As people go about their daily lives, they have an effect on others, whether consciously or unconsciously. These effects can be positive or negative, but in all cases, they contribute to the construction of individuals' identities. People who have the benefit of having someone in their life who helps them form a healthy identity are very lucky. In Ordinary People, by Judith Guest, Conrad was a severely depressed teenager until he met this person who helped him form a healthy identity. The person who did this was his psychiatrist named Dr. Berger, and he helped Conrad transform his identity from a confused person to a confident person. Conrad's psychiatrist stopped him from self-harm, helped him reduce his guilt, and influenced him to make good decisions, which ultimately boosted his self-confidence. For starters, his psychiatrist, Dr. Berger, stopped Conrad from further self-harm. At the beginning of the book, Conrad attempted suicide because he felt responsible for his brother's death. He ended up in the hospital for nine months until he was stable enough to go home. Even when Conrad returned home, he was not emotionally healed and continued to be deeply troubled. Later in the book, one of Conrad's close friends whom he met at the hospital, Karen, commits suicide. He finally told Dr. Berger about it after he couldn't take the pain anymore, and Dr. Berger said, “Kid, you know the statistics. Out of a hundred, fifty will try again. Fifteen finally succeed” (Guest 226). When Berger told Conrad this, he made him understand that although he had a good chance of attempting suicide again like Karen, he was still alive and staying strong. This prevented him from self-harm, because he... middle of paper ... or participates in the transformation of Conrad's identity from a confused boy to a confident man. He did this by preventing him from self-harm, reducing his guilt, and influencing him to make the right decisions. Dr. Berger arrived in Conrad's life at a critical time, when Conrad was in the midst of an identity crisis. Without Dr. Berger's help, Conrad may not have been able to recover from his trauma and regain his identity. People like Dr. Berger who are loyal to helping others through a difficult time play a very important role in people's lives. They give others reasons to continue living, and that is one of the best gifts you can give another person. Ordinary People by Judith Guest illustrates the importance that ordinary people have in shaping our identity and the impact they have on our daily lives. Works CitedGuest, Judith. Ordinary people. New York: Viking, 1976. Print.