Characteristics of Identity in Life Choice Situations

The article discusses the problematics of identity in its connection with the social reality. While the scientific approach is directed variously toward internal subjectivity, changes and development of identity are more often being considered as a result of an individual’s subjective activity. The conception of “existential identity”, connecting identity with the person’s life choices is here considered. The results of researching identity in one’s life choice situation are presented. Examples of meaningful life choice is considered as professional choice (the situation of bachelors students completing studying with the possibility of changing their specialty attending a master’s program). The research objective is to study the identity dynamics in one’s life choice situation, and the connection of personal (professional) and existential identity. The design of the study was longitudinal: two measurements were taken with an annual interval. Results indicated that the identity of the respondents making the decision to change the profession is less formed than that of the group of respondents staying in profession. A year after the change of profession, the identity of those who changed is significantly higher. The author concludes that respondents planning to change their specialty are in a state of identity crisis, making a choice and confirming it in the future will allow them to develop their future identity. The correlation of the formation of professional identity with the parameters of existential identity was also obtained (a positive correlation with a sense of existential fulfillment and negative correlation with an existential fault characteristics), which indicates a close connection of personal and existential identity

Bauman Z. Idealizirovannoe obshchestvo [The Individualized Society]. Transl. from Engl. by V.L.Inozemtseva. Moscow, Logos Publ., 2002. 390 р. (In Russian)