Personal Identity and Cultural Identity

Personal Identity and Cultural Identity Has Moving to Los Angeles Made a Difference in the Personal Identity of Middle-Eastern Persons Over the Age of 40? People identify with the place in which they spend a majority of their lives. When they migrate to another area, it can cause a sense of loss for something familiar. Migrants of Middle Eastern decent who move the Los Angeles area step into a world that is very different from the one that they left.

This research will explore the experiences and affects of this move on those who must leave the home country. It will examine the process of acculturation and their ability to adjust in their new land. Has Moving to Los Angeles Made a Difference in the Personal Identity of Middle-Eastern Persons Over the Age of 40? Geography plays a key role in the development of culture and identity. The focus of this study will be to explore the affect that geography and space have on the personal and cultural identities of adults.

The study will focus on a group of adults over the age of 40 who were originally from the Middle East, but who have migrated to Los Angeles (LA) and lived there for the past 10 years. The key goal of the research is to identify if a shift occurs within the person's identity as a result of changing geographic locations. The world is more mobile than it was in the past. Globalization creates a world that is more homogeneous.

As cultures are blended and the line between different ethnic groups becomes blurred, the question of culture and cultural identity becomes more important. As cultures struggle to retain that part of them that connects them with their family and their past, will help them to overcome many of the challenges that they face in an increasingly global society. This area needs to be studies so that researchers and policymakers can understand the forces that will shape cultures and cultural identity in the future.

This research will help to gain a better understanding of the factors that help to determine a person's sense of cultural and personal identity. 1.1 Rationale for Study Communication is an important concept in the global marketplace and in urban areas where people must coexist with people from many different races, cultures, and backgrounds. The ability to communicate goes beyond the language barrier. A large part of what we say to each other comes from clues such as context, body language, and culturally significant meanings.

These factors can influence both the intended message of the sender and the understanding that the receiver gains. Cultural misunderstandings can have a significant impact on the ability of two culturally different people to understand each other, leading to a communication breakdown. This study will play an important role in helping to gain a better understanding of how to overcome cultural differences that can lead to communication breakdowns.

Examining people who have moved geographic locations to a different area will allow researchers to isolate the affect of geography on the cultural identity, attitudes and styles that will affect their ability to communicate in their new location. This study will play a necessary role in the ability to overcome communication misunderstandings that could lead to problems in a culturally integrated global society. 1.2 Key Concepts The concept of identity will play an important role in the outcome and conclusions of this research study.

The concept of identity encompasses many levels of a person's being. Everyone has a personal identity, which is the way they feel about who they are and their place in the world. They have a community identity, which is how they define and value the local area in which they live. They have a national identity, which is the set of rules by which they identify themselves and others from the same nation. They also have a cultural identity, which is how they distinguish others from the same ethnic group.

Cultural identity and national identity can be two different things, particularly in those who have migrated to a different geographic location and who are attempting to integrate into that culture. The greatest challenge that immigrants face is how to balance the need to keep their own cultural identity, yet integrate into the new one. The concept of a metropolitan area is important to the understanding of the scope and purpose of this research study.

A metropolitan area refers to a large city, such as New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, or Chicago. A metropolitan area differs from other large cities in the mix of cultures and people who live there. Larger cities that are not truly metropolitan areas are dominated by one central cultural group. Other cultural groups might be found, but they typically inhabit the area in small, closed groups. They are forced to integrate into the dominant culture as a means of survival. The same cannot be said for the metropolitan area.

These areas tend to be more equally mixed, with people of different nations and cultures living together. A dominant culture might still be present, but they will not have the same effect as in smaller cities. The metropolitan area tends to develop its own cultural identity, one that is based on the heterogeneity that is within its borders. This concept of metropolitan cultural identity will play a key role in understanding the geographic affects of moving to LA from the Middle East.

1.3 Purpose Statement The purpose of this study will be to gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between geographic location and a person's sense of personal and cultural identity. It will focus on the identification of personal or cultural identity when a person changes geographic locations. 1.4 Personal Introduction My personal interest in the topic stems from experiences related to what it feels like to be in a different country. I am from Los Angeles and had never known anything different until I took an internship in Europe.

I soon came to understand that my attitude and mannerism had a particular "west coast American" style and flavor. The Europeans seemed much more "laid back" than the people around whom I grew up. My drive and ambition stuck out among European culture, but I had never noticed it until that point in my life. Globalization has had an effect of Americanizing Europe and it is much more so than it was in the past.

However, Europeans are much more likely to take a long lunch hour, or to take a more flexible approach to work than the Los Angelos crowd that was a part of my culture. Sometimes, I became impatient with their attitudes. However, by comparison, I found that my attitude is much more laid back than that of New Yorkers. My personal identity was different from those around me and I found that New York was faster paced than the Angelinos.

These differences made me start to ponder what helps to define and Angelino, a New Yorker, or a European? When I began to explore these differences, I found that it was my perspective that separated me from my counterparts from other metropolitan areas. I enjoyed wide-opened spaced, and New Yorkers liked small, cramped city streets. There were other differences, but these are an example of the traits that I could identify. Coming from a bilingual city, I had always considered myself open minded about cultural differences.

