Identity and the Humanities analysis part 3 Relationship between the humanities and self-identity. The humanities are cr

Identity and the Humanities analysis part 3

Relationship between the humanities and self-identity.

The humanities are crucial for building and knowing self-identity as they are the doorways for reflection of people’s inner feelings. Literature, visual arts, or performance as creative works serve as mirrors offering people to identify their emotional lives and reinterpret them. The humanistic engagement promotes a deeper emotional awareness, and it can be restorative and work in the mental health treatment (Hoffman, 2016). For example, someone who suffers from anxiety may find that a novel or painting reflects his or her experiences. Thus aiding that person to vocalize and comprehend his or her identity. Symbolic meaning and narratives that realize personal struggles to the broader human experiences are a proposition of The humanities.

Description of the sociocultural factors which influence identity construction.

Ethnicity, race, gender identity, sexuality and religion are serious sociocultural factors that affect identity development. What these factors do determine is how people will go about expressing themselves, or whether their mental health sufferings will be validated or stigmatized by society. In a way, this is what Cvetkovich (2012) means when she contends that mental health could not be explained only in cultural terms; Public emotions such depression is influenced by political, social and historical conditions. Take, for example, individuals who live in communities which stigmatize psychological distress and may have trouble incorporating mental health into their self-concept, or individuals who may identify with narratives of resilience impressed on them by their collective histories.

Explain how different humanities subject areas can be used to understand one's identity.

Each discipline within the humanities has tools by which one may learn more about themselves. In literary works we see introspective narratives that assist readers to associate with various characters and introspective conditions. Symbolic imagery of visual art that can be a painting or photography expresses psychological depth; the performing arts of theater, for example, or music create an embodied experience of identity and an emotional release. However, De Botton (2002) suggests that it is not only about aesthetic pleasure offered by the arts but also about self-investigation and emotional growth. The ongoing development of self – identity, especially in relation to mental health, it is contributed each sub field differently.

How do different views affect self-concept?

Different people having diverse perspectives challenge our assumptions. It exposes us to additional ways to think about and understand identity. To expose people to mental health narratives, people of different races or cultural backgrounds helps develop empathy. For instance, we can expand Western models and take a broader view of psychological wellbeing. For example, by learning how mental health is perceived in particular Indigenous communities or LGBTQ+ communities. With the dependence of humanistic education on multiple perspectives, according to Hoffman (2016) it breeds empathy and makes people rethink their place in terms of the larger human community. Therefore, the diversification in the humanities is essential in forming a self-concept one would be able to have an informed, compassionate, and adaptable one. 

References

Cvetkovich, A. (2012). Depression: A public feeling. Duke University Press.

De Botton, A. (2002). The art of travel. Vintage International.

Hoffman, E. (2016). Humanities and mental health: The soul of mental health treatment. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 56(1), 3–9. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022167815613604