Individual Identity Formation Research Articles

Exploring Identity in Poetry: Love, Loss, and Belonging in Sylvia Plath and Elizabeth Bishop through the Lens of Social Identity Theory

This study leverages Social Identity Theory (SIT) to explore themes of identity, belonging, and relationships in Sylvia Plath's "Mad Girl's Love Song" and Elizabeth Bishop's "One Art." Using a comparative qualitative approach, the research examines how personal and social identities influence the speakers' experiences of love and loss. Plath's poem illustrates a crisis of social identity marked by the speaker's detachment and internal conflict, reflecting struggles with isolation and idealization. In contrast, Bishop portrays loss as a communal experience, highlighting an evolving identity characterized by resilience and acceptance. The findings reveal that while both poets illustrate identity transformations shaped by relationships and loss, they utilize different coping mechanisms—Plath through fantasy and Bishop through pragmatic acceptance. This analysis underscores the intricate relationship between social identity and emotional responses, enhancing our understanding of how societal contexts impact individual identity formation.

The impact of social media screen-exposure time on suicidal ideation among Pakistani adolescents.

Adolescence is a crucial life stage for the individual identity formation. The growing employment of social media and screen-exposure among teenagers and the concerning rise in suicide ideation rates in this susceptible group both suggested this study. Thus, we explored the association between adolescents' suicidal ideation and their daily social media screen-exposure. We surveyed 502 students, aged 13 to 19 years old, recruited in colleges and universities of Punjab, Pakistan. The survey was based on a 28-item self-reported questionnaire and demographic data collection. Approximately 40% of adolescents reporting suicidal ideation showed an extended social media screen-exposure, as well as significant depressive feelings and problematic personality traits. In particular, suicidal ideation increased by 0.39 for each one-unit increase in screen-exposure time and levels of depression increased by 0.21 times by unit of screen-exposure. The correlation coefficients further indicated a moderate positive association between depression and suicidal thoughts as well as personality traits played as mediators between social media screen-exposure time and suicidal ideation among adolescents. Our study found a positive association, even if modest, between the use of social media screens and suicidal ideation among adolescents. This evidence may suggest to adopt specific strategies to address the use of media among youths and prevent mental disorders related to the prolonged and inappropriate use of digital technologies in those users with a vulnerable personality.

Constructing Ethnolinguistic Identities: A Critical Examination of Language and Power Dynamics in Diasporic Communities

This research investigates the complex interplay between language and power in the formation of ethnolinguistic identities within diasporic communities. As globalization accelerates, diasporic groups navigate a complex landscape where traditional linguistic practices intersect with new socio-political realities. This study aims to critically examine how language functions as a tool for negotiating identity and power within these communities, emphasizing the role of language ideologies and practices in shaping social dynamics. The primary objectives are to explore how language serves as a medium for the construction and negotiation of ethnolinguistic identities and to understand the influence of power relations on these processes. Specifically, the study seeks to identify the ways in which language practices reflect and challenge power structures within diasporic contexts and how these practices contribute to the formation of collective and individual identities. This research is a multi-sited ethnographic approach,and integrates discourse analysis across several diasporic communities. Findings reveal that language serves as a strategic resource for negotiating social status and ethnic belonging. Diasporic individuals employ code-switching, language reclamation, and multilingualism to assert identity and resist assimilation pressures. The study highlights how language ideologies both reinforce and contest existing power structures, demonstrating the dynamic role of language in shaping ethnolinguistic identities amidst shifting socio-political landscapes.

여성의 몸에 대한 여성주의적 이해와 그 교육적 의미

This study aims to demonstrate that the female body is not an object to be overcome or negated but a constructive agent of social change based on philosophical and feminist discussions about the female body and to present the results of this discussion as an educational-theoretical basis for the formation of female subjectivity. To this end, this study systematically applied the methods of conceptual analysis and argument to philosophical and feminist discussions. This study is organized as follows. Section 2 reviews the meaning-giving function of experience of perception and the medial function of the body based on Merleau-Ponty’s theory of perception. Experience of perception, which individually reveals the meaning of self and object, is presented as the authority for the unity of mind and body and the integration of subject and object. Section 3 discusses from the perspective of social constructionism that femininity is not innately attributed to the female body but is constructed socioculturally. The distinctive way of experience and perception provided by the female body is presented as the starting point for the formation of individual identity and subjectivity. Section 4 attempts an educational criticism of the modern form of the oppression of women based on philosophical and feminist discussions about the female body. Expression based on the body and development of sensibility and sentiment are presented as educational measures to form female subjectivity from the perspective of self-formation (Bildung).

