Belonging Can Distort Ones Identity

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“Belonging can distort ones identity” It is a natural human need to want to belong, we all want to have a place where we belong, where we feel needed and feel important. But by belonging to a group or a society our identity might change or be sacrificed in order to conform and fit in. Most people don’t want to be labelled as an “outsider’ therefore extreme lengths may be taken to avoid this, an individual may change their opinions, beliefs, morals, appearance or even go as far as ignoring a major part of their identity, such as their ethnicity or sexuality just to feel a sense of “belonging”. Some people may not be consciously aware that they have changed their identity, while others may willing do so. Individuals may believe that changing themselves is for the better, while others feel they have to because of the amount of peer pressure they may feel from others or a society. For people who are living in a society where they are in the ethnic minority, such as refugees or migrants often find it hard to fit into a new country/society. Dealing with two conflicting cultures is difficult and some refugees and migrants tend to identity with the dominant culture because they feel that’s the only way they can belong in that society. Refugees and asylum seekers have been a major topic in Australian politics, and whether or not we have an obligation to allow them into this country. For refugees and asylum seekers they have to struggle with not only leaving their country but coming into a new country where everything is new to them, some feel pressure from both sides, as they are so used to being one thing and they feel they have to be that way to please their family back home, while the new society they belong to has completely different expectations of them. While most willingly make an effort to conform by learning English and learning about the country, others feel that

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