Social Identity and Ethnic Attitudes in Students from Chechnya

The study focused on analyzing the impact of ethnic and national identity on the ethnonational attitudes among young people living in the North Caucasus. The study involved students residing in the Chechen Republic (214 subjects aged 16—19 years (mean 17.8), girls — 97, boys — 117). We used: 1) Ethnonational attitudes scale; 2) Technique for studying expression of ethnic and national identity; 3) Interethnic Attitudes questionnaire; 4) General Social Attitudes Scale by E.Frenkel-Brunswik. The outcomes of the research indicate that national identity is a weak predictor of ethnonational attitudes. It is associated with ethnic identity, but does not play any significant role in the formation of interethnic relationships. However, ethnic identity does shape the feeling of pride and other positive feelings that one has about his/her own “nationality”. To a lesser extent, but still statistically significant, subjective importance of one’s ethnicity is associated with hostility towards other nationalities and with negative assessment of social equality and cultural diversity.

1. Andreeva G.M. K voprosu o krizise identichnosti v usloviyach sozial’nychtransformaziy [On the issue of identity crisis in terms of social transformations] [Elektronnyy resurs].
2. Psichologicheskie issledovaniya: elektronnyy nauchnyy zhurnal [Psychological research: electronic scientific journal]. 2011. N 6(20). URL: http://psystudy.ru/index.php/ num/2011n6-20/580-andreeva20.html (data obrascheniya: 07.04.2015).
3. Bezgina N.V. Psichologicheskaya struktura grazhdanskoy identichnosti [Psychological structure of civic identity]. Izvestiya Tul’skogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Gumanitarnye nauki [Proceedings of the Tula State University. humanities]. 2013. Vyp. no. 3—1, pp. 244—247.
4. Belik A.A. Kul’turnaya (sozial’naya) antropologiya [Cultural (social) anthropology]. Moscow: RGGU, 2009, 613 p.
5. van Gennep A. Obryady perechoda [Rites of passage]. Moscow: «Vostochnaya litera­tura» RAN, 2002, 198 p.
6. Vodolazhskaya T.V. Identichnost’ grazhdanskaya [The identity of the civil]. Obrazovatel’naya politika [Educational policy]. 2010. № 5—6, pp. 140—142.
7. Grizenko V.V., Smotrova T.N. Zennostno-normativnye osnovy integrazii etnicheskich migrantov v rossiyskom obschestve [Value-normative bases of integration of ethnic mi­grants in Russian society]. Smolensk: Universum, 2008, 152 p.
8. Gulevich O.A. Psichologiya mezhgruppovych otnosheniy [Psychology of intergroup relations]. Moscow: Moskovskiy psichologo-sozial’nyy institut. 2007, 432 p.
9. Drobizheva L.M. Vvedenie. Chto my chotim skazat’ o rossiyskoy identichnosti [What we want to say about the Russian identity]. Grazhdanskaya identichnost’ v Moskve i regio­nach [Civic identity in Moscow and regions] / Otv. red. L.M. Drobizheva. Moscow: Institut Soziologii RAN; Maks-press, 2009, pp. 5—15.
10. Drobizheva L.M. Identichnost’ i etnicheskie ustanovki russkich v svoey i inoetniches­koy srede [Identity and ethnic Russian in their installation and another ethnic environ­ment]. Soziologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological research]. 2010. no. 12, pp. 49—58.
11. Drobizheva L.M. Nazional’no-grazhdanskaya i etnicheskaya identichnost’: problemy pozitivnoy sovmestimosti [National civil and ethnic identity: positive compatibility prob­lems]. Rossiya reformiruyuschayasya [Russia reformed]. Ezhegodnik / Otv. red. M.K. Gor­shkov. Vyp. 7. Moscow: Institut soziologii RAN, 2008, pp. 214—228.
12. Efremova M.V. Vliyanie etnicheskoy i grazhdanskoy identichnosti na adaptaziyu inokul’turnych migrantov v Moskve i Stavropol’skom krae [Influence of ethnic and civic identity adaptation migrants from other cultures in Moscow and Stavropol Territory].
13. Strategii mezhkul’turnogo vzaimodeystviya migrantov i naseleniya Rossii: Sbornik nauch­nych statey [Strategy of intercultural interaction of migrants and the population of Rus­sia: Collected articles]/ Pod red. N.M. Lebedevoy i A.N. Tatarko. Moscow: RUDN, 2009, pp. 224—250.
14. Zhemchuraeva S.Sh. Teoretiko-metodologicheskie aspekty soziologicheskoy diag­nostiki identichnosti chechenzev v polietnicheskoy srede [Theoretical and methodologi­cal aspects of sociological diagnosis identity of Chechens in multiethnic environment]. Diss. … kand.soziol.n. Saratov, 2010, 285 p.
