Identities Part 3: Three Identities

This is the 3rd of a five-part series on identity.  We analyze the identities of a Mandalorian (Star Wars series), a physician, and a member of the profession of arms.  We analyzed all three identities through our 5 questions.  All three identities were or are being challenged.  The first two (Mandalorian and physician) are challenged from within as to what are the core elements or what really defines the identity.  The challenge to the profession of arms is different as other identities rise up against the warrior identity for priority.  

The Mandalorian resolved the tensions by adhering to a deeper common identity that anchored all Mandalorians even those who did not ascribe to prohibition against any living being to see their face that was a requirement in his group.

Physician identity is currently in tension.  This tension stems from what is the goal or end of medicine which then drives differing duties and obligations to patients.  Sexual expression and sexually based identities require active participation from the medical profession that is increasingly turning healers into body engineers.  This turn has negative effects to the answers on all 5 of our clarifying questions.  

The profession of arms or the warrior identity is also in tension, but its difficulty lies in rival identities to the warrior identity.  Identities based on race, ethnicity, sex, or sexual expression are increasingly valorized and celebrated which inevitably competes with and sometimes supersedes the warrior identity.  This tension results in decreased unit cohesion and degraded combat effectiveness.  Exchanging merit for racial or sexual based promotion degrades the good of the work of war further leading to decreased combat effectiveness.  These trends have also resulted in downward trends to all 5 of our questions.  

References

Preserving the Warrior Ethos by H.R. McMaster

Irresistible Revolution by Matthew Lohmeier

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