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Identity Crisis and Postcommunist Psychology
Author(s) -
Kon Igor S.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
symbolic interaction
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.874
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1533-8665
pISSN - 0195-6086
DOI - 10.1525/si.1993.16.4.395
Subject(s) - ideology , identity crisis , identity (music) , nationalism , soviet union , consciousness , resistance (ecology) , argument (complex analysis) , ethnic group , political economy , political science , sociology , gender studies , law , social science , politics , epistemology , aesthetics , philosophy , ecology , biochemistry , chemistry , face (sociological concept) , biology
This article examines the effect that the recent changes in Soviet Society have had on the self‐identity of its members. The sudden collapse of the Soviet Union and the precipitous decline of its economy deprived individuals of the familiar guideposts that served to define their identity. The void created in the self‐consciousness of ex‐Soviet citizens is now being filled by nationalist ideologies which emphasize ethnic exclusiveness and suppress the universalistic identity references typical of the modern era. The argument is made that the habitual self formed during the Soviet era offers a strong resistance to change and poses serious problems for Russian reformers.