Personal identity is the persistent and continuous vision that human beings have of themselves that evolves and develops throughout their lives. This can include aspects of your life that you have no control over, such as where you grew up or the color of your skin, as well as the choices you make in life, such as how you spend your time and what you believe. You outwardly demonstrate parts of your personal identity through what you wear and how you interact with other people. You may also keep some elements of your personal identity to yourself, even when these parts of you are very important. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Before taking this course, I often struggled with the simple question, “Who am I?” and I've thought a lot about who I might become in the future, as well as the amount of personal control I have over these questions. These uncertainties have been thought about and discussed throughout history, particularly by philosophers who have immersed themselves in the search for knowledge about the nature of the human being. Most people feel that they want to endure in some way, both in life and beyond death. The philosophy of personal identity aims to address these questions of existence and how we know we exist over time. How do you know you were the same person you were as a child? Is it because you remember growing up in the same body you have now? Or is it because you have the same mind? What criteria can be used to confirm that you are, in fact, a "person"? When you ask yourself how you know you're the same person you were as a child, it's a matter of persistence. In other words, we perceive that our self “persists” throughout our life as the same human being. The philosophers Plato and Descartes, as well as many religions, proposed that we persist because we have a soul, a timeless essence that continues in some form even after the death of our living, breathing human body. I agree with this view, which has had a strong impact on shaping the way I look at people today. In my opinion, a person's personal identity evolves, grows and changes throughout their life, as they do. But there is a difference between who you identify with and the person you are. You are still the same as you were when you were born, housing the same mind and soul in the same body. However, the mind, soul, and body go through incredible existential changes during this period. Your opinions and attitudes on particular topics may change and your body becomes almost unrecognizable, yet you are still the same human being you were at birth. A person's identity, however, is shaped by many different aspects. Family, friends, personal interests, cultures and surroundings are all factors that help shape a person's identity. Some factors may have a greater influence than others, and some may have no influence at all. When a person grows up in a family, he is influenced by many aspects of his life. Family and culture can influence one's sense of responsibility, ethics and morals, musical tastes, humor and sports, and many other aspects of life. Friends and surroundings can influence a person's tastes in clothing, music, language, and social activities. While these things have a strong influence on who we are and how others see us, personal identity has also made me realize that there are many characteristics of people over which they have no control and that they should not judge people based on these factors.