Social Identity Name: Institution: Course: Date: National and individual identity The issue of national identityis one that is surrounded by quite a number ideologies and one that is constantly evolving through the social changes that place in the society over time. The society is constantly defining itself and the bound by which it represents its interests and those of the future generations. Identity is a rather complex matter in light of the developments that have taken place within the society in several decades past. National identity and personal identity constantly cross paths, in the quest to the formation of the true identity of the people in the society and what they represent. Perceptions and ideologies define the boundaries and therefore the changing meaning of national identity and personal identity. From the agrarian times, through the industrial times, then the modernization era and now the postmodern age, national identity has constantly shape shifted to fit in with the social changes in the society. Different ideologies however are still engrained in the definition and development of the same. According to Habermas, national identity and what it stands other than the meaning, is defined along the concept of public sphere enshrined in the element of self-governance. Beck on the other hand, indicates that, due to the elements of individualism which is highly characterized by the social changes in the current society, the idea o