What is Identity?

Identity is a multidisciplinary concept. The following excerpt from Survey of Self-Sovereign Identity Ecosystem defines Identity and Digital Identity as:

3.1. Identity

Identity has a long story. Possessing an identity has been of importance from the early times [13]. Depending on the context, the term identity is defined differently [14]. The American Heritage Dictionary defines identity as “The set of characteristics by which a person or thing is definitively recognizable or known,” and “The fact or condition of being the same as something else.” [15].

The word identity originated from the Middle French “identité”, which is derived from Late Latin “identitat-, identitas,” from Latin “identidem,” which is a contraction of “idem et idem,” meaning “same and same” [16].

Although the phrase “identity” is commonly used in everyday discourse and various contexts, it is proven rather difficult to provide an adequate and concise explanation to encompass its every meaning [17].

The French philosopher Paul Ricoeur defines identity as two-fold. The first is known as Idem which means sameness in Latin [18], and the second aspect is defined as Ipse meaning selfhood in Latin [18]. The sameness feature represents the characteristics that remain unchanged, and the selfhood aspect represents the features that are unique. From that definition, identity can be defined as the representation of an entity through features that make the entity unique and/or persist through time, in a given context. The term entity is defined as a logical or physical object with a separate distinctive existence either in a logical or physical sense [19].

In psychology, the term is generally referred to all the psychological traits of a person, including beliefs, personality, and other attributes [20]. While in sociology, the concept of identity includes the history, culture, religion, and traditions associated with the person [21].

The modern definition of identity as we know it was first used in 1950 by Erik Erikson and has been used in various contexts and purposes [22]. Glässer and Vajihollahi define identity as a logical representation of a physical presence of a person or thing [23]. Wang and Filippi define identity as all attributes of a person that uniquely defines the…