Understanding Identity
You’re more than the role you’ve played.
By the end you will be able to explain how your identity was built and which parts of it are still yours to keep.
Part of the AURIS approach to identity, stability and human development.
- Foundation
- Free
- Certificate on completion
- About 45 minutes
Explore how identity develops throughout life, why major change can leave us feeling lost, and how understanding yourself creates a stronger foundation for the future.
This course is free. You will be asked to sign in or create a free account, then the first lesson opens.
Who this course is for
“The support we were offered was built for a family that is not ours.”
Start from your own identity rather than someone else's programme. The free first course separates who you are from what you do.
Where this course fits
- Where it sits
- Step 2 of the four course Foundation, the free starting sequence in AURIS Academy.
- What usually comes before
- Introduction to AURIS comes first in the Foundation. See that course.
- What usually comes next
- Five-Day Reset opens when you finish this one. See that course.
A pathway is a suggested order, not a requirement. Nothing here has to be bought to make this course work.
The pathways it belongs to
- Part of the Family and Belonging pathway: Everyone asks how he is. Who asks how you are?
A pathway is a suggested order, not a requirement. This course can be taken on its own.
About this course
A short free course on the difference between who you are and what you do, why people feel lost when a role ends, why belonging matters so much, and why identity can be rebuilt.
What you will learn
- Tell the difference between identity and role
- Explain in plain words why the end of a role can feel like loss
- Describe what belonging gives a person
- Name one part of your identity you want to carry forward
Why this matters
Primary pillar: Identity. This course builds Identity by teaching plainly that identity moves, so a change in how you see yourself reads as normal rather than as something going wrong with you.
Course curriculum
4 lessons. The lesson content itself opens once you start the course.
Lesson 1 · about 11 minutes
Identity vs Role
Separate who you are from what you do, before we talk about what happens when a role ends.
- Define identity in plain words
- Separate identity from job title
- Notice where the two have been blended
Lesson 2 · about 11 minutes
Why We Feel Lost
Understand why role loss feels disorienting, and that it is a structure problem, not a character problem.
- Describe what is actually lost when a role ends
- Name the everyday structures that disappear with it
- Normalise the feeling without minimising it
Lesson 3 · about 11 minutes
Belonging
Learn the difference between being around people and belonging with them.
- Explain why belonging affects wellbeing
- Tell the difference between contact and belonging
- Identify one group worth rebuilding
Lesson 4 · about 12 minutes
Identity Can Be Rebuilt
Close the course with the practical point: identity adapts, and you have a say in how.
- Describe identity as something that adapts
- Name what you want to carry forward
- Choose one first step
What is included
- Audio narration
- Guided reflections
- Interactive exercises
- Practical activities
- Assessment
- Portfolio work
- Certificate on completion
Before you start
Introduction to AURIS is helpful first, but not required.
After you finish
You have a clearer language for what changed. Next, the Five-Day Reset gives you something practical to do with it.
Research and evidence
Stoic content added 18 August 2026: LeBon, T., Brown, G., DiGiuseppe, R., Karl, J., Fischer, R., & Lopez, G. (2025). The development and validation of the stoic attitudes and behaviours scale. Cognitive Therapy and Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-025-10635-9
Common questions
- Is Understanding Identity really free?
- Yes. It is free to enrol on and stays free. There is no trial, no card and no upgrade needed to finish it, and you only need a free account so your progress and certificate stay with you.
- Do I get a certificate?
- Yes. Finishing the course issues an AURIS Certificate of Completion in your name. It records your learning. It is not a qualification, accreditation or licence to practise, which is what the separate AURIS Practitioner Certification is for.
- How long does it take, and is it self-paced?
- It is self-paced. Once you enrol, every lesson is open, there is no deadline and nothing expires, and the course is designed to take about 45 minutes in total.
- Do I need to do anything before this course?
- Introduction to AURIS is helpful first, but not required.
Course progression
- Foundation
- Applied
- Practitioner
Second of the four free courses.
Related courses
Previous course
Introduction to AURIS
Course detailsNext course
Five-Day Reset
Course details
The evidence behind this course
Evidence status: not yet provided
This course teaches AURIS practice. Published sources for this course have not been recorded yet, so none are listed here. When sources are recorded for this course, they will be listed on this page.
How AURIS interprets it
- AURIS teaches that identity changes across a life and that this is normal rather than a fault, as the course's own framing states.
What you do with it
- You describe what belonging gives a person and name one part of your identity you want to carry forward.
Ready to begin?
This course is free. You will be asked to log in or create a free account.