identity and belong
The paradox of belonging
One of the paradoxes of our identity is the fact that belonging to a group can operate both positively and negatively in our quest to define our selves. In My Place Sally Morgan experiences something of this duality in relation to her Aboriginality. In belonging to a group we can develop a sense of ‘us’ and ‘them’ that helps us define who and what we are by knowing what and who we are not. In being part of a group we satisfy our needs for belonging, acceptance and approval. However in order to maintain our position in the group we often have to put individual needs second and put the needs of the group ahead of our own interests. We move from ‘me’ to ‘us’. Problems arise when our sense of being an individual is trapped by the group. Sometimes our fear of rejection from the group stops us from saying what we really feel and think. We can end up acting in ways that are contrary to what we understand as our ‘true selves’.Some scientists and social researchers think that people behave as they do according to their genetic makeup (nature). Those who are opposed to this stance fear that genetic arguments may come to be used to excuse criminality: ‘I’m a murderer because of my genes’. Others believe that people think and behave in certain ways because they are taught to do so (nurture). This is particularly pronounced in Witness, where the contrasting values in the worlds of John Book and the Amish illustrate the impact of nurture on a person’s beliefs and subsequent actions. Bruce Dawe addresses the issue of cultural influence in the formation of identity in many of his poems in Sometimes Gladness. Those who subscribe to the nurture view see the process of socialisation as the primary influence in an individual’s life:
This influence of social environment is nowhere more apparent than in the cases of children raised by animals. The environmental surroundings here are so different, they are an excellent way to see the input that most of us
One of the paradoxes of our identity is the fact that belonging to a group can operate both positively and negatively in our quest to define our selves. In My Place Sally Morgan experiences something of this duality in relation to her Aboriginality. In belonging to a group we can develop a sense of ‘us’ and ‘them’ that helps us define who and what we are by knowing what and who we are not. In being part of a group we satisfy our needs for belonging, acceptance and approval. However in order to maintain our position in the group we often have to put individual needs second and put the needs of the group ahead of our own interests. We move from ‘me’ to ‘us’. Problems arise when our sense of being an individual is trapped by the group. Sometimes our fear of rejection from the group stops us from saying what we really feel and think. We can end up acting in ways that are contrary to what we understand as our ‘true selves’.Some scientists and social researchers think that people behave as they do according to their genetic makeup (nature). Those who are opposed to this stance fear that genetic arguments may come to be used to excuse criminality: ‘I’m a murderer because of my genes’. Others believe that people think and behave in certain ways because they are taught to do so (nurture). This is particularly pronounced in Witness, where the contrasting values in the worlds of John Book and the Amish illustrate the impact of nurture on a person’s beliefs and subsequent actions. Bruce Dawe addresses the issue of cultural influence in the formation of identity in many of his poems in Sometimes Gladness. Those who subscribe to the nurture view see the process of socialisation as the primary influence in an individual’s life:
This influence of social environment is nowhere more apparent than in the cases of children raised by animals. The environmental surroundings here are so different, they are an excellent way to see the input that most of us