Societal Aspects of the Professional Identity of Socially Oriented Groups in Russian Society

Abstract

The reformatting of the social structure of Russian society during perestroika entailed a downward group mobility for entire social and professional strata whose activities were directly connected with supporting state power and ensuring its legitimacy. Societally important professional groups like teachers and medical workers lost the axiological grounds of group solidarity on a mass scale. Their prolonged presence in a zone of negative professional identity has resulted in the gradual disintegration of their professional motivation, the erosion of the mindset of serving society, a reduced adherence to professional and ethical codes, and an atrophied perception of their own professional groups as peer groups, thus creating risks for maintaining the integrity of society.