2. There are different cultural constructions of the person and the self. Culture specific views of the self result from early exposure to differing values and beliefs about the person in general. For instance, the self, according to the teaching of Buddha, is thought of as an imaginary construct that limits the experience of total reality. In Japan, an individual's personhood is tied to one's relationship with others and not to oneself as an individual. In America, a person is difined by her innermost feelings, thoughts, and motives (p. 133).
3. The Collectivistic/ Interdependent conception of self is defined by the individual's relationship with members of groups significant in that person's life. The Individualistic/Independent self-concept remains relatively stable and consistent because interrelations with others are not defining elements of one's identity (p. 134).
4. Identity is a person's self-definition as a separate and distinct individual including behavior, beliefs, and attitudes (p. 141). Erikson believed that finding one's identity depends to a large degree on the manner in which four earlier childhood issues or crises have been resolved (trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. shame and doubt, initiative vs. guilt, and industry vs. inferiority). He also proposed the integration of identity, social roles and the broader cultural context as factors of self-definition.
5. A social clock is the schedule by which individuals are presumed to complete the major tasks within the lifespan. All cultures have defined times when certain life events are supposed to take pale. Some examples of the social clock include, the times in various cultures when one is supposed to find a partner, start a family, produce offspring, and retire (p. 147).