Persist

Dylan Falck
Flash Fiction 

He knows he can do anything he puts his mind to. He tells himself, don’t give up because you think it is too difficult. He endures the hardships, because there will always be light at the end of the tunnel. Sometimes being afraid of the result by which would inevitably come, is what motivates him to carry on. Although exhausted, he shows his kindness and individuality because he never wants to belittle his reputation and character.  

Artist Statement 

In my flash fiction I wrote a story about the thought process that goes through my mind when I encounter something difficult in life.  I made it generic enough where it could be anything that you are going through at the time. I chose to base my story on the motivational side of my brain because it connects to my picture well. At first glance, you can tell my picture is me wrestling. I relate my flash fiction story to wrestling because wrestling is a tough sport, physically and mentally, so it is easy to want to give up. But you have to push yourself to finish the match, practice, workout, or whatever other activity that you are doing. I also chose this picture because my facial expression shows that I am tired but I'm still ready to wrestle I can see this in my personality because I always work hard to get what I want and try not to give up whether it's on the mat, in the classroom, at work, or anywhere else. In the picture, I am wearing a white singlet and the color white can represent things that are good and pure. In my life I try to be as pure and good as I can be in the way I treat myself and others. Although I make mistakes, I think part of my personality is that most of the time my thoughts and actions are for the most part positive. 

Reflection 

There are many different theories and opinions on what someone's personality is. There is also lots of debate on how to define someone's personality and how that identity has formed throughout their life and if it has the ability to change or keep changing. Some people believe that you are born with a personality and that never changes, and others believe that it is ever changing or that your personality has become the way it is by past experiences. 

Three of the most recognized personality theories are the collective unconscious theory, Freud psychoanalytic theory, and the humanistic theory. The collective unconscious theory is a philosophy by Carl Jung that says, “every human being is endowed with this psychic archetype layer since his/her birth. One cannot acquire this strata by education or other conscious effort because it is innate”(Green). Meaning that everyone has an archetype since birth that doesn’t change and isn't acquired. Frued’s psychoanalytic theory is a belief that, “our impulses between the id, ego, and superego is what defines us”(Green). It also says how we balance and react these parts of ourselves is what causes us to act differently from each other. The humanistic theory by Maslow views personality as ever changing and focuses on the potential for healthy personal growth. This article says “He (Maslow) was mainly concerned with an individual's innate drive toward self-actualization- a state of fulfillment in which a person is achieving at his or her highest level of capability” (Lumen).  

In my opinion, I think that the humanistic theory is the right one. I think that our personalities are always changing based on the environment that we are surrounded by. I believe that anyone can and will change which can usually allow for healthy personal growth which goes with the humanistic personality characteristics about self-actualization. I think that my identity was formed by the people that I surround myself with and my beliefs that I've had for a long time. I think we have some control over the shaping of our identities because there are some pieces of your identity that you can’t change. Like the way you were raised and the opportunities that you are given.  I think that our identity and personality influence our choices because the choices you make can often reflect on who you are as a person. I think that the relationships in our lives have a big impact on our identities. We expand our self-concept by adding new information that we believe would be positive or beneficial for ourselves. Another way our relationships influence our identities is by those relationships urging us to change negative aspects about ourselves. But it can also be the opposite and the relationships you have can make you gain negative traits from a bad influence. I think internal identity is who we think we are and who we want to be, but external identity is how we present ourselves to others and what other people think about us.