It is primarily through our identification with social groups that we define ourselves.Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing

Since prehistorical time, sapiens, human beings’ ancestors, assembled into a community to ward off being threatened to death by large mammals. At the same time, they formed regulations and conventions for better and harmonious living patterns and also built a variety of communities which later became a massive society. Till now, people, as social animals, define their owns in social groups of families, careers, and communities to some extent; however, maverick people define themselves mainly by their own rather than conformity with others.

Socialization and urbanization stimulate people to work and live condense, therefore, most people define themselves by what groups they are in or called communities. When a baby is born, he or she will belong to the daughter or son of parents. They are being raised and taken care of by parents and parents give their children all love they have. This child grows up and go to kindergarten, he or she gradually knows that sharing toys with each other is necessity and listening to teachers is a discipline. The definition of an individual in this period is to be a friend of someone and be a docile student in teachers’ eyes. Still until grown ups have been middle-school students, someone will be elected to be a class monitor or they are sifted in gifted basketball player team as linebackers or forwards, meaning that they have been in different groups and adapt to the roles they register. After graduation, college graduates step into the society and become employees in companies, namely, they are brokers, teachers, professors, entrepreneurs, and so on who are responsible for serving people. When people find love and get married to someone, the rotation of child rearing and parenting shows again. All in all, people from birth to adulthood define themselves largely in identification of social groups including families, schools, hobby community, and career.

However, when experiencing sweetness and bitterness during growing up, people become mature mentally and find themselves with their own understanding towards life rather than identification of social groups. Current social codes signal to people that money is the most useful and valuable in the world. Although some people make money at the cost of health and alienation from families and friends, some people still choose to quiet and detached lifestyle. The writer of Killing a Mocking Bird Harper Lee won the Pulitzer Prize in the 1960s and her influential novel brought her everything including fame, recognition, and also money. However, she still put them down and granted no requests with interviews and public appearance because she would not go through the pressure and publicity she went through in To Kill a Mockingbird for any amount of money. Only when going through hardship and achieving dreams had people better pursue serenity and detachment. Social groups’ attitude or life philosophy does not influence theirs any more. Detachment is regarded as the worthiest fortune for these people.

In addition, although some people, especially geniuses, are in young age without experiencing hardship and suffering, they still never identify themselves with social groups and their dogma before but with their own distinctively creative insight. The most vivid example is Steve Jobs. He changed world and people’s lifestyle because he was different from anyone. Smart phone optimized people’s life and working and click-button phone backs off the stage because of Steve Jobs. Albert Einstein worked as a clerk in a patent bureau to raise his family during which he did not stop his research of physics theory. His dedication and passion to physics enables him to be the greatest physicist in the world. Therefore, some people can position themselves clearly according to their interest and strength instead of identification with social groups.

To conclude it, individuals’ families, careers, hobbies identify themselves in the whole lifetime. However, middle-age people always identify themselves based on their own experiences and viewpoints towards life. And some gifted persons pursue their dream with perseverance others cannot release, which is meant that they define themselves on their own rather than association with others.