SOCIAL IDENTITY AS A RESULT OF INFORMAL INTERACTIONS FRIEND OR FOE

The article proposes a conceptual interpretation of the phenomenon of social identity through the prism of the “friend/foe” dichotomy. The authors argue that the institutionally constructed identity model, extended to the whole society, does not ensure its stability, since it is largely subordinated to the conjuncture and the immediate needs of the political and corporate elite. Identification markers that are self-aware by people and broadcast based on local social experience, i.e. through informal communication, consolidate more firmly the understanding of who “we” and “they” are, how “we” differ from “strangers”. In the space of these poles, values and meanings are marked, motivational complexes and attitudes are created, cultural, political and other differences are affirmed. The authors’ conceptualisation of the phenomenon of identity opens the way to understanding the practices of reproducing identity discourses in the processes of influencing public consciousness and promoting group interests.