IDENTITY OF THE MODERN INDIVIDUAL IN THE CONTEXT OF SOCIAL-PHILOSOPHICAL ANALYSIS

The article examines the problem of individual identity formation in modern conditions of neoliberalism. It is noted that the research of subjectivity, «I» (self), which is the source and condition for the formation of individual identity, actualizes the study of this problem in many social and humanitarian sciences. In the context of socio-philosophical analysis, identity represents itself as a complicated dynamic phenomenon that constantly needs new definitions, clarifications and additions. The effectiveness of using E.Erikson’s theory of individual identity in modern conditions, its significance for the formation of «I» and P.Ricker’s concept of personalistic identity are analyzed. It has been clarified that a new request for the conceptualization of identity has been formed now, which is conditioned of the collapse of political ideologies, in particular, the communist one, the significant crisis of modern neoliberal ideology and the persistent search for new forms of collective involvement or solidarity of people in the current era of globalization. However, various forms of collective identity are imposed by society, its numerous communities, ideology, state institutions, mass media, social networks with their computer capabilities, dominance of advertisements, etc. Therefore, it is not surprising that now individuals are trying to find their own identity, going out from under the pressure of the collective, mainly discursive forms of identity, and already these efforts do not depend on them to a certain extent. The construct «collective identity» in many cases does not reflect the social I (social me) of the individual, as it was conceived in the last century, because society and its communities, which involve active, mobile and changing structures, cannot be thought in terms of subjectivity. Analogies and comparisons do not work here either on a conscious or unconscious level. In the studying identity, there is a significant problem of the transition from the individual to the collective level and vice versa. A collective or group does not have the qualities of individuality with its diversity of characteristics. Taking into account the conducted consideration, it can be stated that approaches to the formation of identity are now acquiring a profound semantic transformation. An assumption was made, which needs to be carefully investigated in the future, according to which the process of partial or complete absorption of individual identity by its collective forms is currently taking place. That’s why, there is an urgent need for the formation of a new interdisciplinary approach to the research of personal identity in the modern digital society.

Sociological Aspects of Nursing Identity Development

This article presents the development of nursing identity with a brief review of the situation in the Republic of Croatia. The focus is on the conceptual interpretation of identity and its impact on the formation of individual identity in the social context. The postulate of contribution is manifested in the presentation of different authors’ perspectives on the concept of nursing identity, emphasizing the ambiguity of this term. Special emphasis is placed on the analysis of nursing identity development, exploring the influence of traditional and modern social frameworks. The historical evolutionary path of nursing and the way in which gender stereotypes limit its progress are presented. Additionally, key components of contemporary nursing are highlighted, emphasizing the importance of academic education, research and theoretical development within nursing. Finally, the current issues of nursing within the Republic of Croatia were addressed, emphasizing the need for inclusive and modern nursing based on academic knowledge and social engagement.

Language Maintenance and Shift in Multilingual Ecologies: A Case Study of Ethnic Minorities in Yunnan

This study aims to address the phenomenon of language maintenance and shift in multilingual ecologies, specifically the ethnic minority communities of Yunnan province in China. The case study focuses on language ecological issues, i.e., language use, language shift, and language preservation, which resulted from language contact and cultural contact between the dominant Chinese communities and the inferior minorities across the region of Yunnan. The smaller language groups have been overlooked in favour of the larger competing languages in previous research concerning linguistic dynamics in Yunnan. By analyzing and evaluating at language competency levels, usage patterns, and skill sets among speakers from the Chinese communities, this paper seeks to restate this omission. Through the integration of language ecology approaches, the survey on everyday use of language, attitudes and transition from questionnaires were analyzed quantitatively pertaining to the impact of evolving sociodemographic factors on language retention and change in the context of Chinese communities. In this study, data regarding linguistic habits were gathered by a questionnaire survey, skill levels, and repertoires within these communities. As part of the research approach, sociolinguistic background data, language repertoires, language usage patterns, and attitudes toward various languages were all examined. The study utilized qualitative data that was collected through semi-structured interviews through the Zoom online platform and direct observations. The research illustrated the dynamic relationship between individual agency and social cause that shapes language attitudes and behaviors of different actors. It is hoped that the research findings contribute to the understanding of linguistic diversity in China, particularly in contemporary multilingual settings which may serve as concrete evidence for policymakers to revitalize ehnic minority languages. The research implies that language change on the formation of individual, group and collective identity, social cohesion within a community, and cultural heritage preservation.

