What Are the Similarities Between Culture and Identity?
One similarity between individual identity and any given culture is the value of experience. A person must experience something within life to know who they are. When enough people share the same experiences and values, with a similar goal or purpose in mind, a culture comes to life. Experiences vary from person to person, and the value they carry with them is subjective. This often makes culture hard to measure.
Other similarities between identity and culture are the basic components that make these social constructs work. Developing an identity requires some form of interaction and personal perspective over a period of time. Culture, as a building block of society, also requires interaction whether it is symbolic or just physical and a history. Culture is passed from one generation to the next; without this cultural succession, there is no culture, only social phenomenon.
Another similarity between identity and culture is the way in which they influence each other every day and over time. The more a person gives a conscious and constructive contribution to their culture, the more their identity benefits from their actions. When individual contribution and social reward work well together, cultural interaction and personal identity make each other stronger over time.
