Text exercises

I.2. Match the words from the left column with their equivalents from the text in the right one

1. distinct 2. to think of 3. an emotional letdown 4. to have regard for 5. everyday life 6. elderly years 7. considerable 8. resembling 9. interaction 10. middle age 11. inflexible 12.difficult circumstances

a) senior years b) dramatic c) midlife d) challenging situation e) similar to f) communication g) to value h) to hold opinions i) fixed j) unique k) empty nest l) day-to-day life

I.3.Answer the following question using the words and word combinations from the text above:

• What makes up personal identity?

• How is personal identity built?

• In what way does personal identity make you different from others?

• Are there any limits for picking up any identity you like?

• Could you complete Identity Statements and answer Identity Questions above?

• What does it mean to live in harmony with the world?

• Could you agree that the key to happiness is appreciating yourself?

• Do you live out your values? If not, explain why.

• Are you pleased with yourself?

• Is personal identity static or dynamic?

‘Look, don’t identify me by the size and shape of my body, my social class, my job, my gender, my ethnicity, my sexuality, my nationality, my age, my religion, my education, my friends, my lifestyle, how much money I earn, the clothes I wear, the books I read, where I go shopping, the way I decorate my house, the television programmes and movies I watch, my leisure and sports activities, the car I drive, the music I listen to, the drinks I like, the food I eat, the clubs I go to, where I go on holiday, the way I speak or my accent, the things I say, the things I do, or what I believe in. I’m just me. OK?’

II.1.Here below you will find some definitions of some basic forms of identity which should be matched with the correct term.

self identity	Refers to a sense of where we came from, our values, our sense of humor, our history and sense of belonging to something comfortable, unique and bigger than ourselves; it is transferred to us by other, usually older, family members, and is important to us as we carve out our place in the big world.
national identity	Refers to as a personal conception of oneself as male or female (or rarely, both or neither); it is self-identified, as a result of a combination of inherent and extrinsic or environmental factors.
religious identity	Refers to a shared culture, a sort of collective 'one true self', hiding inside the many other, more superficial or artificially imposed 'selves', which people with a shared history and ancestry hold in common; it reflects common historical experiences and shared cultural codes which provide us with stable, unchanging and continuous frames of reference and meaning.
on-line identity	4. Refers to the global understanding a person has of themselves; it is composed of relatively permanent self-assessments, such as personality attributes, knowledge of one's skills and abilities, one's occupation and hobbies, and awareness of one's physical attributes (body image), and it is not restricted to the present: it includes past selves and future selves or "possible selves" that represent individuals' hopes, fears, standards, goals, and threats.
5) cultural identity	5. Refers to a social identity that an Internet user establishes in online communities and websites by means of pseudonyms, which reveal varying amounts of personally identifiable information; users can represent themselves visually by choosing an avatar, an icon-sized graphic image.
6) gender identity	6. Refers to a sense of group membership to a religion and the importance of this group membership regardless of religious activity or participation; it generally provides a perspective from which to view the world, opportunities to socialize with a spectrum of individuals from different generations, and a set of basic principlesto live out.
7) family identity	7. Refers to a sense of belonging to one state or to one nation, a feeling one shares with a group of people, regardless of one's citizenship status; is not inborn trait as various studies have shown that it is a direct result of the presence of elements from the "common points" in people's daily lives: national symbols, language, national colors, the nation's history, national consciousness, blood ties, culture, music, cuisine, radio, television, etc