Dellidentità

Dellidentità is a term encountered in Italian discourse to denote the concept of identity. In standard Italian, the genitive form is dell'identità, meaning "of identity." It is used across philosophy, sociology, psychology, and information technology to discuss how individuals or groups are defined and perceived, and how such definitions change across contexts and time.

Philosophically, dell'identità concerns what it means for something to be the same being over time, despite change. The inquiry spans personal identity—questions about memory, consciousness, and continuity (as in Locke’s memory criterion and related theories)—as well as identity criteria at the level of objects or abstract entities. Competing theories include bodily continuity, psychological continuity, and the notion of identity as a bundle of traits.

In social and cultural contexts, dell'identità covers personal, group, and collective identities. It examines how people identify with families, nationalities, ethnicities, genders, and cyber-communities, and how social structures shape self-perception. Identity formation is dynamic, influenced by life stages, migration, media, and political discourse. The concept is central to identity politics, contributions to discourse about recognition, representation, and rights.

In information technology, digital dell'identità refers to identity management, digital identities, and authentication processes that allow systems to verify and attribute actions to individuals or entities online. Privacy, data protection, and security concerns are central to digital identity, including risks such as identity theft and impersonation.