15. Kuznezov I.M. Riski razrastaniya ksenofobii v megapolise: szenarii razvitiya situazii [Risks of proliferation of xenophobia in the metropolis: scenarios of events]. Grazhdans­kaya identichnost’ v Moskve i regionach [Civic identity in Moscow and regions] / Otv. red. L.M. Drobizheva. Moscow: Institut Soziologii RAN; Maks-press, 2009, pp. 218—227.
16. Kuznezov I.M., Chuchlaev O.E. Riski mezhnazional’noy konfliktnosti v obrazovatel’nych uchrezhdeniyach Moskvy [Risks of ethnic conflict in the educational institutions in Mos­cow]. Sozial’naya psichologiya i obschestvo [Social Psychology and Society]. 2014. T. 5. no. 2, pp. 115—126.
17. Kuznezov I.M., Khukhlaev O.E. Sozial’no-psichologicheskiy monitoring riskov mezhnazional’noy konfliktnosti: metodologiya i praktika [Social and psychological risk monitoring ethnic conflict: Methodology and Practice]. Sozial’naya psichologiya i ob­schestvo obschestvo [Social Psychology and Society]. 2013. no. 1, pp. 104—113.
18. Kurbanova L.U. Problemy i prozessy gendernoy samoidentifikazii chechenzev [Prob­lems and processes of gender identity Chechens]. Krasnodar, Izdatel’stvo OOO «Prosve­schenie-Yug». 2012, 260 p.
19. Lebedeva N.M. Etnopsichologiya: uchebnik i praktikum dlya akademicheskogo baka­lavriata [Ethnopsychology: tutorial and workshop for academic undergraduate]. Moscow: Izdatel’stvo Yurayt, 2014, 647 p.
20. Lechieva M.I. Etnicheskaya identichnost’ sovremennych chechenzev, prozhivayus­chich na territorii Chechenskoy Respubliki [Ethnic identity of the Chechens living in the territory of the Chechen Republic]. Rossiyskiy nauchnyy zhurnal [Russian scientific journal]. 2012. no. 6 (19), p. 165.
21. Okladnikova E.A., Zobnina A.O. Etnicheskiy renessans: teorii i sovremennaya ros­siyskaya praktika [Ethnic renaissance: the theory and practice of modern Russian] [Elektronnyy resurs]: Elektronnaya biblioteka Muzeya antropologii i etnografii im. Petra Velikogo (Kunstkamera) RAN URL: http://www.kunstkamera.ru/lib/rubrika­tor/08/08_02/978-5-88431-154-1/ (data obrascheniya: 07.04.2015).
22. Pavlova O.S. Grazhdanskaya i konfessional’naya (islamskaya) identichnost’ v sovre­mennoy Rossii: aspekty sovmestimosti [Civil and confessional (Islamic) identity in the modern Russia: aspects of compatibility]. Materialy Mezhdunarodnoy konferenzii «Islam v Rossii: kul’turnye tradizii i sovremennye vyzovy» [Issues of international conference «Is­lam in Russia: cultural traditions and modern challenges»], 26—27 sentyabrya 2013 goda. SPb., 2013. pp. 83—90.
23. Pavlova O.S. Ob etnicheskoi, religioznoi i gosudarstvenno-grazhdanskoi identichnosti chechentsev i ingushei [About ethnic, religious and state-civil identity of the Chechens and Ingush]. Sotsial’naya psikhologiya i obshchestvo [Social Psychology and Society], 2013, no. 2, рр.119—136.
24. Pavlova O.S. Chechenskiy etnos segodnya: cherty sozial’no-psichologicheskogo portreta [Chechen ethnic group today: traits of socio-psychological portrait]. Moscow: Izdatel’skaya gruppa «Sam Poligrafist», 2013. 540 p.
25. Pershiz A.I., Smirnova Ya.S. Yuridicheskiy plyuralizm narodov Severnogo Kavkaza [Legal pluralism of the North Caucasus]. Obschestvennye nauki i sovremennost’ [Social Sciences and Modernity]. 1998. no. 1, pp. 81.
26. Praktikum po psichodiagnostike i issledovaniyu tolerantnosti lichnosti [Workshop on psychological diagnostics and research of tolerance of the person] / G.U. Soldatova, L.A. Shaygerova. Moscow: MGU im.M.V. Lomonosova, 2003. 112 p.
27. Ryzhova S.V. Etnicheskaya identichnost’ v kontekste tolerantnosti [Ethnic identity in the context of tolerance]. Moscow: AL’FA-M, 2011, 280 p.
28. Ryzhova S.V. Identichnost’ moskvichey v raznoy etnokontaktnoy srede. Rossiyskaya identichnost’ v Moskve i regionach [The identity of the Muscovites in various ethno con­tact environment] / Otv. red. L.M. Drobizheva. Moscow: Institut Soziologii RAN; Maks­press, 2009, pp. 130—141.
29. Semenenko I.S. Grazhdanskaya identichnost’ [Civic identity]. Politicheskaya identich­nost’ i politika identichnosti [Political identity and identity politics]: v 2 t. T. 1. Identichnost’ kak kategoriya politicheskoy nauki: slovar’ terminov i ponyatiy / Otv. red. I.S. Semenen­ko. Moscow, 2012, p. 78.
