• By: maximise     Date: 24-12-08
•     Report Abuse

Ewan, Thanks for your reflections on 'multiple identities'. I visualise what you say as a sort of 'fractionating column', distilling out different characteristics of one's identity.

However, I also see this as one dimension of a simple matrix consisting of your 'vertical' axis and secondly a horizontal axis which I might call 'role'. Here I would identify different personal descriptors such as family-man, church member, professional, hobbyist, entertainment etc etc.

The matrix thus identifies the volume of activity performed in each cell and, perhaps, suggests where obvious skills might equally be applied to other cells.

I say this because, in my own considerations of identity, I am sure that at times we can choose to reveal only parts of our identity to different audiences. This is particlarly so with my involvement with e-Portfolios, where we may choose to represent ourselves differently to different audiences.