Emotions and Feelings as a Basis for Our Identity

Perhaps we all struggle with our self-identity, but some more so than others for sure. I am speaking of that identity internally held that forms the basis for understanding who we are, whose we are, and where we fit in.  How we understand ourselves has a bearing on how we relate to the people around us and to the God who created us.  

Our identity, therefore, needs to be based on something more concrete, factual, and trustworthy than our internal emotions.  Even though we are in the midst of a culture that tells us, "If it feels go do it," we need more than feelings and emotions to bring us to our full potential and God-given destiny?  

As a pastoral counselor, I have seen first-hand how feelings and emotions are too fickle for a person to use as the sole basis for understanding who they really are and what course of action they should take to move forward in life.  A person struggling with depression, for instance, may believe they are hopelessly unable to cope with the challenges of daily living when the truth is that they have the resources to do just that, even though chemical imbalances or circumstances have deceived them into thinking otherwise.  A person having experienced the trauma of rejection and broken relationships identifies himself or herself as one unworthy or incapable of any kind of healthy relationship when, of course, it is not true. 

Another example is the modern-day trend toward trans-genderism based solely on the feeling that one is of another sex.  Gender dysphoria is not new, of course, but many these days are further led to seek a trans-sexual identity by our gender-affirming culture and some well-meaning phycology practitioners, all because of what one is feeling.  What seems prudent before any sort of life-changing action, such as hormone treatment or gender reassignment surgery, is to seek other sources for decision-making than just one's feelings and emotions.  This is doubly true among children whose emotions, life experiences, and identity are just forming.  

The obvious answer is therapeutic exploration of other factors than feelings in establishing a healthy identity.  Maybe such clinical exploration is taking place in most cases; one would hope so.  If the person were my child, relative, or friend, I would surely insist upon it.