells how his
personality and identity changed due to community . and he
called it “home”. The writer Dinaw
Mengestu (1978) has always been a foreigner. Even in his
homeland. His father, an executive of
Ethiopian Airlines, fled the country when he was 2 years old,
after a Marxist colonel with a name
tragically similar to him and he overthrew the emperor and
began a bloody campaign of 'social
cleansing'. Until 1991, Ethiopia experienced a succession of
armed conflicts; he would return,

6. alone, 23 years later. Our idea of home arises from a
sentimental, ideal, passionate relationship
with our roots and with our place of origin. According to the
article, “I can’t say when
accurately, I first became conscious of that emotional state—
that I was continually going to and
not ever from”( Mengestu 124). The fact that he had grown up
in the United States that he had
never felt at home here (especially when he was younger), made
him begin to create an idea that
Ethiopia was his other home, his true home, a place in the that
there was no racism, in which
everything was perfect, that he had no problems, and to whom
he could always return. It was a
home in a utopian sense. “Here , there was a similar scene , this
one played out on a Brooklyn
corner with a culture and history different from the one I had
been born in too” (Mengestu126).
A set of distinctive characteristics that distinguish the culture of
an ethnic or social group from
that of other human groups. A set of distinctive, spiritual,
material, intellectual, and emotional

7. characteristics of a society or social group over a given period
of time. The term "culture" also
includes lifestyles, rituals, art, inventions, technology, value
systems, fundamental human rights,
traditions and beliefs. Through culture, humans express
themselves, become aware of
themselves, question their own achievements, seek new
meaning, and create works that
transcend themselves. That's what Mengestu revealed after
finding a new home and a final one.
In fifth flavor the author Kelts tells the story of his childhood
experiences that he spent between
Japan and then in the USA. The existence of the unique taste of
umami indicates that Japanese
people's taste is strongly influenced by cultural factors. For
humanity, food is considered to have
both “natural” and “cultural” factors. Based on the 'scientific'
fact that umami is the fifth taste,
what is umami culture and non-umami culture, and the
relationship between people's perception
of umami and culture / cultural classification in each?
Traditionally, in the West, where the word
and concept of "Umami" did not exist clearly, umami feature
articles can now be found in major

8. media . Umami, the fifth taste added to sweetness, sourness,
saltiness, and bitterness, has begun
to be learned academically, and is called “Umami”. Based on
the article, “My memories of those
days ….-and-terrarium set”( Kelts 42). Umami, the fifth taste,
provided an opportunity to
reconsider the relationship between food culture, classification,
and taste. While various dietary
habits and cultures exist simultaneously around the world, many
are currently affected by
globalization. In the context of the growing interest in the taste
of "Umami" in modern Western
societies, various factors such as expectations for new tastes
and interests in different food
cultures including Asia can be said to be hidden.This quotes
also mention the same thing, “The
concept of umami, the so-called fifth taste, after salty, sweet,
sour, and bitter, still feels, at least
on paper, like a bit of pseudo”( Kelts 43). However, it is
desirable to continue research on umami
and taste from a further sociocultural perspective.
Concludingly, the initial definition of identity is a subjective
and frequently

9. self-reflective process by which individual subjects define their
differences with respect to other
subjects by self-assigning a repertoire of cultural attributes
generally valued and relatively stable
over time . All the three authors Latterell, Mengestu and Kelts
discussed the concept of identity
as Latterell explained in her article “assumption”. Latterell
proceeds to explain the implications
of this definition, pointing out as a starting point that the
subject seeks to differentiate himself
from others and that his effort must be recognized by others.
There are two types of cultural
attributes to which the subject resorts to draw the boundaries of
himself: those related to the
social belonging he shares with others and the individualized,
who individualize him. The most
important membership groups for this purpose are social class,
ethnicity, territorialized
collectivities, age groups and gender. The particularizing
attributes, on the other hand, include
the characteristics, those that derive from a lifestyle
(understood as a sign system) associated
with a particular consumption habit, the network of intimate
relationships (family, friends,

