This text is the result of reflections that originated in the discussions of a study group composed of undergraduate and postgraduate students in a language lab at a public university in the interior of the state of Parana, in the south of Brazil. This study specifically addresses some considerations about the connections that can be established between written language and identity based on the work of (Harris, 1995), (Austin, 1962), (Moita Lopes and Cabral Bastos, 2010), (Rajagopalan, 2003), (Rajagopalan, 2010) and (Olson, 1997) and Bauman (2005). In order to do so I utilise data derived from study group discussions in order to reflect on aspects of identity that derive from beliefs that overlook the aspect of performativity inherent in writing. I conclude that writing and identity are not pre-formulated, they are both in a constant process of construction and the integrationist approach is an important element in the effort to better understand this complexity and broaden the view of the interrelationship between writing and identity.