ABSTRACT
Starting with a discussion of four central themes of identity (personal–collective; sameness–difference; constancy–change over time; construct–essence), this chapter develops an original framework to grasp the complexities of identity, based on distinguishing two constituent parts, i.e. the intentionally perceptible and the imperceptible mosaic substrate of identity. Using a diagrammatic representation of this framework, each constituent part of identity is discussed separately, discerning their own components. For the intentionally perceptible, gender, age, family status, political and ideological beliefs, religious affiliation, culture, nationality, ethnicity, etc.; and for the imperceptible mosaic substrate of identity, items that relate to sense perception, sense of time, space, and belonging, etc. The term onto-ecological settledness is introduced to refer to the dynamic relationship between the totality of one’s being with the totality of one’s environment (human, societal, geographic, etc); this creates a sense of familiarity that enables one to ‘read life’, and it is this sense that is affected when one is exposed to forms of adversities. Specific ways that identity is impacted whenever one is exposed to involuntary dislocation adversities are presented and discussed.