10. colleagues), objects ( possessions) and a unique personal
biography. After briefly discussing
each of these attributes, Latterell emphasizes the fact that
identity is dynamically constituted
while the perception of oneself must be recognized confirmed
or rejected by others, so much so
that sometimes others enjoy the power to define it.
Respond to Erica and Chisom
2 citations , 2 references
Erica
RE: Discussion - Week 5
Top of Form
Main Discussion Post
My results from the Strengths Finder’s test were
extremely accurate. My top five strengths are intellection,
connectedness, achiever, futuristic, and learner. Seemiller
(2017) stated the Clifton’s Strength Finder assessment can help
empower and guide students to become successful leaders by
drawing on their strengths, and not their weaknesses. In this
discussion, I will briefly describe my five strengths, and then
discuss values, strengths, and characteristics I would like to
improve.
My first strength is intellection. This means I like quiet time to

11. think and analyze. I like to read and listen to other’s
perspectives and ideas. I am my own best companion because I
love to reflect, think, and inspire myself. One thing I would like
to improve regarding this strength is that I think more than I do,
which can be disheartening for me. Realizing I can use this
strength in meaningful ways without ‘doing’ anything is one
way I can overcome the guilt. Gallup (2017) stated an example
of this would be to get involved in projects in the beginning,
where my ideas, wisdom, and creative thinking would be most
helpful.
My second strength is connectedness. I believe all experiences
have meaning. I believe there are no coincidences and we are all
connected. Furthermore, I have faith those connections are
meant to be and meaningful. I accept what cannot be explained
logically and have faith that the meaning of events and
experiences may never be known to me, but have meaning none
the less. I am very aware of my spirit and that makes me
compassionate, accepting, sensitive, and considerate. Gallup
(2018) stated people with this strength should join organizations
and go on retreats. I would like to strengthen my
communication skills, and I think these involvements might
give me that confidence. I want to improve my communication
skills so that I can help others find their purpose in everyday
life, realize their contributions, and feel meaningfully connected
to this world.
My third strength is achiever. I am a hard worker with enormous
self-motivation and drive. I put in more effort than most in all
my work, and I do it because it makes me feel satisfied. I would
like to improve my ability to feel satisfied when I’m not busy
and productive. I would like to enjoy being still and present, not
requiring measurable goals to progress through every day. One
way I could work with my strength to achieve this is to assign
achievement goals to things that are not work related (Gallup,
2018). Another way to help me improve on my ability to take
time to relax and focus on non-work achievements is to make
my daily work goals achievable, realistic, and timely.

12. My fourth strength is futuristic. I am inspired by the
possibilities of the future. I visualize the future and feel joyful
and energized. I am original, innovative, and resourceful. I like
to entertain ideas about how to reach goals, get things done, or
make things better. I see things that are not obvious and can
look at things in a way that is not familiar or common to most. I
like to help others feel that excitement and energy about their
future. This strength can help me with my dream of binge a
coach and a guide, helping others visualize their potential and
dreams (Gallup, 2018). I would like to improve my
communication skills in this area also. I could partner with
someone who is more articulate and can convey my visions
effectively with words. I can also use other ways to get my
inspired points across such as arts, theater, and other forms of
media. Taking some communication skill building classes is
something I should pursue.
My fifth strength is learner. I love learning, and the process of
learning excites me more than the outcome. I strive to
continuously improve myself through learning. I am attracted to
concepts that are not easy to comprehend curiously explore
things that interest me in depth. One characteristic I would like
to improve about myself is my confidence, and learning can
give me the confidence boost of acquiring new knowledge and
skills. Another area I need to improve on is how I skip past all
my celebratory moments. I track my progress, even in learning,
but I never take the time or energy to feel good about my
accomplishments. I think allowing myself those moments would
also improve my confidence levels.
Marshall and Broome (2017) stated high energy and physical
endurance can help leaders reach their goals. This is one area I
need to work on a great deal. I don’t give myself a lot of time or
energy to spend on physical activity. I have plans to join a yoga
class once or twice a week. I also will increase my time outside
hiking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing. Another crucial
goal is to schedule physical activity breaks into my work and
study days.

