The question of Who am I is probably a central human need because every life is characterized by permanent change. The search for one's own identity thus appears almost as a logical consequence, because it suggests the impression of constancy of a permanent own self. In addition, the question of identity and individuality of human beings gains constant importance, because in the historical view it is negotiated along with the question, when human beings have been able to develop individual self-perceptions and thus concepts of identity. Is identity and, linked to it, the ability to be aware of oneself, really a phenomenon of modern societies, as is often claimed in research? Or did people of the so called pre-modern age already possess ideas of identity and individuality? An examination of guidebooks about parenting that were published between 1750-1900 makes it possible to answer these questions.