It has always been important that children establish their identity. From the time kids are young, they are being formed in a host of ways and gradually coming to terms with who they are and who they will become. Historically, identity arose from outside—from the people they came from, the place they were born, and the expectations of parents and community. An innovation of the modern West is that identity is now expected to come from within. Identity is meant to be determined by the self rather than anyone or anything else.