НАУЧНО-ТЕОРЕТИЧЕСКОЕ ОБОСНОВАНИЕ ПОНЯТИЯ «ЭТНИЧЕСКАЯ ИДЕНТИЧНОСТЬ» В МИРОВОЙ ПСИХОЛОГИЧЕСКОЙ ПАРАДИГМЕ

Abstract

The article analyzes the approaches to the content and structure of ethnic identity, the author’s definition of ethnic identity in the context of the socio-psychological approach, clarification based on conceptual and theoretical analysis of the structure of ethnic identity, clarification of the relationship of ethnic identity with ethnic consciousness, interethnic tolerance, the characteristics of the civil position of the individual. Background. Ethnic identity is not identical to the more widely used concepts of nationality and citizenship, but acts as a powerful factor in the formation and cohesion of ethnic groups and their social ties. Moreover, it is ethnic identity that mediates the cohesion of ethnic groups and the readiness of their representatives to protect the interests of ethnic groups and defend their integrity. Therefore, the formed ethnic identity is an important condition for the preservation of multi-ethnicity and multipolarity of the modern world, and the explicit manifestations of this identity are an important condition for the formation of favorable inter-ethnic relations and reduction of inter-ethnic tensions. In this article the problems of ethnic identity are studied from the perspective of social psychology, which allows one to actualize its special context and pay attention to socio-psychological determinants of the formation and maintenance of ethnic identity and ethnic self-consciousness, which is especially important for the sustainable development of society and country in times of crisis. Conclusions. The author proposed a definition of ethnic identity in the context of the socio-psychological approach as a dynamic and multidimensional formation, which characterizes the feeling (implicit component) and awareness (explicit component) of a person as a member of a particular ethnic group/community. On the basis of conceptual and theoretical analysis the socio-psychological structure of ethnic identity was clarified and the relationship of ethnic identity with ethnic self-consciousness, inter-ethnic tolerance, the characteristics of the civil position of the individual was found.