Identity Crisis Research Articles

Identity Crisis in Strindberg’s Miss Julie and Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard: A Psychoanalytical Study

August Strindberg’s Miss Julie and Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard have always been recurrently analyzed within disputable studies concerning the characters’ psychoanalytic makeup, the characters’ breakdown at the break of a new social class, and a naturalistic, existential approach. Such a foundational approach for analysis is overpoweringly highlighted in the two plays within an unshakable regularity to the assumption that female identities in the two plays have undergone intense turmoil, toppled heavily in the middle of socioeconomic changes with the decline of aristocracy. However, this paper aims to juxtapose and compare the concept of identity crisis in association with the traumatic experiences of the two characters Miss Julie and Mrs. Ranyevskaia through a comparative psychoanalytic approach. It is inexplicable how the two addressed characters grapple with their different circumstances with fractured identities, where they fail to stand up for their social and gender roles and elevate their sense of individuation and selfhood in the middle of the surrounding deteriorations. Through a comparative analysis, this study lays the groundwork needed for exploring, interpreting, and investigating more nuanced reciprocal relationships associated with identity crisis.

Ritual, Media, and Alienation: Three Cases of Constructing the Image of a School Shooter in Russian Media in the Context of the Ritual of Chiral Initiation

Mass school shootings in Russia have become a symbol of deep social and cultural dysfunctions, reflecting a crisis of identity and youth alienation. The paper emphasizes the importance of exploring how the media constructs the image of a school shooter, influencing public perception and the perception of the perpetrators themselves. The media’s role in intensifying the alienation and marginalization of shooters through the ritualization and narrativization of acts of violence requires in-depth analysis. The aim of the study is to analyze the phenomenon of school shootings through the lens of the ritual of chiral initiation and to identify the sociocultural factors contributing to the construction of the shooter’s image. The analysis shows that media coverage of school shootings follows a ritualized script that reinforces the perception of the shooter as an alienated and dangerous individual, cementing his marginal status. The “Non-Return” stage in the chiral initiation ritual illustrates the shooter’s irreversible break from society and self-identity. The study underscores the need for a comprehensive analysis of the media and cultural factors shaping public opinion about school shooters. The target audience of this study includes scholars in sociology, cultural studies, and anthropology, as well as professionals involved in media studies and public safety.

Identity Crises and the Impact of 9/11: A Post-Colonial Study of the Reluctant Fundamentalist and Khuda Kay Lye

The current study explores the devastating aftershocks and identity crises caused by 9/11. It furthermore, presents the upheavals through two different forms of literature: The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid and the cinematic film Khuda Kay Liye by Shoaib Mansoor. The study employs a post-colonial lens, utilizing the concept of marginality to examine identity crises and the traumatic aftermath of 9/11. In addition, the study highlights the main characters of both the literary forms: novel and film, demonstrating how they face marginalization at various levels—cultural, religious, and international. The background of the study encompasses the Afghan-Russian war in 1979 and the 9/11 attacks, which profoundly affected Afghanistan and northern Pakistan, fueling terrorism and raising questions about identity. Religious figures, as the research uncovers through the character of Changez in The Reluctant Fundamentalist, were often labeled as terrorists. On the other hand, Mansoor, Maryam, and Sarmad are marginalized in Khuda Kay Liye. Mansoor faces racial prejudice in the USA, while Sarmad and Maryam encounter religious extremism in Pakistan. While weaving together the theme of identity crises, the study adopts the framework of marginality, a significant aspect of post-colonial literature. With a clear understanding of the issues, the study utilizes post-colonial theory, using Edward Said's seminal work, Orientalism. Additionally, the researcher recognizes the significance of marginality, which is central to both the genre fiction and the films The Reluctant Fundamentalist and Khuda Kay Liye.