MEDIA EDUCATION SPACE OF SOCIALIZATION IN THE MODERN PEDAGOGICAL PROCESS

The article analyzes the peculiarities of the impact of the processes of media culture formation on educational processes in the context of the creating of media education space as a socialization environment on the basis of domestic scientific research. There is an increasing media-cultural determination of the space of human existence in the conditions of informatization of society and the spread of electronic media, which raises the problem of radical transformations of the entire process of socialization. Emphasizing the media component of the study of educational aspects of the problem of socialization in the information society gives reasons to consider the media-cultural space as the main component of the educational space which has the greatest impact on the space of human formation and existence. The sphere of culture as an environment of socialization is gradually turning into a media-cultural environment. The process of forming the media-educational space of socialization is a representation of the general trend of the development of electronic mass communications. The most remarkable feature of the media-educational space is the limitlessness in the physical-spatial relationship of opportunities for human development, which are expanding simultaneously with the further development of global mass media. It is proved that media and media culture in the conditions of the formation of a post-industrial society have turned into system-creating functions regarding the formation of the educational environment of human socialization, the result of mass media activity is the creation of a person's living space. This living space, based on the media educational space, actively contributes to the formation of individual and collective identities, influencing social practices and perceptions of the world. The media education space is not an abstract repository of media texts; specific people perceive it as a personal event, but as a set of such events - as their own life world. And this is what makes this space such an effective environment for socialization. For pedagogical studies of the socialization process, the integral quality of this concept is particularly important, i.e., the ability to comprehensively investigate the transformations of the socialization process both in the context of the interaction of various sociocultural phenomena of the postmodern era, and in the context of existing scientific traditions of studying the educational space.

Social Media as Heterotopia: Exploring the Dynamics of Cancel Culture in the Gisella Anastasia Sex Video Scandal

This study examines the phenomenon of cancel culture on social media, focusing on the controversy surrounding the case of Gisella Anastasia's nude video. Utilizing Michel Foucault's heterotopia theory, this research investigates how social media platforms like Instagram serve as heterotopias that shape new norms and challenge social rules. The study analyzes Instagram's role in cancel culture, exemplified by the Gisella Anastasia case, and netizen responses. It explores how digital spaces blur the distinction between reality and virtuality, impacting individual freedom and identity formation. Through text and content analysis, this research uncovers power dynamics within Gisella Anastasia's Instagram accounts, @hopsindonesia, and @Rananews.id, over specific time frames. The findings indicate that social media functions as a heterotopic space where netizens contest societal norms and challenge the hegemony of identities in society. Anonymity encourages damaging comments and perpetuates cancel culture, acting as resistance against societal norms and identities. The absence of hierarchy in social media fosters boundaryless behavior among netizens, sometimes leading to excessive brutality.Keywords: cancel culture, spatiality, power, social media.

Introductory Comments

The twelfth issue of Colloquia Humanistica (2023) contains a thematic block titled Centre-Periphery Relation and the Formation of Collective and Individual Identities in the Balkans and Central Europe. The topic makes readers aware how variable centres and peripheries are and how unstable borders can be, not only in the Balkans and Central or Eastern Europe. A wider perspective on the subject is brought by the example of the settlement of Vlachs, who crossed the borders of countries and empires, and also by the context of Western European culture that we find in postimperial Georgia in the years 1918–1921 and in the cross-cultural art of Chinese artist Pan Jianfeng who lives in Finland. The reviews found in issue 12 supplement the subject matter with Siberian and Balkan illustrations. In the Materials section we publish a letter, recently discovered in the Petko and Pencho Slaveykov Museum in Sofia, from the son of Adam Mickiewicz (1798–1855), Władysław (1838–1926), to Bulgarian poet Pencho Slaveykov (1866–1912).

