Understanding Identity
Identity through continuity and change.
Describe what ended, what continues and what changed, then identify a feasible support or adaptation.
Part of the AURIS approach to identity, stability and human development.
- Applied
- £19.00
- 4 lessons
- Certificate on completion
- About 45 minutes
Explore roles, belonging and changing priorities using ordinary or fictional examples. Make space for losses, continuing capabilities and changes you may want to make.
One-off purchase with lifetime course access. Sign in or create a free learner account to buy. Lessons open in order as you complete the required work, with no daily waiting period.
What you'll leave with
A description of yourself beyond a job title, the roles and groups that matter to you, and the values, relationships or capabilities you want to carry forward.
Watch the course introduction
Watch this before you begin
A role can become so familiar that it feels identical to the self. This conversation helps make that distinction visible. Listen for what belongs to the role and what belongs to the person underneath it, then bring that distinction into the first exercise.
£19.00 one-off payment, lifetime access
- 1. Sign in, or create a free account. It takes a name, an email address and a password.
- 2. Pay by card on the course page. The payment form is Stripe's own, so AURIS never sees or stores your card details.
- 3. The course opens straight away and stays in your library. There is no subscription and nothing renews.
A certificate is issued when you finish every lesson and pass the assessment.
Course illustration
Who this course is for
“Who am I when an important role changes?”
For people exploring a change in work, responsibilities or everyday life. Use familiar or anonymised situations to separate loss, continuity and change, identify a practical need, consider connection and try one feasible action. You do not need to disclose personal experiences or find a fixed new identity.
Suggested learning pathways
Where this course fits
- Where it sits
- Specialist learning that can be taken on its own, in any order.
- What usually comes before
- Nothing. This is a starting point, and the free Introduction to AURIS is always open alongside it.
- What usually comes next
- Whatever fits your situation. See the five pathways.
A pathway is a suggested order, not a requirement. Nothing here has to be bought to make this course work.
About this course and why it matters
About this course
Explore roles, belonging and changing priorities using ordinary or fictional examples. Make space for losses, continuing capabilities and changes you may want to make.
Why this matters
A role ending can affect several parts of life. These exercises help you explore those changes without assuming everyone has the same experience.
What you will learn
- Describe identity as more than a job title or single role
- Explain how roles, groups and belonging can contribute to self-definition
- Recognise that identity disruption after transition varies between people rather than following one fixed pattern
- Identify values, relationships, capabilities or commitments you want to carry forward
Course curriculum · 4 lessons
Course curriculum
4 lessons. The lesson content itself opens once you start the course.
Lesson 1 · about 11 minutes
Identity vs Role
Explore what a role change has ended, what still matters and what needs adapting, without pretending that nothing has changed.
- Distinguish a lost role or responsibility from something that continues and a priority that has changed.
- Choose one realistic support or adaptation and explain why it fits.
Lesson 2 · about 11 minutes
Why We Feel Lost
Identify the need behind an unsettled period and choose a useful first step, including practical help when that comes first.
- Distinguish income, connection and routine needs in two contrasting examples.
- Choose a feasible first action and explain why the same action may not fit both people.
Lesson 3 · about 11 minutes
Belonging
Explore a manageable way to connect while respecting your own choices and another person's response and boundaries.
- Draft a specific, low-pressure invitation that leaves room to decline.
- Explain how to respond to a no, no reply or a previous request for distance.
Lesson 4 · about 12 minutes
Identity Can Be Rebuilt
Explore a modest self-description through one feasible action, then review its fit without treating the result as a verdict on you.
- Link a self-description to a small, feasible action.
- Review interest, circumstances and access separately, then justify keeping, changing or stopping the experiment.
What is included
Some full lesson recordings need updating. The written lessons and exercises are available.
- Guided reflections
- Interactive exercises
- Practical activities
- Downloadable worksheets
- Assessment
- Portfolio work
- Certificate on completion
Before you start
None. Introduction to AURIS can help if you want the model overview first.
After you finish
After you finish
You have a clearer language for what changed. Next, the Five-Day Reset gives you something practical to do with it.
Common questions
How much does Understanding Identity cost?
It is £19, paid once. You keep lifetime access to the course, including future research driven updates. There is no subscription or renewal.
Do I get a certificate?
Yes. Complete every lesson and pass the required assessment to receive an AURIS Certificate of Completion in your name. It records your learning. The separate Practitioner Certification is an internal AURIS programme; neither certificate is an externally accredited qualification or a clinical licence to practise.
How long does it take, and is it self-paced?
Study at your own pace. Lessons open in sequence after you complete the previous lesson; there is no daily waiting period for this course, and the course is designed to take about 45 minutes in total.
What work do I need to complete?
Lessons include practical activities and saved reflections. Some courses also require portfolio entries and an assessment; the lesson and assessment pages identify required work. Use familiar or anonymised situations where appropriate and avoid identifying details. Reading or listening alone does not complete a lesson.
Do I need to do anything before this course?
None. Introduction to AURIS can help if you want the model overview first.
Next steps and related courses
Course progression
- Foundation
- Applied
- Practitioner
AURIS CORE 2 of 7. Learn what identity, role and belonging are. This course explains concepts; Identity Foundations is the later applied reconstruction course.
Evidence, sources and limitations
Research and evidence
Military-to-civilian transition meta-synthesis: Sachdev & Dixit, Military Psychology (2024), DOI 10.1080/08995605.2023.2237835. Identity/meaning/purpose scoping review: Walters, Miller-Lewis & Johnson, Behavioral Sciences (2026), PMID 42651563, DOI 10.3390/bs16081386. Recent qualitative evidence on identity redefinition after separation: PMID 42048106. Stoic material is treated as philosophical practice, not proof of transition outcomes.
The evidence behind this course
Evidence
Military to civilian cultural transition experiences: systematic meta-synthesis — Sachdev and Dixit, 2024 (Read source)
Military-to-civilian transition can involve cultural, identity and belonging changes; experiences vary.
The psychology of life stories — McAdams, 2001 (Read source)
Narrative identity provides an established basis for understanding continuity and change in self-description.
How AURIS interprets it
- AURIS uses established identity and transition evidence to explain role, belonging and identity change without treating role loss as a diagnosis.
What you do with it
- Describe what ended, what continues and what changed, then identify a feasible support or adaptation.
- Use ordinary or fictional examples. The exercise does not establish a diagnosis, cause or practitioner competence.
Ready to begin?
£19.00 one-off payment, with lifetime access to the course.