Improving sense of personal identity

Rather than really knowing themselves and their own qualities, people often based their sense of identity on their interactions with others. This results in a perception of the self based upon the way they would like to be seen by others or the way they think others see them it is therefore no surprise that many people base their identity on factors such as their occupation, etiquette, dress, nationality, colour, sex, age, social status, ideologies and wealth. As these factors are to some extent transitory, such a sense of identity required continual maintenance, nurturing and protection. Much energy is then devoted to establishing and defending this identity and life can become an external search for the reinforcement of personal self-worth, too often overlooking the fundamental goodness that exists in every human being.