The European Muslim Crisis and the Post-October 7 Escalation

Israel’s war on Gaza following 7 October 2023 has given birth to several political and social changes in European nations. According to the United Nations Report of the Special Rapporteur, Israel has used this moment to “distort” international humanitarian law principles “in an attempt to legitimize genocidal violence against the Palestinian people.” In the European context, this has led to European Muslims and non-Muslims, including organizations, institutions, as well as individual academics, politicians, and activists mobilizing and voicing their condemnation and demand their governments to do more towards peaceful and equitable solutions. However, this has been met with a strong reaction from European governing bodies. This paper situates this reaction within wider discourses on the European Muslim crisis. It begins with a systematic literature review on the so-called European Muslim crisis, followed by case studies on the United Kingdom and Germany on their respective changes to policies impacting Muslims in the post-October 7 contexa Regarding the literature review, this paper illustrates how this concept has three distinct, yet intersecting meanings: the crisis of European identity; the crisis of foundational ideologies of Europe; and an internal Muslim crisis that often leads to radicalization. Through the British and German case studies, this paper illustrates that October 7 has reinforced and strengthened the shift towards values-based citizenship and integration. This paper argues that through branding pro-Palestine protesters and organizations as extremists in the British context, and adding questions related to antisemitism and Israel in the citizenship tests in the German context, the Israel/Palestine issue has now become yet another yardstick to demarcate the European, civilized “us” vs. the Muslim “other.” In doing so, October 7 has escalated elements already present within the wider discourses of the European Muslim crisis.

White by Force and the Racialized State of Exception

White identity is forged through violence. The moment that whites aspired to be white, they set themselves up for immediate, inevitable failure: they try to inhabit an identity of superiority that cannot exist, and this sets them into a perpetual identity crisis, an existential emergency that threatens who they are and who they think they want to be. The ensuing identity formation—white by force—comprises an entire set of strategies, tactics, institutions, and structures meant to prop up an inherently failure-based identity and to do so through brutality, resentment, anger, contrived fear, and murder. Such an identity impacts everyone, including white people themselves, in devastating ways. In what following article, I will put forward a theoretical model called “White by Force and the Racialized State of Exception”, conceptualizing key aspects of this model to provide an emerging vocabulary for studying, discussing, and dismantling white identity, violence, authoritarianism, racism, and the existential crises that we are all facing. Our discourse around race and racism, since the Civil Rights Era, needs new language from which to diagnose an inherently violent identity formation that ultimately benefits no one, especially not people of color or white people from lower socioeconomic strata.

Socio-cultural Analysis of Gaddi Tribe - A Sociological Study of Saraj Area in Jammu Region

The present paper deals with the detail analysis of socio-cultural conditions of Gaddi tribe of Saraj area of Chenab Valley in Jammu region. This study gives focus on socio-cultural importance, constitutional status, tradition and customs of Gaddi tribe. These custom and traditions compel them to be remain ethnocentric in nature. On the basis of fieldwork, participant observations, in-depth long interviews and data collection from concern community development block, it is found that Gaddi tribes are still economically and socially backward. Since the homogenous nature of all Gaddi settlements in the region, the Gaddi hamlet namely Barshalli has been chosen as sample and locale of the present study. The study is based on four main objectives which fulfilled the requirement of the entire investigation. 1). Demographic and occupational profile of the Gaddi tribes in Saraj. 2). Socio-cultural conditions of Gaddi in the area. 3). Dependence of Gaddi on intra-religious communities. 4). Religious consciousness of Gaddi tribes in the region. The researcher has conducted fieldwork at village Barshalli and applied qualitative research techniques for data collection. The entire data so collected has been analysed with various tool and techniques. On the basis of data analysis it is found that Gaddi are ethnocentric and endogamous in nature. Their traditions and customs highlight their identity. Their dairy produce is for their domestic consumption only. They sale out few sheep and goats to meet out expenses for their rituals and diseases. They are facing identity crisis in the region. Gaddi tribes affiliate themselves with upper caste Rajputs but in turn they keep social distance from these tribes. Gaddi also maintain strong social stratification with lower castes Hindus in the area. Despite of various government initiatives adopted for their wellbeing. There is still a need of more affirmative targeted schemes as per demand of the hour for them. These tribes are facing multi-dimensional issues in their daily life.

