1.1.1 Influence of Beliefs and Values on Identity



Cuban people march to Revolution Square in the city of Camaguëy, Cuba on May 1st, Cuba's International Workers Day. Image by user Maxence on Fllickr,  Creative Commons (CC BY 2.0)

Throughout your Social Studies education, you have been asked to consider and explore your own identity as well as the identities of others. Important questions such as “who are you as an individual?”, “who are you as a member of a group” and “how do my beliefs and values shape my identity and the identities of others?”


Observe the people on the left. They are Cuban citizen who are marching as part of a national celebration to commemorate International Worker's Day, one of the most important days within the nation of Cuba. Cuba is by many accounts, a repressive state that consistently controls the actions and environment of its citizens tightly. Are the identities of these people shaped by an ideology? Is it necessary for them to be provided the opportunity to exert control in their own life? Conversely, is your identity affected by ideology?


Despite the fact that we are all individuals, with personal identities and some variable beliefs and values among us, we also must recognize that part of our identity is shaped by how we fit in as members of various groups. Indeed, identity is both individualistic and collective in nature. For this reason, our individual and collective identities are both important to consider when determining what beliefs and values we hold, and how those beliefs and values might eventually help to construct the ideological systems we uphold.


Many factors influence our individual and collective beliefs and values. How do family, culture, and religion shape our beliefs? How does gender influence our values and the values of society? How do religion and spirituality shape us both as individuals and as members within a group? Our environment and our relationship to land influences our actions and dictates the perspective lens we see the world with, often for the duration of our lives. As technology advances, the media and the languages they incorporate, also work to shape our identity.


What role does ideology play in establishing our identity?


Ideologies are big ideas about the nature of people and society and will be the premise for this course. While progressing through Social 30-1 consider these questions:


  • What are your beliefs and values? (and why do you have them?)


  • What factors influence your personal and collective beliefs and values?



Read about beliefs, values, and identities on pages 23 to 26 in your text Perspectives on Ideology.



In this section, you will be answering these questions:
What are your beliefs and values?
What factors influence your personal and collective beliefs and values?