Personal Identity
Your personal identity (PI) is who you are as an individual. It is a composite of your personality traits, beliefs, values, physical attributes, abilities, aspirations, and other identifiers that make you who you are.
Your PI is all those pieces that combine to make you a unique individual personal. Essentially, it is the collection of the answers to the philosophical question; “Who am I?.”
Your Personal Identity
Your PI is “Who you are” and what makes you unique. It includes such characteristics as:
- Your values
- Your beliefs
- Your principles
- Your character
- Your emotions
- Your talents and abilities
- Your habits
- Your tendencies
- Your personality
- Your physical features
- Your personal goals
- Your hopes and dreams
- Your interests
- Your occupation or career
Personal Identity vs. Self-Identity
Although often used synonymously, we distinguish personal identity from self-identity (SI). Self-identity is how you see and identify yourself, while PI is who you are and what makes you unique.
Your PI is always a composite of your personality traits, beliefs, physical attributes, abilities, aspirations, and other aspects that make you who you are. Your self-identity is your perspective of your personal identity. Simply put, PI is who you are, while self-identity is who you see yourself to be.
Your self-identity is the way that you see yourself and is closely related to your self-image and self-concept. It affects the way you feel about yourself and how you behave in challenging situations.
Your self-identity may often be tied to just a single or a few parts of your personal identity. Some people firmly tie their self-identity to their occupation, and if they lose their job, they often will really struggle with finding their self-identity. On the other hand, PI is not connected to a single or a few limited characteristics. Your PI is connected to deeper and more rooted traits of who you are..