However, my experiences in Europe made me aware of the differences in culture and how a person defines themselves on the local flavor of an area. My personal identity changed in ways that I did not expect when I had to live in a place that was foreign to me. Through experiencing attitudes that were different from those that I held as a result of the area in which I grew up had an impact on my personal and cultural identity that served as key inspiration for this research study.

2.0 Review of Literature A review of literature related to how geography affects personal identity and cultural identity encompasses many areas of research, primarily within the areas of sociology and psychology. Studies have demonstrated that there are strong linkages between a person's personal identity and location. Studies have also demonstrated a linkage between class and location. Research has also suggested that these linkages are dynamic and that they change over time.

This research approaches the topic of personal identity and its connection with location by studying the changes that take place in a group of people who relocate from one area of the world to another with a completely different culture. The following will examine scholarly articles that highlight the connection between personal identity and location. Research into this area encompasses many different subtopics. However, the purpose of this research is general, in comparison with the specific nature of the current body of knowledge.

As a result of the diversity in topic areas concerning this research area, no particular researcher or group of researchers emerges as more important than others. All of the researchers must be given equal weight relation to the importance of their work. The following sampling of research represents some of the key authors and works in the area of location and personal identity. Toft (2003) examined the connection between personal identity, culture, and geography.

She concluded that culture and ethnicity are governed by geography and that these issues are the root of conflict. When one group feels that that their section of geography is being threatened, they will resort to violence to protect it. This research leads us to at study by Kim. Kim (2009) examined the issue of identity and geography in relation to power structures. She used a literature review as her key research tool.

The focus of her research was to examine the affects of splitting an area on the identity of its people. Her example focused on the Korean peninsula. Her work was not conclusive, except from the standpoint that geography and personal identity are closely linked. These studies concluded that geography could have an impact on national identity. However, another study by Dowling (2009) found that geography could also have an impact on social class. The study found that numerous class-related identity elements derive from a person's geographic location.

One example is the differences between people from the North and South. This can be more easily understood when one considers the fact that poor people have difficulty obtaining housing in wealthier sections of metropolitan areas. By the same token, those who are more affluent will not be likely to choose housing in poorer sections of the city. Penrose and Mole (2008) also addressed the role of nation in a person's identity and where it intersects the issue of geography.

These authors contend that within nations, internal divisions emerge as a result of differences in the ability to access resources. This supports the idea that class and identity are related to geography. Those that have the better geography will have a different set of attitudes than those who do not have the best geographic location. For example, Americans are considered to be more successful in comparison to other nations because they have access to more abundant resources. This can lead to assumptions about people that are based on geography alone.

However, not all assumptions about geography and location hold true. Mitchell (2007) challenged the widely accepted view that cosmopolitan people have a certain air or coldness about them. The study found that while certain general assumptions can be made based on geography, there are limits to the applicability of such generalizations. Mitchell argues in favor of challenging these assumptions. Generalizations have been found to have little predictive value as to the way in which individuals behave towards one another. These types of generalizations can lead to stereotypes and prejudiced attitudes.

One needs further information to make judgments about individuals that are based on geography. These issues of class lead us to the dynamic nature of geography. Rowles (1983) explored how identity in relation to one's geography change with age. The sample population for this study included elderly persons living in Appalachia. The study found that the elderly often place a greater attachment to a specific place. Locations helps them to sustain a sense of personal identity, than they did when they were younger. This phenomenon increases after the age of 75.

Studies support the supposition that place is important to a person. This brings us to the most relevant topic to the research subject. Bhugra and Becker (2005) found that migration could affect a person's mental well being. They found that moving to a place with a different culture is stressful. The loss of one's social structure can trigger a grief reaction in some migrants. They will miss their home culture. To further complicate the process, the person might not receive adequate help due to cultural or language barriers.

Eisenbruch (1991) found that cultural bereavement was particularly strong among Southeast Asian refugees. Some refugees might need therapy to overcome the trauma of losing their culture (Schreiber, 1995). Higher rates of mental illness are seen in migrants than in the local population. The ability of the individual to acculturate determines the likelihood that a migrant will develop mental illness as a result of cultural bereavement (Bhugra, 2004).

The literature supports the idea that people form attachments to geographic locations and that they suffer a loss when they must leave that location and their home culture. They identify themselves with that local culture and landscape. It becomes a part of the definition of who they are. The nation-state is a key manifestation of this concept, and an excellent vantage from which to study people's sense of identity.

The struggle for a homeland, as with the Sikhs in India or the struggle to return home highlights the importance of geography on a person's identity. This study will fill a gap in research that stems from the loss of homeland among a population of Middle Eastern migrants to the Los Angeles area. 3.0 Research Hypothesis The research hypothesis for this study states that Middle Eastern migrants over the age of 40 to the Los Angeles area will experience cultural bereavement and a sense of loss for their homeland.

The hypothesis will be.