Critical Analysis of Hybridity and Multiculturalism in the Short Story “My Son the Fanatic” by Hanif Qureshi

In his presented textual writings, all these approaches, i.e, multiculturalism, hybridity, cultural clashes, identity crisis, and fundamentalism, are equally measured by Hanif Qureishi beautifully. The main focus of this research is achieved using questionnaires and a critical analysis approach. Key results are extracted from the critical analysis of the text of short story My Son the Fanatic (1994) on account of religious perspectives and fundamentalism. It is observed that second-generation of immigrant families are less in touch with their primary origin as their religious identity for Muslim immigrants who have a residence in British for a long time; respectively, in this present research short story My Son The Fanatic; the case seems in an opposite direction because the represented character Ali who is counts as a second generation young man in immigrants family of Pervaiz , shows strong attachment to his religion after they realize the true impact of his origin upon their real life, therefore, he is firmly diverted to his religion and follow the actual pattern of Islam and becomes a fundamentalist figure of his time, opposite to his father. This shows nature can never change. That’s why he questioned his father in the final period: “Who is fanatic now?”

APLICAÇÃO DO MÉTODO DAS DISTÂNCIAS MÉDIAS DOS CANAIS RGB NA CLASSIFICAÇÃO DE AMOSTRAS COM MAIS DE UM TIPO DE GRÃO

O Brasil é o maior produtor e exportador de café do mundo, sendo a espécie arábica a mais produzida. A classificação desses grãos permite comercializar um produto de qualidade, identificando possíveis defeitos como a presença de grãos pretos, verdes ou ardidos, responsáveis por trazer prejuízos sensoriais à bebida e reduzir seu valor comercial. O uso de sistemas de visão computacional são alternativas para melhoria de processos dentro da indústria de alimentos, sendo o processo de classificação de alimentos uma das diversas possibilidades. O objetivo do trabalho foi desenvolver um programa de processamento digital de imagens aplicável ao processo de inspeção visual automática da qualidade de grãos de café arábica, quanto aos defeitos por cor. Para tal, foi realizada a aquisição de imagens adquiridos da Indústria & Comércio Café Ouro Verde LTDA, Garanhuns-PE, utilizando máquina fotográfica Nikon 5200 e aparelho celular iphone 7 e iluminador LED circular de 8 polegadas Ring Light, a fim de manter a constância de luz. O processamento de imagens foi realizado a partir da elaboração de um código a partir da plataforma Matlab®. Os grãos foram classificados de acordo com o valor da menor distância média entre os pixels dos canais RGB das imagens teste com as imagens padrão. O código utilizou o método das distâncias médias dos canais RGB (Red, Green, Blue), onde foram utilizadas quatro imagens padrão, referentes aos grãos sadios, pretos, verdes e ardidos e 60 imagens teste. O código conseguiu classificar os grãos com alto valor de acurácia. No entanto, entre os grãos ardidos a acurácia foi de 73,3%, devido à classificação de quatro imagens que foram identificadas como sendo grão verde. O método das distâncias médias dos canais RGB mostrou-se eficaz na classificação dos grãos de café arábica e pode ser utilizado para determinar se o café analisado se encontra dentro dos padrões preconizados pela legislação, ao fazer a análise grão a grão, necessitando apenas de uma boa iluminação e posição da câmera no momento de aquisição das imagens, de modo a evitar interferência por sombras.

NICK DUNNE’S DISLOYALTY IN GILLIAN FLYNN'S GONE GIRL

This study discusses about Nick Dunne’s disloyalty in Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl. In analysing the data from Dunne’s character, this study applies descriptive qualitative method and psychological theory which is aimed to explain the portrayal, causes, and effects of Nick Dunne’s disloyalty. There are three categories of the findings as the result of this study, the type of Dunne’s disloyalty, the causes of Dunne’s disloyalty and the effects of Dunne’s disloyalty. The type of Dunne’s disloyalty is romantic love affair. The causes of Dunne’s disloyalty are desire of novelty, poor communication, insecurity, and lack of intimacy. There are two kinds of effects from Dunne’s disloyalty, namely effect on the doer and effect on the victim. The effects of Dunne’s disloyalty on the doer, Dunne himself, include suffering from guilt and shame, inner conflict, identity crisis, self-doubt, fear of repercussion, desire of personal growth and change, and lack of intimacy with his wife. The effects of Dunne’s disloyalty on the victim, Amy, include anguish from betrayal and emotional trauma, loss of self-esteem, trust issues, emotional roller coaster, self-blame, fear of repeating betrayal, and lack of intimacy.

