self-definition
Declaring your identity
Self-definition is the process of determining who you are—your identity, values, and boundaries—on your own terms rather than accepting external labels.
It can also mean a definition that a word or concept provides of itself: The statute includes a self-definition in its opening section.
The emphasis is on autonomy: Her twenties were a period of intense self-definition.
One's defining characteristics
- individualityUnique personal character
- authenticityQuality of being genuine
- core valuesFundamental guiding beliefs
- characterNature, symbol, or role
essence · personal truth · identity formation · introspection · soul-searching · uniqueness
Freedom from external control
- agencyPower to act
- boundariesLines marking separation
- empowermentGaining authority or confidence
- sovereigntySupreme independent authority
personal choice · assertiveness · liberation · freedom · ownership · standing ground · voice · reclaiming
Philosophy stressing self-created meaning
- SartreFrench existentialist philosopher
- essenceFundamental nature of something
- becomingAttractive or appropriate
- phenomenologyStudy of subjective experience
consciousness · subjectivity · free will · Kierkegaard · Nietzsche · authenticity · bad faith · ontology
Arranging into groups
- classificationSystematic grouping by traits
- terminologySubject-specific vocabulary
- namingAssigning a label
- descriptorWord that describes something
identifier · taxonomy · pronouns · orientation · diagnosis · cultural identity · ethnic identity · gender identity
personal identity
One's defining characteristics
- individualityUnique personal character
- authenticityQuality of being genuine
- core valuesFundamental guiding beliefs
character · essence · personal truth · identity formation · introspection · soul-searching · uniqueness
independence
Freedom from external control
- agencyPower to act
- boundariesLines marking separation
- empowermentGaining authority or confidence
personal choice · sovereignty · assertiveness · liberation · freedom · ownership · standing ground · voice · reclaiming · breaking free
existentialism
Philosophy stressing self-created meaning
- SartreFrench existentialist philosopher
- essenceFundamental nature of something
- becomingAttractive or appropriate
phenomenology · consciousness · subjectivity · free will · Kierkegaard · Nietzsche · authenticity · bad faith · ontology · lived experience
categorization
Arranging into groups
- classificationSystematic grouping by traits
- terminologySubject-specific vocabulary
- namingAssigning a label
descriptor · identifier · taxonomy · pronouns · orientation · diagnosis · cultural identity · ethnic identity · gender identity · religious identity
self-definitionstereotyping
Oversimplified group-based judgments
pigeonholing · public perception · societal expectations · typecasting · social construction
self-definitionidentity confusion
Unclear sense of self
self-doubt · identity crisis · amorphousness · formlessness · indefiniteness
self-definitionconformity
Adherence to norms
assimilation · deindividuation · indoctrination · subjugation · self-abnegation
self, definition, selves, selfish, selfless, selfhood, selfishness, selflessly, define