13. In conclusion, I hope to remember I am a catalyst for change by
being open to new ideas and ways of life (Gallup, 2018). I can
inspire others to feel safer with their own changes. I hope I
honor my desire to learn and collect certificates, join
organizations, go on learning trips, and always be furthering my
education. Seemiller (2017) stated this assessment not only
encourages successful leaders, but also promotes being a good
student and having good relationships. I can see how bringing
your strengths into every area in your life can be useful. This
exercise was a lot of fun and provided some much-needed
reflection. I’m excited to read what everyone else writes this
week!
References
Gallup. (2018). Strengths finder. Retrieved from
https://walden.gallup.com
Marshall, E., & Broome, M. (2017). Transformational
leadership in nursing: From expert
clinician to influential leader (2nded.). New York, NY:
Springer.
Seemiller, C. (2017). Using leadership competencies to develop
talents into strengths. New Directions for Student
Leadership, 156, 31–42. Retrieved from https://doi-
org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1002/yd.20269
Chisom
Top of Form
Leadership Profile
Several scholarly articles identify characteristics of
good nurse leaders but offer only a few means by which such
individuals could cultivate them (Scully, 2014). Being able to
identify one’s strengths could help a leader improve his
leadership traits. In this week’s discussion, the Gallup’s (2019)

14. Strengths Finder assessment revealed five themes of my
strengths as a leader. The five themes were achiever, empathy,
includer, connectedness, and learner. As a charge nurse in my
facility, the position may not be considered a leadership role,
but being able to identify my strengths is vital as an informal
leader to the nurses in the department.
Strengths
The two strengths from the Clifton Strengths report that
I would like to improve upon are learner and connectedness
(Gallup, 2019). Learners, according to Gallup (2019) have a
great desire to know more and continuously improve. As an
educator, learning is a steady process for me, and is something
that I need to continuously work upon. Nursing competencies
are based on the knowledge and skills taught to them (Jamshidi,
Molazem, Sharif, Torabizadeh, & Kalyani, 2016), thus, to be
able to effectively teach the staff nurses, it is crucial that I
enhance my skill and trait as a learner. Meanwhile,
connectedness, according to Gallup (2019) means having faith
in the links among all things. A leader with this strength
believes there are only a few coincidences, and that every event
has a meaning (Gallup, 2019). By nurturing this strength, I
could help individuals realize that teamwork and group efforts
are important in accomplishing tasks, which is important in a
busy emergency department like ours.
Core Values
Nursing core values are standard components in all
clinical and educational nursing settings. The core values guide
and motivate the professional behaviors of nurses in their
respective work areas (Poorchangizi,Farokhzadian, Abbaszadeh,
Mirzaee, &Borhani, 2017). Sherman (2015) enumerated some
examples or nursing leadership core values and two that I would
like to strengthen are the willingness to tolerate differences in
opinions, and a commitment to a caring-based approach to
leadership. The two core values will strongly influence the
includer and empathy themes identified in the strength
assessment report discussed.

15. Characteristics
Two characteristics that I would like to strengthen are
adaptability and individualization. Adaptability is not viewing
the future as a fixed destination, but a place to create out of the
choices that one makes right now (Gallup, 2019). In the
emergency department, it is important that nurses adapt to the
stressful situations occurring daily in the department. Being
able to show to my clinical staff that I can adapt to the various
stressors in our unit as a role model could help them feel that
they are not alone. Adaptive leadership is a trait that needs to
be cultivated because even stable situations can become
unstable when faced with new challenges. Another
characteristic that I would like to strengthen is
individualization. The individualization theme allows a leader
to be intrigued by the unique qualities of each person (Gallup,
2019). As an educator, I tend to see them as a group of
individuals. It is necessary that I pay more attention to their
individual skills, attitudes, and interests to draw out their
uniqueness and bring out their highest potential.
References
Gallup. (2019). Clifton StrengthsFinder 2.0. Retrieved from
https://walden.gallup.com
Jamshidi, N., Molazem, Z., Sharif, F., Torabizadeh, C., &
Kalyani, M. N. (2016). The challenges of nursing students in
the clinical learning environment: A qualitative
study. Scientific World Journal. doi: 10.1155/2016/1846178
Poorchangizi, B., Farokhzadian, J., Abbaszadeh, A.,
Mirzaee, M., &Borhani, F. (2017). The importance of
professional values from clinical nurses’ perspective in
hospitals of a medical university in Iran. BioMed Central
Medical Ethics, 18(20). doi:10.1186/s12910-017-0178-9
Scully, N. J. (2015). Leadership in nursing: The importance of
recognizing inherent values and attributes to secure a positive
future for the profession. Collegian, 22(4), 239-244.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2014.09.004
Sherman, R. O. (2015). Nursing leadership core values.

16. Retrieved from https://www.emergingrnleader.com/nursing-
leadership-core-values/