Belonging Involves Conforming and a Loss of Identity Essay Example

to belong. In the midst of a time when there was prevalent discrimination and prejudice against the African people, Sandra could only belong to a community the same skin colour as herself.

We mustn’t forget to consider the role segregation plays when discussing belonging. At the time of Sandra’s generation in America, people felt that white people belonged in a white community and black people belonged in a black community. Thus, leaving Sandra no choice but to join the black community to feel the sense of belonging she has longed for, for most of her life. Now, at a time when discrimination is behind us, people feel less of an urge to conform to a particular group, purely because they share the exact same identity. However, they must have some things in common but it doesn’t necessarily have to do with one’s haracteristics.

In order to belong and feel acceptance within a group we must share a common feature that bonds individuals together. Belonging does not always involve conforming, rather has the ability to enhance the character’s identity. Belonging has the potential to provide encouragement for uniqueness and individuality. Professor of Childhood studies Martin Woodhead and Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Liz Brooker suggests, “Belonging is fundamental to any child’s well – being and happiness” and is proven to result in “positive identity. The renowned identity can be explored and enhanced as “children [are] feeling that they are liked, recognised and accepted… for their unique identity. ” These statements in itself is proof of how belonging does not in any way involve the loss of identity. It shows that in order to belong

there is no need to conform or lose your individuality. Not only is there no need to conform, the feeling of being liked and accepted can only enhance one’s identity. There is no need to change identities if you are liked and recognised for who you are and not who you are trying to be.

However, these instances may only happen with children as they are not full aware of their surroundings and do not have the awareness and need to change their identity in hope of belonging to a particular group. Teenagers however are often ostracized for being different and this results to the conformity of many children and the foreclosing on uniqueness and individuality. In cases of children, belonging is usually not associated with the degradation of identity. This may not be the case with older people as it is a lot more complicated and sometimes conforming may be the only way to belong.

We must consider times at which belonging can threaten an individualised identity. For some, the only way to belong is to conform to expectations, losing personal ideologies as a result. In the book The Absolute True Diary of a Part – Time Indian, Junior is a perfect example of conforming in order to belong. Junior is just a poor Indian reservation kid who dreams of a better life and takes action by attending an all – white private school in Reardan. He is considered as a ‘traitor’ by his people and doesn’t find much hope when “somewhere on the road to Reardan, [he] became something less than Indian.

And once he arrived at Reardan, he became

something less than less than less than Indian. ” Junior struggle to fit is exacerbated when the Indian people where he once belonged no longer accepts him as he has left them for the white people. The trouble is, he didn’t belong in the all white school either as his “life [was] a constant struggle between being an individual and being a member of the community. ” Juniors choice to become part of the community had consequences which included acting differently, pretending he wasn’t poor, fore-closing his individuality and losing his best friend back on the reservation.

This example displays how the want to feel accepted and recognised can result in losing identity and conforming to something that is different to what Junior is and what he believes in. All Junior needed from the school was a god education however the choice of being part of the community implies that people want to belong. People will choose belonging over individualism. When one is subjected to being alone and unaccepted, the loss of identity in order to belong for some, is the better option.

Identity is indeed an intricate phenomenon, as such, many have considered that belonging involves conforming and a loss of identity, It is further suggested that in order to belong, we must share similar identity and also how belonging can enhance ones identity. Nonetheless, we need to also consider that for some, belonging can threaten an individual’s identity. Thus, when considering identity and belonging, perhaps it is more accurate to consider the expectation that comes with belonging. As this conformity to the expectations may result in the loss of identity.