Caltrop Matrix of Identity
G-force of psychology amassed by the tensions of an omnipresent power structure. The
simplification the complexity of identity might be achieved by moving it in a visually
perceptible and multi-dimensional model.
An ancient hidden weapon with a unique tetrahedral shape---iron caltrop, can
metaphorically represent a dynamic model of identity. An iron caltrop is “a metal device with
four projecting spikes so arranged that when three of the spikes are on the ground, the fourth
points upward, used as a hazard to pneumatic tires or to the hooves of horses” (American
Heritage Dictionary). Iron caltrop as a military device was once popular all over the world.
Modern police still use caltrops to block runaway vehicles. The awareness of identity is often
gained involuntarily in identity conflicts, which might cause pains. The wound caused by
caltrops could be fatal or at least lead to dysfunctions. A caltrop and the implied prickles can
describe the painful and hard feelings aroused by identity conflicts; the reliable positioning of
random placement might parallel the dialectic, dynamic complexity of identity enactment.
Such a crystalline structure in shape of a regular tetrahedron is the basic molecular structure
of a diamond, one of the hardest substances in nature. Thereby the proposed Caltrop Matrix
of Identity (CMI) is aimed to be a robust model, representing both the structural and dynamic
complexity of identity.
The structural and dynamic features of CMI suggest the nature of identity (see figure 1).
The various aspects and divergent dimensions of identity could be categorized into four
properties of the four spikes. CMI takes individual traits, institutional rules, social norms, and
spiritual attributes as the four clusters. Each of the four properties is composed of some
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Convention