Self and Identity

Who am I? How do I feel about myself? What is the story of my life? The answers people give to these kinds of questions, the factors that shape their answers, and how their answers affect them, over time and across situations in their lives, are the issues that are at the heart of this course on self and identity. Through a combination of lecture and discussion, we will examine and evaluate the primary research literature on self and identity from multiple disciplinary perspectives (primarily developmental, personality, and social). Topics to be addressed include 1) self-concept and identity development in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, 2) self-esteem and its causes, dynamics, and consequences, 3) what it means to have a “healthy” or “mature” sense of self in adulthood, 4) different levels of self- identification (personal, relational, collective), 5) various topics related to culture and self, including ethnic identity development, bicultural identity, social class and identity, master narratives, and 5) the concept of identity challenges (e.g., non-straight sexual identity, deaf identity, adoptive identity, potentially problematic bicultural identities, such as Israeli-Palestinian and Muslim-American; immigrant identities, trauma and identity)