Changes in the Self-Image and the Perception of Security in Interethnic Interaction

Urban population growth is, by large, due to internal migration: rural areas residents move to large cities characterized by ethnic diversity. The paper aims to identify dynamic changes in the image of the self and the subjective perception of security in people moving to St.-Petersburg and Moscow (multinational megacities) for resettlement from regions with a low level of ethnic diversity (Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, and Dagestan). The authors used the M. Kun test ‘Who am I?’ and J. Berry scale for measuring acculturation (the variable “perceived security”). The sample consisted of 150 people. The study lasted 1 year and had three stages: the first survey took place before leaving for megacities, the second – a half a year after living in a new place, and the last survey was administered a year later. The respondents from regions with low ethnic diversity see ethnic identity as an important though not the only aspect of the self-image. The authors documented a rise of ethnic self-identification with a consequent reduction a year later. Life of newcomers in the multi-ethnic environment shapes a more pronounced identification by ethnicity; the respondents interact with other national more often and actively, and, consequently, they acquire a deeper feeling of their uniqueness. It is worth noting that this process does not appear to entail a sense of cultural threat, which indicates a low conflict potential along ethnic lines.