Categorial Image Structure of Their Ethnic Community Member in Modern Russian Students

Abstract

Junior students have to adapt not only to the new educational environment, but also to the intercultural community of metropolitan universities. Russian students have problems both with categorization of members of other ethnic communities and their own self-categorization, i.e. the way they see a member of their own culture. The research objective was to determine the categorical structure of the image of a representative of their own culture in Russian students that studied in the city of Barnaul. The image depended on the predominating type of the respondents' own ethnic identity. The research methodology was based on the systematic approach to the personality analysis, J. Bruner's theory of perception, V. F. Petrenko's psychosemantic approach, and G. U. Soldatova's typology of ethnic identity. The authors employed the methods of an expert assessment, subjective scaling, and the questionnaire " Types of Ethnic Identity" by G. U. Soldatova and S. V. Ryzhova. They presented the categorical structure of the image of a member of the Russian ethnic group as factor models, or category structures, that described the representative of Russian nationality. Factor models were identified on the basis of the predominant type of ethnic identity of the respondents. Four factor models revealed that young people with a pronounced hyper-identity had a more positive view of the members of their ethnic group, focusing on their strength and strong-will. Students with average ethnic identity noted both advantages and disadvantages. Students with pronounced ethnic indifference tended to put more stress on the negative categories. Students with hypo-identity saw only negative traits in the members of their ethnic group. Therefore, behavioral patterns of interethnic interaction partially depended on the content of the categorical image structure of the representative of one's ethnic group. The authors propose several ways of developing a positive ethnic identity, which make it possible to shape an adequate attitude to representatives of one's own ethnicity and other ethnic groups.