Value and meaning content of the sociocultural identity of students

Abstract

Introduction. In case of serious social upheaval, the ability of social groups to consolidate (determined by the sociocultural identity stability of group members and by the basic values that underlie this identity) is of particular importance for the preservation of society. In this regard, studying the structure of the sociocultural identity of young people not only formally but also value and meaning-wise is extremely relevant, since understanding its content allows predicting the behavior of social actors, competently organizing identity formation and correcting the problems that arise. The study aims to identify valuemeaning complexes that form the basis of the sociocultural identity of higher school students. Research materials. The study involved students of V.I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal University (Crimea). Methods: 1) projective study of associative complexes, based on the method of free associations using graphic stimulus material (200 informants); 2) psychological testing ‘Who am I?’ by M. Kuhn and T. McPartland (200 informants); 3) sociological survey (1000 respondents). Results. The study revealed that the sociocultural identity of students involves a sharp distinction between ‘near’ and ‘far’ social space. The meaning content of the images ‘state’ and ‘society’ shows that for a significant proportion of respondents these are perceived as sources of external coercion, violence and subordination (51.4% and 41.5%, respectively). The value ‘Motherland’ is closely related to family, comfort and care (15.9% of the total number of associations), making it a value of the ‘near’ social space; however, associative complexes around ‘state’ and ‘society’ can have a negative transformational impact on this socially significant value. Conclusion. The results of the study can be used by psychologists and teachers implementing educational programs in higher educational institutions and can prove useful in drawing up a general concept of educational work with the young generation at the level of an educational institution.