ABSTRACT
This chapter delves into the complexity of identities which has been a major challenge throughout life. From being born into the military lifestyle and throughout my young adult and later life where my sense of self and belonging has often been challenged. Moving around a lot as a child most certainly had a lasting and negative impact on my education even into adult life, which I believe was one of the major aspects at the root of my dysfunctional life. I use the term “the real me” in this chapter which was something that comes up often in the desistance narrative as Shadd Maruna mentioned in his book Making Good. I spent my entire life trying to reconnect to the real me which was somehow lost as a young man in an attempt to blend in with the crowd and even prove myself. This chapter gives some insight into how this all happened, but also how the whole identity and sense of self-challenge continues.
