Narrow identity is identifying with a singular, superficial, accidental, or circumstantial aspect of the self.

The danger of narrow identity is that it makes people confuse labels with belonging and morality.

Narrow Identity is less about self-awareness and more about presumed superiority of “us” over “them.”

I have written extensively about the needless suffering that results from narrow identity—identifying with a singular, superficial, accidental, or circumstantial aspect of the self. When we reduce ourselves to labels—race, gender, profession, nationality, ideology, winner, loser, political affiliation—it’s easy to mistake labels for the essence of who we are.

We are not mere collections of the roles we play in life. For example, I may be called a writer, a professional, a citizen, a man of a certain age, or a person from a particular place. These describe aspects of my life, but they do not capture its essence. My profession can change, my reputation can expand or collapse, my circumstances can alter drastically, yet who I am........

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