Реидеологизация российского общества: основные тезисы философской позиции

Introduction. At the beginning of the XXI century there is a gradual revival of interest in the re-ideologization of the political and cultural space of the country. The purpose of this article is to systematize and analyze philosophical views on the processes of re-ideologization that took place in Russia in the period from 2012 to 2023. Theoretical analysis allowed us to argue that the philosophical community has demonstrated a variety of reactions to the active processes of re-ideologization in Russia supported by the state since 2012. On the one hand, warnings were put forward about the repressive nature of total ideology. On the other hand, philosophers sought ways to participate in the discussion of national issues and determine the future development of the country. Particular attention was paid to concepts of the future such as humanism, culture, and communitarianism. Some philosophers, refusing to discuss ideology, have adopted a position of escapism, seeking freedom in their own being, outside the influence of society or any particular ideology. Conclusion. Transformations of habitual ideas about ideology open new angles for philosophical self-reflection. Discussions about the necessity of “withdrawal” from the discussion of political problems and ideological confrontation cause a “crisis of philosophical identity” and at the same time represent an important epistemological challenge.

Exploring the Psychosocial Experiences of Within the Family Adoptees: An initiative for Mental Well-Being

This qualitative research delves into the exploring the psychosocial experiences of adoptees within their adoptive families, with a focus on their mental well-being. The study employed an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis approach to explore the psychosocial experiences of within-family adoptees in relation to mental well-being. The research involved six participants who were engaged in semi-structured interviews. The analysis revealed master themes and generated sub-themes through coding method. Five master themes were communication barriers, assistance, identity crisis, general societal attitudes, and emotional disturbance that contributed to a deeper understanding of the mental well-being for adoptees and shed light on various psychosocial aspects within the family context. The research sheds light on the various emotional, relational, and identity-related aspects that influence adoptees’ mental health within the family context. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of adoptees’ needs and suggest implications for supporting their overall well-being.

Changes in Psychological Challenges, Positive Experiences, and Coping Strategies among International Students in the United States before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study.

The purpose of this study was to understand how the challenges and coping strategies among international students in the United States changed before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted a qualitative study through one-on-one in-depth interviews during April-June 2021. A total of 34 international students in the San Francisco Bay Area participated in this study. NVivo was used to analyze the qualitative data. Before COVID-19, the challenges were primarily related to a sense of belonging, such as culture shock, language barriers, and loss of identity. However, some positive experiences from school life and new culture were also found before COVID-19. During the pandemic, students faced difficulties with online learning and lockdown protocols that they had never experienced before. The ongoing challenges before and during COVID-19 were identity crisis, racism and discrimination, and financial struggles. Common coping strategies for overcoming these difficulties included engaging in physical activity, social exposure, self-improvement, and mental self-care. The frequency of online engagement and motivation for self-improvement were particularly highlighted during COVID-19. However, international students expressed a preference for improved support systems, including financial aid, paid research opportunities, and more accessible campus resources. Future research could focus on the strategies to support the psychological well-being of international students in coping with unexpected situations, such as disease outbreaks.

A cellular identity crisis? Plasticity changes during aging and rejuvenation.

Cellular plasticity in adult multicellular organisms is a protective mechanism that allows certain tissues to regenerate in response to injury. Considering that aging involves exposure to repeated injuries over a lifetime, it is conceivable that cell identity itself is more malleable-and potentially erroneous-with age. In this review, we summarize and critically discuss the available evidence that cells undergo age-related shifts in identity, with an emphasis on those that contribute to age-associated pathologies, including neurodegeneration and cancer. Specifically, we focus on reported instances of programs associated with dedifferentiation, biased differentiation, acquisition of features from alternative lineages, and entry into a preneoplastic state. As some of the most promising approaches to rejuvenate cells reportedly also elicit transient changes to cell identity, we further discuss whether cell state change and rejuvenation can be uncoupled to yield more tractable therapeutic strategies.

