As human beings, can we determine our individuality? If we are, how much impact can we have on our originality? The answer to the first question is yes, however, the answer to the second question has changed over the years due to the advancements in our world. Identity is, in a sense, “a story in the making…continuously reformulated in the course of experience” (Sennett 175-176). In other words, a person develops their identity through the experiences they have in life, usually while growing up. Nowadays, people have more choice about who they become than ever before. Some examples of this “control” are due to advances in science and technology, education programs, culture, and what is shown in the media. Because of (but not only) these factors, a person has more control but also more influence over the development of their identity. Advances in science and technology mark one way in which people are able to change how they identify. With these advances, very little of a person's figure is set in stone. Aspects such as how tall a person is, how much they weigh and their appearance can be easily changed. For example, if someone doesn't like the way they look, they can pay a surgeon to transform their body into the shape they want. Nowadays, people can even alter the gender they associate with, to some extent. Since 1997, there has been a 279% increase in the total number of cosmetic procedures performed (“American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery”). The curriculum taught in schools has a huge effect on the development of a person's identity. Through school we tend to question the things we believed to be true as children....... middle of paper ......h/where did you grow up. There are personal opinions influenced by culture, such as opinions about relationships. For example, some people believe in arranged marriages and despise casual relationships, while these relaxed relationships are considered normal for someone else. The effect of culture is believed to depend on the “magnitude of the parents' cultural identification” (Shim 92-27). There are countless factors that influence how people personify themselves. Ultimately, the formation of one's identity depends on the person himself. Things like media, culture, and education certainly play a role in determining identity, but it is important that people determine their own uniqueness by not conforming to everything they may see or hear from these influences. The way people decide to shape their personalities directly affects their future.