Analysing Individual Family History

Family Heritage and Individual Identity
The involvement of family members in certain activities like sharing stories enhances family bonding. This also strengthens the identity of the family and its members. An individual's self-identity is influenced by family traditions and cultural legacies in different ways. This might be positive or negative. Negative legacies will portray aspects that are unattractive while favorable legacies will portray aspects like cohesive, caring, and hardworking families. Favorable legacies are what have entailed our family as we are all hardworking and aim to achieve the best in our lives. Born in a family of individuals who own or work in farms means that we have inculcated in us an aspect of hardworking and teamwork. Being the first one in our family to go to college means that other look upon me to set a good example to the younger family members. Sharing stories of college with my siblings and other family members is aimed at sharing experiences that would encourage the others to aim higher and also attend college. The question what are you? elicits many different answers as has been portrayed by Kelley (2003). People will look at one's looks and appearance and pass judgment even before one introduces them self as from the race or culture they are being associated with. This misconception of wanting to identify people based on our own interpretations means that individuals who do not fit any identifiable notion get misjudged and this can have a negative impact on the individual.
Family traditions can be a benefit to an individual in that they answer some of the basic questions and it also assists them to find their own sense of ethics and morals. However, to other individuals, the pressures of familial culture could be an inhibitor to their own individuality. This is mainly because their inner sense of what they deem appropriate might be counter to the rules that have been instilled by their family traditions. Therefore, the family influence on an individual could be up to an individual. One has the option to live up to the customs and traditions of their family or they can reject these customs and traditions and create their own identity. This rings true for my case as I opted to follow a different route as opposed to the one my family members had followed. Coming from a family of farmers, it was strange that I wanted to join the military and also get a college degree. Forming my own path and still maintaining some of our family traditions and cultures have been beneficial. A majority of children will follow in the footsteps of their parents, but some will create their own paths. This is demonstrated by Walker (1973) where one of the daughters has a taste for the finer things in life as compared to her mother who appreciates the little that she gets.
Family narratives are the best ways for a family to create a sense of identity among its members. Storytelling has been used for generations to pass on information from the older generation to the younger generations. This information sharing allows family members to participate in the evaluation of traditions and norms that will facilitate the development of identity. Contributions from different family members in the narratives will introduce impacts on identity at the individual, cultural, and family level. Certain events are shared and this serves as a collection of intergenerational norms that will impact the family generations making them family legacies. When an individual reflects upon the content and process of family narratives, they can change their perspective and perceptions regarding life. However, it is possible that some aspects might be ignored or discarded by some family members.
Family legacies are most significant for certain groups of individuals. Reason being that at some point people will start making considerations for the larger community as they do anticipate starting their own families. Family heritage will provide a source of knowledge that can be used by individuals to define personal identities. Kelley (2003) has used her cultural background to denote how different she is to what she is associated with. Her family struggled with identification since their parents came from different backgrounds and they did not conform to the norms and traditions from where her parents originated from. When people decide to make changes to the traditions they follow, it creates an opportunity to redefine the family legacies. The interpretations that parents make regarding their heritage has a huge impact on their children. This has been shown to be a positive thing in that the children will create their own personalities and identities that are different from their family heritage. With a different identity, the individual is able to create their own heritage that would be most suited to them and not for the society.
As Rich (1989) demonstrates one can modify their identity to ensure that others will struggle to scrap it out of them. This ensures that one can retain their family heritage and at the same time create their own identity. Creating a different identity that differs from that of the family should not be seen as a negative thing. It should be encouraged. It is not possible to create a new identity if one has not fully understood their past and family legacy. Therefore, with a new identity one is able to change the story and form a different path that will alter the course of their family heritage. This new way might be a form of survival. Coming from a middle-class family of farmers and farm workers, one needs to be able to dream and create a brighter future for future generations. Opting for a different career course is a way of creating and developing my own individual identity different from that of my family heritage. This path will demonstrate to others that it is possible for an individual to do something different and form their own path. As Walker (1973) has demonstrated it is vital that one understand their heritage and changing it should not be looked at in a negative manner.


References
Kelley, R. D. (2003). The people in me. Utne Reader, 95, 79-81.
Rich, A. C. (1989). Delta. Berkeley, CA: Digger Pine Press.
Walker, A. (1973). Everyday use. Princeton, New Jersey: Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic.