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Interaction with other human beings is the crucial element of life, as it directly affects the emotional and psychological development of the person and the formation of his/her worldview. Therefore, the society surrounding the person can be considered the most important factor influencing the formation of one’s views and opinions.
Though modern people often claim that the most important thing is to be faithful to one’s personal values, the fulfillment of values regarded as essential by the people surrounding the person remains much more influential. Cultural history is one of the vital factors that have an impact on the attitudes and beliefs prevailing in the society.
Therefore, cultural history often shapes the person’s sense of identity, as people regard their cultural background as the essential constituent of their personality. If the person loses the ability to distinguish between cultural history and his/her identity, the consequences can be rather destructive, as in the case of Okonkwo from Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart.”
The example of Okonkwo illustrates how cultural history can be connected to the sense of one’s identity. Okonkwo considers being devoted to the traditions originating from the history of his tribe, the most important duty in his life. His personality is inseparable from the culture of the environment where he grew up, as all of his actions are guided by the strong willing to be a respectful member of his community.
Okonkwo’s obsession with trying to demonstrate masculine traits is directly related to the cultural history of his tribe. One of the brightest episodes revealing the dominance of cultural history over Okonkwo’s personality is the scene of the murder of Ikemefuna. Though Okonkwo loves the boy and treats him as a part of his family, he ignores his personal feelings and attitudes in order to demonstrate his devotion to the traditions of his tribe and avoid being considered effeminate.
Okonkwo suppresses his personal wishes in favor of the traditions and beliefs of the tribe. Such an example demonstrates that cultural history can be not only an influential factor but a dominating one. Some people lose the ability to distinguish their personal beliefs and opinions from the attitudes of cultural history. In such cases, the identity of a person becomes inseparable from his/her cultural history.
The destructive nature of excessive devotion to cultural history is also expressed it the person’s inability to exist outside his/her culture. In such a case, a person can lose the motivation to live and experience severe psychological problems if certain events modify the cultural environment or force him/her to move to another environment.
For example, Okonkwo fails to adjust to the new conditions after the culture of his tribe experiences the influence of white Christians. Okonkwo’s sense of identity is that much inseparable from the cultural history that the changes in the culture of his tribe put a serious threat to his ability to lead a normal life.
Many people in the real world experience similar difficulties related to the significant stress caused by the impact of modern tendencies at the culture they feel indivisible with. Such a situation can have significant negative effects on the life of a person as the loss of the sense of identity makes the person disorientated in life goals and vulnerable.
The phenomenon of the deep connection between cultural history and the sense of identity has its roots in the history of mankind and the specifics of the human psyche. Most developed societies have put a strong emphasis on promoting the traditions and culture prevailing in them. Being devoted to the values dominating the culture of the society has always been one of the main requirements for achieving success in the community.
Therefore, people have always been forced to consider cultural history as an essential element of their sense of identity. The human psyche is another factor contributing to the significant role of cultural history. The human psyche can function well if the person fulfills the needs of a social creature. Existing outside of society causes severe negative psychological consequences.
The feeling of belonging to some community and the willingness to be respected and praised by the members of society is one of the essential needs of any human. Any action the person does has value only if other people witness and appreciate it. That is why the factors influencing the dominating views of society, such as cultural history, have a strong influence on the personality and shapes his/her sense of identity.
There is no doubt that humans are highly social creatures. The cultural history as an important heritage of the society plays a crucial role in forming a person’s sense of identity. The excessive influence of cultural history can lead to the situation when the person’s identity is inseparable from the traditions of its society. When the connection between cultural history and one’s sense of identity becomes too strong, the person can experience significant difficulties, as in the case of Okonkwo from “Things Fall Apart.”
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