“Who are we” is arguably one of the most common, simplest, and yet most important questions ever asked. Its importance comes from the fact that the set of responses we might give or obtain come together to form our identity as individual members of human society. Some of the answers to this question might be things we have always identified with, like our name, gender, race or ethnicity, others might be things we have associated ourselves with throughout our lives, like our profession, our social relationships. class or even our hobbies. Some might be considered more important or central in defining who we are, while others might be mentioned only in passing. Even more, the answers themselves might change over time – some might disappear completely, while others might emerge. This essay will examine the difference between the two types of identities defined by these responses, as well as the relevance of this distinction in social studies and social policy. During his or her life as a member of society, an individual goes through a continuous process of interaction with other members of that society. This socialization process appears to be an essential factor in the definition of an individual's identity through the internalization of these interactions or "the immediate apprehension or interpretation of an objective event as expressing meaning, that is, that is to say as a manifestation of the subjective processes of others which thus become subjectively significant” (Berger and Luckmann, 1972, pp.149-150). Berger and Luckmann (1972) define two distinct stages in the socialization process, primary socialization and secondary socialization, with the first and most important taking place in an individual's early childhood years.... middle of paper .... ..72. Sex, gender and society. London: Maurice Temple Smith LTD. Olyslager, F. and Conway, L., 2007. On calculating the prevalence of transsexualism, 20th International WPATH Symposium [pdf]. Available at: http://transgenderkenya.com/prevelance.pdf [Accessed November 13, 2011]. Shaw, KL, 1987. Occupational Change, Employer Change, and the Transferability of Skills, Southern Economic Journal, [online]. Available at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1058765Stoller, R., 1968. Sex and Gender: On the Development of Masculinity and Femininity. New York: Science House. Veale, J.F. (2008). The prevalence of transsexualism among New Zealand passport holders, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, [online]. Available at: http://www.jaimieveale.com/publications/prevalence.pdf [Accessed November 152011].