Where does your identity come from.?

[Laura J]

When you think of your gender identity, 
Where does it come from in you.? 

Your heart? Mind? Soul? Body? A mixture of those.?

Share your thoughts as to the source of your identity.? 

[Laura J]

Hi Julie..

Logically I know gender is all in the brain, or mind,
or so the scientists say.

But it often feels it is much deeper than that.

My heart is what feels the responses to everything I see, hear and touch.
My soul or core being seems like the root of all that is me,
And my body gives form and senses to everything I am.
And my mind is what makes sense of it all in a way I can express myself and present an image of all the other above components.

[Ativan Prescribed]

Soul, mind, heart, body.
The chain of command?
It's all so integrated it's hard to put an order on this thinking.
Things get run up the chain as much as down it, but it seems like that's how it works.
As far as gender goes, it all carries the same weight, even if one is more dominant at any given time.
That it works smoothly can be attributed to several factors.

[Taka]

some scientists think the entire nervous system plays a role in memory. there are people who have inherited emotions from their heart donor. body or mind? is there truly a difference? the mind is shaped by the body, you are trans or cis because of how they work together. there would be no trans if body and mind were truly separate, there would be no reason to wish for congruence.

[Ayla]

Soul, mind, heart and body works for me but most 'experts' now see gender as bio/psycho/social in origin and this also makes sense to me. Not really obsessing why it is, it just is... and I am learning to accept and to express this as authentically as I am able.

Safe travels

Aisla

[Deleted]

I don't really know. To me it's just there. I guess it's just who I am. Interesting question though.

[Taka]

my identity is everything that makes me similar to any other group of people or animals or organisms or other substances in the universe.
and it is everything that can be used to identify me as a unique individual, unlike any other ever seen or to be seen.

that's a whole lot.
body, mind, spirit, soul, all of whatever you want to call the different things that makes me me.
a person so much like any other. a living organism. a lump of atoms that can be found so many other places in the universe.
and yet so different from anyone else.

who cares what part it is that makes me me.
i believe all together is needed.
it's a big puzzle, and we're still not getting very close to identifying all the different pieces and how they come together.

[Deleted]

Mar 3, 2015 21:21:33 GMT 8 Laura J said:

When you think of your gender identity, 
Where does it come from in you.? 
. . .
Share your thoughts as to the source of your identity.? 

I got mine out of a mail-order catalogue. This was long before there was such a thing as online shopping. But I saw this bright, beautiful soul, and I said, "I gotta have that one!" So I ordered it.

Seriously, where does my gender identity come from within me? Nowhere, everywhere. It's like God--you know, ubiquitous. It is me. There's no part of me that isn't it.  Sometimes I call it "my soul".  But note that I don't say I have a soul.  I say I am a soul.  A bright, beautiful soul planted in a disaster of a body.  And when I find the b*** who was responsible for this body, well, I'm going to have a few gently reproachful words to impart to him concerning how competently I think he does his job.

[Deleted]

Mar 5, 2015 1:58:59 GMT 8 @foxglove said:

Mar 3, 2015 21:21:33 GMT 8 Laura J said:

When you think of your gender identity, 
Where does it come from in you.? 
. . .
Share your thoughts as to the source of your identity.? 

I got mine out of a mail-order catalogue. This was long before there was such a thing as online shopping. But I saw this bright, beautiful soul, and I said, "I gotta have that one!" So I ordered it.

Seriously, where does my gender identity come from within me? Nowhere, everywhere. It's like God--you know, ubiquitous. It is me. There's no part of me that isn't it.  Sometimes I call it "my soul".  But note that I don't say I have a soul.  I say I am a soul.  A bright, beautiful soul planted in a disaster of a body.  And when I find the b*** who was responsible for this body, well, I'm going to have a few gently reproachful words to impart to him concerning how competently I think he does his job.

I laughed my but off when I read that. Yeah I remember those days when the net was something you caught fish with and surfing was actually riding waves even though where I'm from is landlocked. I also remember 4 channels on the TV, NBC, CBS, ABC and PBS. When Fox was formed and was on UHF, hell I thought I really had something there. I wonder how kids nowdays could deal with that. No cellphones and the Postal system. Hell I wonder how I could deal with it now even.

I do however think Taka is right. I believe it's the whole shittin' shebang that makes up our gender identity. I just really don't think you can point it to one specific reason or source but all variables.

[Patty]

If I am going to post I read the topic and the first post I think this is why sometimes I am so different in my thoughts.I just don't want to be influenced by others.
My identity is definitely Mind and heart.Even back when I was a little guy I never liked my name (Peter) for some reason, and the parts seemed wrong.Yes I grew up as a guy and was active at 14 but things never seemed quite right, something was missing.Took awhile to figure out what ,then asked myself why do I feel this way what are these thoughts? They were in my mind and heart ,yes I was very active but my heart was not really in it,always felt I was faking my feelings.Then being told by a girl that I was much like them kinda sealed the deal. Problem is I never knew what to do about it. Living back then was almost like the dark ages,and stuff like I felt would surly have put me in the nut house. My body just became the enforcer for the thoughts in my mind which was not really bad because "he" protected "me" all my life. I believe my soul came into play later as I matured and gained knowledge about life and people and how I responded to them, especially women. I knew each relationship would end because I literally was not what they thought they saw. Just a hologram of a male who had learned to adapt and survive life on its terms. Patty

[Leena]

I think my mind mostly. As long as I can remember, I always felt I my personality would work so much better if I were a girl. Even though it maybe shouldn't, according to some, my body does play a role in my identity. It's not the one I'd prefer, but I am trying to make the best use of it I can, and make it look the best I can. I'd rather my body be one like a cut, good looking, guy rather than one of a fat guy, even if on some level the cut, good looking, guy body is more masculine. It's also hard to say if I would identify as Non-Binary if I were born FAAB, everything else the same. There are options that aren't really available to MAAB such as being a tomboy, or being a butch lesbian, both of which generally still usually identify as being a woman. Such categories don't socially exist for MAAB, there is not a corollary to tomboy, as "sissies" are looked down upon, and tomboys are not. I think really should have been able to be that corollary, I've before called it a veronicagirl, because no non-pejorative term really exists. A little self indulgent, perhaps, but the bigger problem is that "sissies" are looked down upon as kids and are forced to build up some fake macho persona that other people like and the "sissie" hates…

If I could have been a veronicagirl, I might not have had to become bigender/genderfluid…and just been a guy that has some interests and clothing preferences that are generally deemed as girls, and doesn't care...

[Edge]

Mar 4, 2015 13:53:08 GMT 8 Taka said:

some scientists think the entire nervous system plays a role in memory. there are people who have inherited emotions from their heart donor. body or mind? is there truly a difference? the mind is shaped by the body, you are trans or cis because of how they work together. there would be no trans if body and mind were truly separate, there would be no reason to wish for congruence.

That's interesting. I'd like to look into that further.
I'd say it's a bunch of factors that all affect my mind which is where my identity comes from. I think.