Part I, A Definition of Terms, Chapter 2, The Complexity of Identity Summary and Analysis

Personal identity is a complicated matter and is composed of many factors. Some of these factors are social because we understand ourselves largely in terms of the views others have of ourselves. Tatum highlights racial identity as an example but recognizes that racial identity is mediated by other dimensions, such as gender, sexual orientation and religion. Identity is often understood in terms of one's cohort group, the common features one shares with those she socializes with most. Erik Erikson, the psychologist who coined the term "identity crisis" understood personal identity as located in a communal culture but as the result of both biological and cognitive changes in development. Identity is constructed out of two co-evolving processes of personal reflection and observation...