An attempt at a definition

Individuality is a difficult word to define, as it can only be defined by the word that makes up most of it: individual. The specific details of the word can only be defined by the expression of an individual’s individuality. But for the sake of a first blog post, I’ll go over some important basics of the word. First of all, individuality is not synonymous with any of the following: originality, peculiarity, proclivity, or actuality (or many similarly ridiculous words that claim synonymy), despite what thesaurus.com may tell you. Sure, these could all be a part of a certain individual’s individuality, but not every individual would use the words original or peculiar to describe themselves, and proclivity and actuality are mere components of an individual’s existence, not necessarily of their individuality.

While searching for a definition that does the word justice, I came upon an interesting part of dictionary.com that I had never noticed before: origins of words. Under the origin for “individuality” it said “individual + ity”. Nothing too exciting. Upon following the link to “individual”, however, I found a more thought-provoking origin. Our word for “individual” is derived from the Latin word “indīvidu”, which means “indivisible”. Not divisible. How inspirational, I think, to know that our word that defines character means that we cannot be separated from ourselves. And how appropriate for a blog where I am encouraging people to embrace who they are! It’s a fact of definition, folks; you can’t be divided from who you really are as an individual.

As far as a concrete definition of the word individuality goes, the most accurate that I found is “the aggregate of one’s idiosyncrasies” (dictionary.com). While it sounds somewhat more complicated than the simpler definitions like “existence as a distinct individual”, I believe that it pins down something important. While it’s hard to define individuality for every individual, we know what it is made up of: our idiosyncrasies. And the aggregate, or combination, of these, is a unique formula for each individual, making a unique personality for every person.

Now in terms of my personal interpretation of the word (as we’ve established that the true definition is different for each individual), I believe that individuality establishes, develops and defines a person. While I believe that individuality is made up of a person’s traits, I do not think that the two are the same. In my personal experiences, I have discovered that certain personality traits can be altered. Practice, for example, can make a dishonest person honest. Individuality, on the other hand, is not something that can be consciously altered like a trait. The result of any changes (or lack thereof) can develop a person, and therefore is a part of their individuality, but I don’t believe that individuality itself can be altered. I, for example, had a number of traits as a child that I am glad to be rid of. I have changed as necessary as I have grown up, but I have always been the same individual that I was 19 years ago. Had I not changed or grown up, I would still be that same individual, for you can’t change yourself. In essence, then, I suppose that I believe that individuality is almost synonymous with soul. Soul is a part of us, and encapsulates what I think are the most important components of individuality to be aware of: it is effecting us and effected by us, and it is unchanging, ever present.