Rainbow in Gethen: Queer utopia and community collectivism in Ursula K. Le Guin's “Coming of Age in Karhide”

AbstractThis essay seeks to examine how Ursula K. Le Guin's science fiction short story “Coming of Age in Karhide” (1995) set in the planet of Gethen in the fictional Hainish universe envisions a political utopia of sequentially hermaphroditic humans to offer a succinct critique of traditional gender roles and conventional sexual customs while celebrating the potential of collective responsibility. While maintaining that the recent scholarship on queer utopias in SF has largely geared toward posthumanist articulations, the present essay argues that Ursula K. Le Guin who laid the genre conventions of queer utopic narratives unabashedly places her short story “Coming of Age in Karhide” within the ideals of humanism by upholding community as a unifying entity, at the same time carefully avoiding the pitfalls of anthropocentrism. Drawing from queer theorists and social scientists, this essay, while exemplifying the implications of a futuristic gender‐neutral society, albeit partially, examines Le Guin's celebration of community collectivism in “Coming of Age in Karhide” to argue that the integration with the values and expectations of the larger community occasions individual growth and identity formation of the teenage protagonist and thereby, attests to the author's humanistic temperament.

Hybridity and the Quest for Self-Identity: A Critical Analysis of Nadia Hashimi's "Sparks Like Stars" ( 2021)

This study addresses the depiction of cultural hybridity and its ramifications on self-identity within Nadia Hashimi's "Sparks Like Stars" (2021), focusing on the protagonist's challenges and opportunities in navigating multiple cultural identities. The research problem centers on understanding the complex interplay between cultural hybridity and individual identity formation in a postcolonial context. Significantly, This approach adds to questions on how literary autobiographical narratives manage cultural hybridity in contemporary society. Employing Peter Morey's theoretical framework on cultural representation, the study aims to dissect the nuanced portrayal of the protagonist's journey towards self-identity, amidst the backdrop of inherited and acquired cultural influences. The novel's intricate exploration of cultural hybridity's impact on identity and the protagonist's struggle and growth as a postcolonial identity symbol.The study concludes by affirming the essential role of cultural hybridity in shaping complex individual identities, thereby enriching the discourse on postcolonial studies and multicultural literature.

The Identity of the Modern Human as a Problem Of Social and Humanitarian Knowledge

The article examines the problem of subjectivity and identity formation, the specifics of individual and collective identity research. It is noted that the study of subjectivity, "I" (self), which is the source of the formation of individual identity, actualizes the study of this problem in many social and humanitarian sciences. It has been established that in a broad interdisciplinary context, it is a search for an effective methodological toolkit for determining the dynamic matrix of subjectivity, which is constantly changing in the modern globalized society. In the context of the study of the phenomenon of subjectivity and identity, the socio-psychological theory - the theory of traits, the theory of roles and the humanistic theory - is briefly considered. It was found that all these theories cannot adequately investigate the subject's identity, the possibility of using E. Erikson's identity theory and the direction of social constructionism, where human subjectivity is constructed here and now in relations with other people using speech practices of discourse, was analyzed . It was determined that the discourse in the understanding of social constructionists is a kind of material basis of the practices of social construction of reality, thanks to which the "I"-construction of subjectivity is constructed.

Social construction of places as meaningful objects: a symbolic interactionist approach

ABSTRACT Places play a crucial role in the formation of both individual and collective identities. This article seeks to specify how a collective identity is constructed and sustained on the basis of the emotional bonds that the members of the group grow to the place. Drawing on the basic tenets of symbolic interactionism, the article argues that in order to function as the foundation of a group identity, a place needs to be perceived as a meaningful object of particular value. Furthermore, the article argues that the meaningfulness of the place occurs through the articulation of a narrative of uniqueness, that, drawing on the bulk of shared place-related life experiences, celebrates the special character of the place in question and shores up its unique meaning and value.

Identity formation in adolescence and emerging adulthood: a process-oriented and applied perspective

ABSTRACT Identity formation constitutes the core developmental task youth face on their way to adulthood. Identity has increasingly been identified as a key construct for understanding both optimal and pathological functioning in community and clinical populations of different ages. The present article describes the five-dimensional identity model, and subsequent research conducted at our centre, and details how this research line has increasingly focused on assessing the clinical relevance of (neo-)Eriksonian identity constructs. Specific attention is paid to the role of identity formation for individuals adjusting to chronic illness. In so doing, the illness identity framework is introduced and relevant studies are reviewed. We end with suggestions for future research and emphasize the need for more integrative research crossing the boundaries of specific approaches (e.g., integrating process- and content-based approaches) if we want to move the field forward and inform clinical practice.

