Identity

I was most captivated by the thoughts of identity in this writing.  The authors of this book took years to formulate their study and collaborative work, and I think that it would take years to truly digest the nuances of each thought presented here.  But the concenpt of our identities being formed in different manners and then viewed from positions of comprehending authority is, to my mind, a brilliant viewpoint which can be applied to nearly every individual and relationship that I see in my own world.

The authors speak of the inherent development of the female as a reflection of the mother/daughter connection, and thus females tend to structure identity via connecction.

Male children must separate from their mother in order to form identity, thus they operate under the influence of autonomy. 

As a result of this basic tendency, women tend to form their identity with connection, relationships, and responsibility.  Their perspective of reality, truth and authority is deeply enmeshed with connection to themselves, the more powerful and the lesser empowered.  The bonding and nurturing mechanism is inherent and often tends to be primary in the formation of the female psyche.

The basic tendency of the male identity formation has that element of autonomy and separation that comes from gender identity.  Therefore the natural evolution of the male concept tends to be more individual, automonous and based on the rights of the individual.  Empowerment and identity comes not through connection, but in a more hierarchal manner.  Connections are made in a more singular fashion and with authority levels.

The positions written about in this book are discussions of the ways that woman and men tend to learn the truths of existence, and how they come to know that truth.  What is our identity, our role, our spirit, our purpose, our needs, our understandings and how we apply that knowledge as we incorporate that information into our psyches and relationships. 

This study was an explanation of the process of the evolution of the female psyche and illustrated the dynamic nature of human development.  Not only do we move through different psychological postions as individuals and in relationships, but we also find a "voice" to project and share this knowledge and speak our own truths. 

The stories are emotionally touching, insightful and enlightening.  If there is only one thing that I can take from this reading, I would have to say that the individual is in a flow of development with many channels and obstacles in the stream.  As humans, we do not cease to progress, move, flow ever onward, but we can be tumbled in rapids or swirled in wild eddys or caught in stagnant pools.  This is a tale of our flowing, evolving and ever forming identities and discoveries of truth, reality and authority and how we learn to live and speak that discovered truth.