CONTEMPORARY IDENTITY CRISIS AND SOCIALISATION

Abstract

The identity crisis can be added to the long list of crises faced by individuals in today’s societies, having serious and not entirely known or anticipated long-term consequences for both the individual and the society. This paper analyses the process through which individuals construct their selfidentities and what is the role of socialisation in acquiring the culture, building social identities and gaining social status. At the same time, the paper presents some of the problems faced by the agents of socialisation in helping new members of society acquire a self-identity, define themselves and occupy social positions within the social structure. Not understanding the relationship between selfidentity, status and culture, and how status is “created”, can determine individuals to adopt maladaptive behaviours or adhere to harmful ideas, with destabilising potential both for society and for their own social identity and position in the groups they belong to.