Nadine Kristel C. Arraiza
Dr. Linda Mayers-- Developmental Psychology
(Erikson’s
5th
January 18, 2008
Who am I?
Stage - Identity vs Identity Confusion.)
Hey there!
Well, let me introduce myself first! My name is Nadine. You may call me Nads for
short- that’s actually what my friends call me! You can say that I’m a typical girl- I love
gossips, shopping and pink… oh, and let’s not forget- boys! Yes, you may think I’m
superficial, but that’s only one part of me! What you didn’t know is that I’m also very
ambitious. I push myself to be the best I can be. I’m very social! I enjoy traveling. I
love watching movies and I have a passion for the arts. I love to organize parties and join
in clubs so that I could meet new and interesting people. I’m also an aspiring writer; I
have done numerous scripts, newspaper articles and yearbook entries when I was in high
school, and had gotten the highest thesis/defense grade in class during my freshman year
in college back home. But that’s not all… Now before we get any further, “Where is
back home,” you may ask? No, it isn’t inside the apartment me and my Mom are renting
in Queens, rather, it is a thousand miles from there… all the way in Southeast Asia, in the
archipelagic island called Philippines.
I was born and raised in a country where people’s beliefs and traditions were what
you could call conservative. Yes, divorce is not legal there because we believe in the
sanctity of marriage. And yes, it is customary that for a relationship to start, the boy
always has to be the first one to make the move. We were taught that respect should be
given to everyone; most especially to your parents and the elders. We were raised with
lessons/stories from the Bible (population comprised of 80% Catholic!). When I was
growing up, I was made to believe that kids needed to sleep during the mid-afternoons or
else they would not grow. It has also been practiced that during Sundays, you couldn’t
hang-out with friends because one, you had to go to Church, and two, it is especially
reserved for family time. Sex is considered holy and most people still observe the
sanctity of it- that one should only engage in such after being married. I’m thinking
you’re getting the picture now, right?
Being brought up in that kind of society played a big part in the formation of who
I am now. Even though I’m in a progressive country which, I can attest to, is the very
opposite of where I grew up (and believe me, this is not in the negative way!), my morals
and beliefs are still intact. Sure, I may not have religiously followed everything
aforementioned earlier since I also have different opinions regarding the different aspect
of things, but I can proudly say that I was brought up well. I grew up not having a father
because he was taken by the big “C” (lung cancer) when I was 10, but I didn’t grow up
without a father “figure.” My mom, as hard as a single-parent may seem, gave me the
best education and fully supported me in everything. She taught me to believe, have faith
and fear in the Lord. She showed me how she honored and respected her parents, and
prioritized her family above all else. Most importantly, she made me believe in the
power that can be found inside of me. She trusted me that by her guidance, I can take
care of myself. I may not be the best at everything but at least I know my priorities and
limitations.
If you ask me again now the “Who are you?” question, I can easily add this…
I’m Nadine, 22, a faithful girlfriend, a diligent student, a God-fearing person, a music
enthusiast, a strong-willed woman with a frequently amicable persona, a loving daughter,
a cosmic reader, an animal lover and above all, a conscientious city dweller… Because
of those things, I can proudly say that I have reached and passed Erikson’s 5th Stage
(which is Identity vs. Identity Confusion) of Psychosocial Development already. They
say that for others to accept you, you have to accept yourself first. I can say that I am at
ease with the roles I am playing presently. I am already done with experimenting and
sometimes even imitating other people’s identity to fit in for I have found my true self—
which I’m going to stick to whether others like it or not. With that said, I feel that I’m
ready to start my journey towards the next level (Intimacy vs. Isolation) because I have
now accepted myself for who I really am which in turn would exude in my personality
towards dealing with others.