======================================================================
=                     Identity (social science)                      =
======================================================================

                             Introduction
======================================================================
Identity is the qualities, beliefs, personality, looks and/or
expressions that make a person (self-identity) or group (particular
social category or social group), in psychology. Categorizing identity
can be positive or destructive.

A 'psychological identity' relates to self-image (one's mental model
of oneself), self-esteem, and individuality. Consequently, Weinreich
gives the definition:


"A person's identity is defined as the totality of one's
self-construal, in which how one construes oneself in the present
expresses the continuity between how one construes oneself as one was
in the past and how one construes oneself as one aspires to be in the
future"; this allows for definitions of aspects of identity, such as:
"One's ethnic identity is defined as that part of the totality of
one's self-construal made up of those dimensions that express the
continuity between one's construal of past ancestry and one's future
aspirations in relation to ethnicity".




Gender identity forms an important part of identity in psychology, as
it dictates to a significant degree how one views oneself both as a
person and in relation to other people, ideas and nature. Other