Bilingualism in Brazil: An Examination of Its Effect on the Formation of Individual Identities

The 21st century has witnessed a substantial increase in research focused on the benefits of bilingualism for individuals. The aspects that have received the most attention have been executive functions. And communication skills. Less is known, however, about the noncognitive and nonlinguistic aspects of bilingualism. Personality psychologists claim that personality is the result of a combination of nature-related and nurture-related factors, but the latter have not been sufficiently addressed in studies on bilingualism. Thus, to bridge this gap, the present contribution pursues this line of inquiry by adopting a quantitative approach to the examination of the self-perceived mobility, employability, and intercultural competence of participants who studied in a bilingual education program. A total of 835 respondents living in Brazil completed an online questionnaire. Mann–Whitney U and Wilcoxon W tests showed higher scores for bilingual graduates than for their nonbilingual counterparts on the three subscales. Correlation analyses revealed moderate-to-high positive correlations between bilingual graduates’ perception of their way of being and their way of life on the one hand, and among their self-perceived mobility, employability, and intercultural competence on the other. Likewise, the analyses showed statistically significant positive correlations between being proficient in more than one foreign language and the dimension of mobility. Our findings illustrate the influence that bilingualism/multilingualism exerts on factors that determine everyday life and corroborate and expand the research conducted in this strand. Avenues for further related research are discussed.

Identity and Community: Erikson Reconsidered

In this paper, I present a new reading of Erik Erikson’s theory of epigenetic stages of development, with particular attention to the concept of identity. I show that Erikson’s psychosocial approach requires close attention to the role of the community in the formation of individual identity and to the importance of the stage of generativity as an often overlooked component in understanding both identity and the whole Eriksonian life cycle.

Third Generation Zainichi Korean Hip Hop Music: Investigation of the Diverse Focus on Representation of Heritage Embodied by Young Zainichi Rappers

This research project centers on the discussion about the question of how the Third generation Zainichi Korean rappers internalize, reproduce and represent their Korean ethnic heritage through the form of Hip Hop. Three Zainichi rappers, including Chanmina, Kohh, and Moment Joon, are carefully selected for the case study with the expectation that they each embody a distinctive focus on their self-identity construction. The central proposition of this paper is to highlight the cruciality of approaching the ontological construction of young Zainichi Koreans concerning individual choices and then to regard the formation and representation of individual identities as an ongoing process rather than a fixed, monolithic entity.

Homo narrans: A transdisciplinary reading of Ken Plummer’s narrative sociology

The most significant and lasting contributions of Ken Plummer to the sociology of sexuality have been his work on sexual storytelling. Best represented in Plummer’s 1995 book Telling Sexual Stories: Power, Change and Social Worlds, this approach to sexuality made two key points. One is that sexual storytelling is fundamental to the formation of individual sexual identities and a process of sexual self-discovery. The second is that sexual storytelling is a key social process in a broader sexual politics and struggles for “intimate citizenship.” Plummer’s work has significance, however, far beyond studies a simple model of sexual identity formation. Building upon a review of the research literature citing Plummer as well our own research, this essay explores three dimensions of Plummer’s narrative sociology that include but also take us beyond sexuality studies. One is Plummer’s contribution to the concept of “storytelling” as anti-foundationalist social ontology practice. The second is narrative sociology as humanistic methodology. The third is the significance of the narrative method for a dialogic pedagogy, not only in teaching about sexuality but also in other areas of social life.

Professionalism in small group learning between face-to-face and virtual settings: a mixed-methods study.

To explore whether and how preclinical medical students changed perceptions and behaviors related to professionalism in small group learning activities from face-to-face to virtual during the pandemic. The study used a mixed-methods sequential research design. We first retrospectively examined quantitative data from 101 medical students who completed mandatory peer evaluation surveys assessing professional behaviors of small group members in two courses (one face-to-face, the other online). Differences between student perceptions in two settings were compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Findings from the quantitative stage were probed further using focus groups at the qualitative stage. Six focus groups (n = 27) were conducted using purposeful sampling. Interviews were transcribed and inductive thematic coding was used to identify emerging themes. We found a significant decrease in perceptions of punctuality and attendance in the virtual setting compared to face-to-face learning (Z=-6.211, p<.001), despite lower expectations of their peers in online learning. Five major themes emerged from the qualitative data: punctuality/participation, camera usage, dress code/conversational style, multitasking, and engagement/accountability. Participants showed sensitivity when conceptualizing professional conduct, indicating the dynamic process of professional identity formation at the early stage of their career. Results show that students' perceptions of professionalism become contextualized, significantly influenced by the background of the virtual learning environment. Intentional communication about professionalism within specific sociocultural and educational contexts is vital for individual professional identity formation. These findings support of the importance of considering context when educational programs develop curricula and establish expectations related to professionalism.