Do you feel obligated to belong to a certain
culture? I do not see myself put in a box labeled by society’s standards.
Kristi,
I like to think
of myself as ethnorelativistic regarding my cultural identity. I think of
cultural identity as a moving target. I know I cannot change my race, gender,
and some other things but the remainder seem to be constructs I either conform
to or allow others to mold me into. My personal identity (some might consider a
construct of sorts) is defined by my cultural context. That means I kind of
adapt to the dominant culture that immediately surrounds me. My cultural
identity is also shaped, probably more than through adaptation, by my unique
life experiences. This probably accounts for my idiosyncratic behaviors. However,
considering I maintain a predominantly internal locus of control with a firm
grasp on God ultimately running the whole show, my personal worldview plays a
huge part in the cultural identity process. With this in mind, I do not allow
myself to be labeled by society in general. I am a white male who was born in
the U.S.A., but other than that I consider my identity as fluid. Fluid does not
mean that I will adjust at random, but fluid in that as I continue to gain a
better understanding of who I am and the world around me changes, initiated by
me, are very possible. So, for me, belonging or conforming to a certain culture
is 10% somewhat predetermined and 90% how I shape my own life.
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