Taiwan’s street scenes grace Japanese magazine cover ! Self-identity is a lifelong journey

Text by MOOK Scenic Spots / Liao Weiren     Photos by Unsplash
 
Taiwan’s street scenes have landed on the cover of a Japanese magazine, this time gracing the April issue of the iconic trend magazine “POPEYE,” sparking renewed online discussion. There are those who take pride in it, seeing a clear display of Taiwan’s local culture, while others criticize it as self-indulgent and visually chaotic and conflicting. Self-identity has always been a crucial issue for Taiwan to confront—whether in terms of historical positioning, nationality, ethnicity, family, or the individual. Self-identity is a lifelong journey.

Self-identity is not just a lifelong journey; every trip is also a deep process of self-dialogue, rediscovering and constructing one’s self-identity. These aspects of self-identity—values, beliefs, roles, attitudes, and more—shape everyone’s life and influence how we perceive the same events differently.

How should one establish their own values?
 
The foundation of self-identity requires values as a reference, and these values determine each of our decisions, needs, motivations, behaviors, and ultimately our lives. They are the guiding force behind our personal actions.
 
A person’s values begin at birth, developing within the family and gradually taking shape. The value system is influenced by one’s outlook on life and worldview. Our individual values, shaped by the interplay of family and society, lead to different attitudes and behaviors, which in turn affect our decisions and lives.

Always torn between role expectations and self-awareness?
 
During the process of self-identity formation, role expectations play an important role. Role expectations are defined by one’s status within a group and the social norms of that group, dictating the expected behaviors or traits for that role.
 
As we grow, we explore these role expectations—first as children, then as students—within the family and school. This process involves negotiating with our own personalities to align with the expected role. Therefore, adolescence is the most challenging yet most impactful stage of self-identity development.
 
Especially in traditional Eastern societies, where collective living, conformity, and certain educational environments and ideologies are emphasized, we often struggle between the self and the group. This leads to many moments of self-doubt, reluctance to express oneself, and a desire to conform to the role expectations set by family, school, and society.

Our comfort zones keep expanding through constant collisions with the environment !
 
During the process of self-identity formation, we repeatedly collide with our surroundings—from childhood family life, to school during adolescence, and later the workplace as adults. These collisions can be minor, like a scrape that just needs a bandage, or severe, like shattered glass that must be melted down before it can be reshaped.
 
These collisions are neither good nor bad—they are an inevitable part of the process. And as we reshape ourselves, we choose what to keep and what to discard. In the end, the person we become is the result of self-selection shaped by these environmental collisions.

Always bound by societal standards and frameworks !
 
After dealing with the aforementioned role expectations and environmental collisions, we face what are known as societal standards. We are held to popular achievements, praise, and norms, where seemingly reasonable encouragement often conceals various forms of pressurized expectations.
 
Evaluating ourselves or others based on societal standards and values leads to significant blind spots. It makes us think we could do better, but we forget that this “better” is merely based on certain societal standards and judgments, which do not apply to everyone. As a result, self-identity can be overlooked or suppressed due to societal standards.