Research On The Problem Of Self Identity Crisis In The Social Psychological Field

Identity is one of the popular problems in theoretical research. Western scholars have done large amount of remarkable research on modern identity and its crisis from social science and scientific philosophy: from discussion on modernity and self identity of Anthony Giddens to the stress on differences of postmodernism, from the destruction of discriminations based on gender of feminism to the rise of nationalism and racism. However, research of identity in our country is been taken as a problem of philosophy and sociology. For example the former is as the philosophy analysis on identity and the interpretation on identity from the other problem by Zhao Ting-yang, and the latter is as the serial research on communitarianism by Han Zhen and Wang Cheng-bing. But from the perspective of behavior science, the self-identity in modern society is the main source of human behavior. Identity has been one of the most important problems in modern society.The theory of self is mainly on the explanation of the self-formation mechanism and its development. In so many theories, the symbolic interaction of Mead, ego identity of Erikson and interpersonal theory of Sullivan are more important. From the analysis on the theory of self we can conclude that the formation and development of self cannot work without interpersonal relations, social circumstance is the basis and most important condition of self-development. The self forms and develops during the individual growth through looking glass self, the acquirement and use of language and the experience of emotions around the outer world in social interaction. The development of self is the process of individual socialization—social content realized on individuals. The development of self gets its resources from social factors and interpersonal communication.Since the formation and development of self cannot work without social circumstance, can modern society provide us all kinds of recourses to maintain ego identity?Or from negative side, which kinds of factors in modern society make identity a problem?This dissertation analyzed the solutions of identity from acquire of life meaning, education, science and consumption culture, and concluded that modern society cannot provided us effective resources. Modern self-identity is not the individual problem or the twin of modern society but the problem of society and age.The solution of identity should be based on the analysis of the allopsychic nature of self. From allopsychic nature of self, we should provide a more effective category than significant others—public good. The benevolence life pattern is the most direct and effective manner.