FAMILY AND IDENTITY

In our society many times our identity is tied closely to our family from beliefs to our mistakes, everything can be tied to our family. As we grow as individuals we learn, we grow and we make mistakes. At some point in our youth, we tend to rebel against the values and teachings of our family. That is normal behavior which develops a person's personality yet our rebellions instead of being seen as individual behavior is seen as a result of our family teachings.

In our culture, if an individual makes a mistake or goes through failure and even if they do something unconventional their actions will be related to the respect of their family. Rather than a person being seen as an individual with their own life and decisions. They are seen as a result of their family values and are equated to the respect of their family. These reactions and beliefs in our society many times stop people from doing what they want as people instead they are supposed to conform to the norms of society to protect their family's respect. 

In other situations, if a person's family is toxic or detrimental to their mental health. For us South Asian children no matter how much it affects our mental health it is tough to put ourselves away from our families because our family is so attached to our personality. In our society, we are constantly compared to our family members and if we de attach to our family, we will likely be shunned by society. 

This contradiction between developing our personality and conforming to our family values can not only limit us as individuals but also affect our mental health and well-being in the long run.