Issues of Identity Off-Campus
Identity is your sense of what defines you in relation to or in distinction from others. Immersion in a new cultural environment often brings about a challenge to and/or reassessment of individual or group identity. That identity may be linked to gender, sexuality, race, nationality, religion or other factors. Whether you are prompted to reconsider what was previously a core facet of your identity, to reclaim a prior identity, or to conceive of your identity in a totally new manner, this process can be tumultuous. It will also likely affect the onset of, and your ability to cope with, culture shock.
It is important to realize that your identity can be substantially challenged whether or not your off-campus program takes you out of the United States. Living, studying, and working in a new region of the country, or in an urban or rural setting that is different from your home environment, are likely to present opportunities to reassess elements of yourself in which you may or may not previously have felt secure.
Common example of ways in which new cultural environments can challenge identity include:
- Existing in the host culture as a part of the racial majority, after living within a minority in the home culture. The opposite often occurs as well, and you may find that the very concept of "racial minority or majority" has different definitions in the host culture than in the home culture.
- Encountering a culture that approaches sexual orientation differently than the home culture does. You may be prompted to reconsider your sexuality for the first time, or may struggle with maintaining your sexual identity.
- Having one's national or regional identity challenged by the host culture. You might feel the need to defend or explain the United States and its actions abroad, or might find yourself defined by others as "American," as opposed a self-identification such as Asian-American, African-American, etc. Additionally, you might be asked to defend or expected to represent everything understood as essentially "American."
- Coming into contact with new conceptions of gender roles. Both men and women may find their "spheres" more strictly delineated in their host culture than in their home culture. Women may find themselves the subjects of different, perhaps uncomfortable or unwanted, attention from men in a host culture. Men may find themselves entirely limited to contact with other men.
Considering which of these challenges may apply to your off-campus experience, and thinking about and discussing how you might cope with these situations will help prepare you for your experience. During your program, employing the coping strategies detailed in this handbook, chronicling your growth and change in a personal journal, talking with other program participants, and staying in contact with your program director regarding these challenges can ease potential struggles. Know that your experience will likely demand that you push your comfort zone.
It is part of a growth process to become aware of the various facets of your identity as well as becoming aware of and respecting the identities of others. Use this process and the opportunities presented to gain a deeper understanding of your sense of self, and how others perceive you.
