How does a person know their madhhab (Shafi'i, Hanbali, etc.)?

To know which madhhab (school of thought) a person wishes to follow in their worship, it requires learning its rules, methods of istinbat (derivation of rulings), and how to deal with the texts of revelation. This cannot be achieved except after gaining deep understanding of the subsidiary issues within the madhhab. These madhahib are schools of ijtihad (independent reasoning) whose scholars studied the Quran, the Sunnah, and the objectives of Sharia to derive Islamic rulings. They agree on the supreme authority, even if they differ on subsidiary issues. Whoever follows one of the imams of these madhahib is upon goodness as long as they are in the stage of taqlid (following a qualified scholar). One is not obliged to follow a specific madhhab; rather, they may choose the madhhab they feel comfortable with or whose scholars are available in their environment. Following these madhahib is, in essence, following the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him.