In the modern setting, cultural identity is a very important issue.  To a great extent, cultural identity plays a defining role in how a person sees themselves and the world around them.  Cultural identity can encompass the sum total of an individual's interaction with others.  In its basic definition, its profound nature is evident:

Culture refers to the customs, practices, languages, values and world views that define social groups such as those based on nationality, ethnicity, region or common interests. Cultural identity is important for people’s sense of self and how they relate to others. A strong cultural identity can contribute to people’s overall wellbeing.

Cultural identity is driven by how an individual identifies with a larger entity. It also focuses on how the individual appropriates this grouping in constructing their own identity.  It is in this where cultural identity contains wide ranging implications.  Cultural identity refers to the process by which individuals make decisions on which collective element is representative of individual identity. What makes cultural identity so fascinating is that it provides a great "chicken or egg" paradigm.  One of the questions that drives the discourse on cultural identity is whether individuals look to collective elements for affirmation of previously held values or if collective elements help to define individual identity once they have found validation from them.  In other words, are individuals looking for a larger group to validate their voice or is their voice developed from the larger group's validation?  Cultural identity does not provide a definitive answer.  Rather, it seeks to expand the notion of individuals and self, societies and the relationship with the human beings that form them. The dynamic between individuals in search of a cultural identity, recognizing limitations and affirmations of a particular culture, and then either validating or rejecting this into a construction of "cultural identity achievement" is important in defining an individual.  These areas illuminate how the discussion of cultural identity yields more fascinating questions than any answers.