Resistance to anti-smoking messages related to the higher smoking stigma of Korean female smokers.

The degree of perceived smoking stigma can differ, based on various factors such as gender; this may influence the effect of smoking cessation interventions, including denormalization. This study investigates the gender differences in smoking stigma recognized by Korean smokers and explores the effect of these differences on the success of smoking cessation messages that aim to initiate an identity crisis among smokers. It aims to contribute to effective smoking cessation intervention strategies for female smokers. The smoker-gender Implicit Association Test (IAT) was used to measure gender-based smoking stigma; the test comprised photos of people smoking, with positive and negative descriptors. Participants were 120 smokers aged 19-35 years (60 males and 60 females). Participants' cognitive attitudes toward smoking and cessation intentions were assessed at baseline. To investigate the effect of social stigmatization on smokers, participants were asked to watch anti-smoking campaigns that stigmatized either smoking behavior or smokers' self-identity. Cognitive attitudes and cessations intention were used to show differences in gender and message conditions. The IAT D-score showed that female smokers perceived other female smokers significantly more negatively than they did male smokers, suggesting a higher level of smoking stigma. Female smokers in the socially stigmatizing condition reduced their negativity toward smoking less than those who were not stigmatized. Moreover, cessation intentions did not improve when female smokers received identity-threatening messages, indicating that female smokers tended to resist stigmatizing messages. These findings provide empirical evidence that the gender of Korean smokers is significantly related to differences in smoking stigma. The negative perception and resistance responses of female smokers shown in this study are consistent with the findings of previous studies on the stigma of substance use disorders and addiction. High smoking stigma can also be a risk factor in anti-smoking interventions, including health communication; therefore, these findings should be interpreted with caution.

Illness as Metaphor in Contemporary Autobiographies: A Theoretical Exploration

This paper examines the use of illness as a metaphor in contemporary autobiographies, highlighting how illness serves as a narrative and symbolic framework for understanding individual identity, societal structures, and existential crises. Drawing on the works of Susan Sontag, particularly her seminal book Illness as Metaphor (1978), this paper explores how the metaphor of illness is employed by authors to convey personal, social, and political messages. Autobiographies such as The Cancer Journals by Audre Lorde and When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi offer compelling narratives where illness becomes a central figure in the process of self- representation and meaning-making. Through this analysis, we aim to demonstrate how illness in autobiographical writing transcends the physical experience, becoming a vehicle for broader metaphorical reflection.

Психологическое состояние российской студенческой молодежи в условиях кризиса: связь с культурным и политическим патриотизмом

<p>The analysis of markers and determinants of the current psychological state of Russian youth as a risk group with high probability of combined influence on its state of normative crisis of identity and complex external conditions is important and necessary. In the study we conducted a hierarchical regression analysis of the correlation between the severity of psychological trauma associated with the special military operation and with the perception of the future of Russia (dependent variables) and cultural and political patriotism and several control variables (predictors). University students from Moscow, Omsk, Penza, Saratov, Smolensk, Khabarovsk (718 Russian citizens ages 18 to 25, M=19,4; SD=1,46, 21,6% of men) participated in the study. Data were collected in October 2022. We used the Russian version of “International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ)” and questions from the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP 2013). We found signs of psychological trauma in the third of respondents. The link between the psychological condition of students and cultural and political patriotism and some control variables has been revealed. Cultural patriotism, combined with a low level of political patriotism, has contributed to the psychological trauma of young people in the current crisis. Cultural patriotism combined with political patriotism is a factor of positiv perception of the future of Russia. Based on the results, we presented a portrait of student who is in great need of psychological help.</p>

