Is Identity a Fiction?

To what degree is identity illusory, even somewhat dreamlike? This article follows that thread, developing it through experiences related to being a refugee as well as a foreigner. Usually, these life events mean crossing various perimeters, not only borders but also perimeters of culture, language, legal status, social norms, and much more. These perimeters can be used to define us; however, this often results in a felt loss of a person's individuality. A case example of a young trans person further explores an idea of perimeters when they come to signify gender, sex, and sexual orientation. Older concepts of identity, which many of us relied on during our earlier periods of training, no longer seem to apply to what many adolescents today communicate about their internal lives. They prefer an openness that can be fluid over definitive self-concepts that can feel limiting. In light of this shift, the author wonders whether identity remains a useful psychological term.