Identity disorders and aggression

Identity is the conscious feeling of oneself that each individual develops through social interaction. Erikson describes the “identity” as a subjective feeling and a measurable variable of the personality, associated with self -cohesion. Identity crisis presents itself during adolescence where the individual is fighting with emotions regarding their identity and confusion about the role they want to adopt. Dissociative personality disorder is a rare psychiatric condition where a person has more than one, sometimes conflicting, personalities, which are present alternatively, and sometimes the individual is conscious of their existence. Other (more common) personality disorders like borderline and histrionic personality disorders, which are associated with aggression, can also present with dissociative symptoms Another disorder of identity is gender identity. This term refers to all conditions that the biological gender as defined by male/female genitalia and secondary sex characteristics differ to the personal feeling of sex identity. Though not directly associated with aggression, research has shown that individuals ambivalent about their own sexuality sometimes react with violence and aggression when faced with a diversity that causes them intense anxiety.