30. Sirazhudinova S.V. Grazhdanskoe obschestvo, tradizionalizm i islam na Severnom Ka­vkaze [Civil society, traditionalism and Islam in the North Caucasus]. Rostov-n/D: OOO AzovPechat’, 2012. 200 p.
31. Soldatova G.U. Psichologiya mezhetnicheskoy napryazhennosti [Psychology of ethnic tensions]. Moscow: Smysl, 1998, 389 p.
32. Stefanenko T. G. Etnopsichologiya. Uchebnik dlya vuzov [Ethnopsychology. Text­book for high schools], 4-e izd., ispr. i dop. Moscow: Aspekt Press, 2009, 368 p.
33. Stefanenko T.G. Etnopsichologiya. Praktikum [Ethnopsychology. Practical work]. Moscow: Aspekt Press, 2006, 208 p.
34. Tatarko A.N., Lebedeva N.M. Metody etnicheskoy i kross-kul’turnoy psichologii [Methods of ethnic and cross-cultural psychology]. Moscow: Izdatel’skiy dom Vysshey shkoly ekonomiki, 2011, 238 p.
35. Tolerantnost’ kak faktor protivodeystviya ksenofobii: upravlenie riskami ksenofobii v ob­schestve riska [Tolerance as a factor in combating xenophobia: risk management xenophobia in society at risk] / red.: Yu.P. Zinchenko, A.V. Loginova. Moscow: Nauka, 2011, 608 p.
36. Chuchlaev O.E. Etnonazional’nye ustanovki sovremennoy Rossiyskoy Molodezhi [Ethnonational installation of modern Russian youth]. Voprosy psichologii [Questions of psychology]. 2011. no. 1, pp. 46—57.
37. Chesnov V.Ya. Lekzii po istoricheskoy etnologii [Lectures on historical ethnology]. M.: Gardarika, 1998. 400 p.
38. Shtichve R. Ambivalentnost’, indifferentnost’ i soziologiya chuzhogo [Ambivalence, indifference and sociology of others]. Zhurnal soziologii i sozial’noy antropologii [Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology]. 1998. T. I. Vyp. 1, pp. 41—53.
39. Etnonazional’nye ustanovki i zennosti sovremennoy molodezhi [Ethno-national at­titudes and values of today’s youth]. Khukhlaev O.E. [i dr.]. Kul’turno-istoricheskaya psi­chologiya [Cultural-Historical Psychology]. 2011. no. 4, pp. 97—106.
40. Yurasova E.N. Psichologicheskie osobennosti liz, sklonnych k ekstremizmu, terror­izmu i ksenofobii [Psychological features of individuals who are prone to extremism, terrorism and xenophobia]. Yuridicheskaya psichologiya [Legal psychology], 2008. no. 4, pp. 27—35.
41. Berry J.W., Phinney J.S., Sam D.L., Vedder P. Immigrant Youth: culturation, Identity, and Adaptation . Applied psychology: an international review. 2006. V. 55, I. 3, pp. 303—332. doi: 10.1111/j.1464-0597.2006.00256.x
42. Huddy L., Khatib N. American Patriotism, National Identity, and Political Involve­ment. American Journal of Political Science. 2007. V. 51. no.1. pp. 63—77.
43. Mummendey A., Klink A., Brown R. Nationalism and patriotism: National indentifi­cation and out-group rejection. The British Journal of Social Psychology. 2001. V. 40. pp. 159—172.
44. Phinney J., Devich-Navarro M. Variations in bicultural identification among African American and Mexican American adolescents. Journal of Research on Adolescence.1997. no. 7. pp. 3—32. doi: 10.1159/000268137
45. Phinney J., Ong A.D. Conceptualization and Measurement of Ethnic Identity: Cur­rent Status and Future Directions. Journal of Counseling Psychology. 2007. V. 54, no. 3. pp. 271—281. doi: 10.1177/0011000009359203
46. Schatz R.T., Staub E., Lavine H. On the Varieties of National Attachment: Blind Ver­sus Constructive Patriotism. Political Psychology. 1999. V. 20. I.1. pp. 151—174.
47. Sidanius J., Feshbach S., Levin, S., Pratto F. The Interface Between Ethnic and Nation­al Attachment: Ethnic Pluralism or Ethnic Dominance? Public Opinion Quarterly. 1997. no. 61. pp. 103—133.
48. Social categorization and intergroup behavior / Tajfel H. [и др.]. European Journal Of Social Psychology. 1971. V. 1. I. 2. pp. 149—178. doi: 10.1002/ejsp.2420010202
49. Van de Vliert E. Climato-Economic Origins of Variation in Ingroup Favoritism. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology. 2011. V. 42, no. 3. pp. 494—515. doi: 10.1177/ 0022022110381120