Defining Identity in the Midst of Substantialism and Constructivism

The theoretical views on identity can be put into three general categories: those that, regardless of society , history, and its evolution, believe in a fixed essence for identity; those that regard human identity as lacking in an essence, and consider it as being formed merely in social environment and influenced by social knowledge and "others"; and those that, while accepting an essence and an existential structure for human beings, regard identity flourishing and change as influenced by society. By addressing three basic questions about identity, that is, the relationship between identity and "human existential structure", "cognition" and "otherness and distinction," the paper attempts to show the correctness of the third perspective, which accepts the essence of man and the role of society in forming identity, but does not regard knowledge and otherness as an exclusive factor in the emergence of identity. It considers them as important factors in flourishing and dynamism of identity within the framework of human existential essence. The research method is based on the logical analysis of the concepts used in defining identity or reference to evidence of social facts and extraction of its logical requirements.