Identity Construction

Identity Construction

In this world there exist so many ways through which people view how others construct
their identity. Construction identity has been in so many ways taken as a very integral part of the
human species. This has been investigated and explained in many platforms in different
approaches. In this concept, according to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary (2011) identity can be
defined as the characteristics of a person that makes an individual to be recognized as a normal
or active member of a given group. Identity construction is referred to as the way a person shapes
his knowledge, values, beliefs, discourses, and practices which are usually influenced by the
systems dominating the culture and his own actions. Identity can also be considered as a trial or
maybe an attempt for one trying to create, enhance, or maintaining the views about him or
herself.

How do we participate in identity construction as a viewer?

Ideally, identity can be viewed as a concept that offers provisions for answering questions
such as who a person is. In this case, it can then appear to be all about personality. In this case,
the concept that needs to be understood in this context is how one participates in the identity
construction of an individual as a viewer. The human brain is built of so many thoughts and it
controls the senses in making the individual body parts functions. As a viewer, there are so many
ways one can change or help in the identity construction of others or even to oneself.
One of the British historians, who was also a philosopher Collingwood (1938), claims
that the artwork that is finished must undergo recreation in the viewers' minds for it to operate
like a work of art. As a viewer, in this context, one will have to collaborate with artists by
imagination so that he or she can be able to reconstruct the imaginative and impassioned
expression of the artist. Ideally, the art is acting as the collaboration between the viewer and the

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main artist. Ideally, to make it more understanding, the viewer is not considered as the artist
receptor of emotions but he or she is considered as the participant who is very active in creation.
The other concept is that the artist who is trying to construct his or her identity is required
to always transform all that he or she feels through communicative lingos. The process of the
artist making art that will help him or viewers to participate in identity construction and putting
what they feel into physical forms, that the specific artist may come to know him or herself better
(Duffy, Page & Young, 2012). When one reaches a deeper understanding of some of his or her
self-directory, this will surely correlates to one being to construct his or her identity. In this
concept, each and every piece of artwork will offer provisions to a new canvas, in speaking, this
will create space such as the breadth and depth to the personal character of an artist and thus, in
turn, will lead to identity construction. The above-mentioned notion with regards to discourses,
values, knowledge, and beliefs can be expanded further beyond own-self by including contexts
such as religion, gender, race, and one’s culture (Jones, 2019).
In conclusion, a viewer can help the artist in constructing his identity in so many ways.
As a viewer, the first concept is being imaginative and impassioned, which will help the artist to
collaborate. The artist can be able to construct his identity through what he sees from the
audience and thus as a viewer one can participate easily in identity construction.

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References

Collingwood, R.G. (1938). Principles of art.Oxford, England: Clarendon Press
Duffy, M., Page, J. T., & Young, R. (2012). Obama as anti-American: Visual folklore in right-
wing forwarded e-mails and construction of conservative social identity. The Journal of
American Folklore, 125(496), 177-203.
Jones, L. (2019). Discourses of transnormativity in vloggers’ identity construction. International
Journal of the Sociology of Language, 2019(256), 85-101.
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary (2011). MA: Merriam-Webster Inc