Rethinking ‘Healthy Masculinity’ Training From a Queer Boys+ Perspective

ABSTRACT Contemporary discourses on feminism’s role in Australian boys’ lives focus on how feminism might guide strategies that train boys to resist negative or ‘toxic’ performances of masculinity and instead encourage them to strive for a ‘healthy’ or ‘positive’ masculinity. In this article, I question whether training young people to attach themselves to a particular masculinity is aligned with a commitment to queer politics or serves the interests of boys, particularly queer boys or gender-diverse young people. I begin by tracing unsettled contests over masculinity's ontological foundations, including the roles of biology, identification, ‘gendered’ traits, and affective attachments. Through the method of autoethnography, I then explore issues that arise in the logic and implementation of common desires to train boys into ‘healthy’ men. I argue that, drawing on a queer liberation tradition, feminism can be an invitation to solidarity and freedom as well as a ‘way out’ or ‘refuge’ from the regulatory policing of gender norms associated with boyhood. I suggest a detachment or disaffection with masculinity does not have to lead to an identity crisis and can instead be part of a feminist killjoy survival kit [Ahmed, Sara. 2017. Living a Feminist Life. Durham: Duke University Press].

Marginalisation and Portrayal of Women Characters in Indian Diasporic Writings: A Study of Jhumpa Lahiri and Bharati Mukherjee

Most authors of post-colonial diasporic origin tend to write in a formulaic fashion. Inviting readers from all over the world, they use methods as varied as stream of consciousness, immigration, magic realism, alienation, and the capacity to adjust to a new area and culture. The literary world has taken notice of Indian literature in English because of the depth and relevance of its subject matter. The contemporary trend in Indian writing in English is unparalleled, despite the fact that outstanding literary works written in English were discovered a century ago. Numerous authors have gained widespread recognition on both a national and international scale. Some of the most well-known Indian authors of the modern era did not even grow up in India. Modern Indian English literature found a strong ally in India's female authors. They have shed light on many of the ongoing problems that women have had to deal with for centuries. Women who have stepped out to demonstrate their efficacy in numerous fields have been met with resistance from patriarchal culture. An identity crisis does not arise from one specific event or cause. A person's identity crisis may have been brought on by a number of different things.

Exploring Gendered Identity Crisis in Diasporic Space In the Works of Jhumpa Lahiri and Bharati Mukherjee

Research on diasporic and female studies is a significant and intriguing focus within contemporary literary studies. Diasporic literature has its origins in the migration of less privileged individuals to new and promising lands such as America, Britain, Canada, Trinidad, and others. Migration is often seen in countries with a colonial past. The newly independent individuals moved to foreign countries to escape poverty and seek a brighter future. The new lands were a fertile ground for material success, but they also had a negative impact on the mental well-being of these immigrants. The newcomers found a pre-existing culture, traditions, and rules in the new lands. The recently relocated individuals discovered themselves in a dilemma between their familiar history, the unfamiliar current situation, and the uncertain days ahead. Their minds became permanently ensnared in the complex network of historical and geographical factors.

Nubians Are Baganda from Bombo: Unpacking the Luwalo Tax Protests and the Nubian Identity Crisis in Colonial Buganda (1891-1940)

This study challenges the dominant narrative that the 1940 Luwalo tax protests in Buganda were solely a result of the Nubians' militant and uncompromising nature. Instead, it posits that these protests were deeply rooted in unresolved identity issues imposed on the Nubian community by British colonial authorities since their arrival in Uganda in the 1890s. By examining the 1940 protest and the subsequent arrest and imprisonment of Nubian protesters, the research raises critical questions about the politics of colonial identity construction and deconstruction. It investigates why some Nubians resisted the payment of native taxes while others complied, the minimal press coverage of the protests, and the role of colonial tax policies, such as the Luwalo tax, in reshaping Nubian identity. Additionally, the study highlights the often-overlooked role of Nubian women in these protests. A historical research methodology was employed, utilizing both primary and secondary sources, including government documents, colonial correspondences, and newspapers, to uncover the broader socio-political context of the protests. Oral histories, gathered through interviews with 5 surviving Nubian elders and 9 of their descendants, provided valuable insights into identity struggles and the impact of colonial policies. This combination of archival research and oral history offers an elaborate analysis of how colonial tax policies influenced Nubian identity, contributing to the broader narrative of resistance and identity preservation within the community