A Study On The Identity Construction Of Scavengers

This study attempts to construct an analyzing framework of the underclass'identity construction from the perspective of identity body, by using deep interview, literature and observation, under the direction of Identity Theory and Social Identity Theory, and at the core of how to construct scavengers'self identity facing others'social discrimination and prejudice against their identity.The social discrimination and prejudice against the identity of scavengers as the underclass belongs to social identity; their perception and understanding of their own identity belongs to self identity; on the base of such perception and understanding, they use some resources, strategies and identity-constructing mechanisms to construct their self identity in order to resist.According to their different motives, the scavengers are divided into the passive, the active and the transitional. The cognitive schemes of the self identity of the passive scavengers include: a. scavenger identity suffers social discrimination and prejudice; its morality and legitimacy is identified; their own scavenger identity isn't identified and accepted; b. scavenger identity suffers social discrimination and prejudice; its morality and legitimacy is denied; their own scavenger identity isn't identified and accepted; c. scavenger identity suffers social discrimination and prejudice; its morality and legitimacy is identified; their own scavenger identity is identified and accepted. The cognitive schemes of the self identity of the active scavengers include: a. the cognitive scheme is constructed by economic rationality, and from the two aspects of relative advantage and relative disadvantage; the relative advantage refers to the identity associated with positive social meanings such as"economic interest","richness"and"freedom"and the relative disadvantage refers to it associated with negative social meanings such as"dirtiness"and"disgrace"; it is identified and accepted with the result of the unity of identity body and identity; b. the scavenger identity necessarily suffers social discrimination and prejudice and it's associated with negative social meanings such as"being the worst","being the lowest"and"being the dirtiest"; the negative social meanings are main, and even it means nothing but them. The cognitive scheme of the self identity of the transitional scavengers include: the identity is associated with the negative social meaning"disgrace"; inside the group of scavengers, relatively, the identity of wandering-buying scavengers is a little higher than that of the picking-up ones; others'scavenger identity but one's own scavenger identity is identified and accepted.Whether they are passive, active or transitional, their cognitive schemes of the self identity have the same dimension that scavenger identity suffers social discrimination and prejudice, and is associated with negative social meanings. It shows though some successful scavengers are known in the era of social tolerance and multi-value, scavenger identity, in the greater social system, as a collective identity, is socially stigmatized and exists as social reality. No matter what motive of the individual, as a scavenger, he is inevitably restricted by the stigmatized collective identity.The social discrimination and prejudice in the form of language and behavior is the common environment all scavengers face. The passive scavengers take two kinds of measures to resist: construction of self-identified scavenger identity and construction of another identity; the former is achieved by some strategies such as endowing positive social meanings to scavenger identity, changing self image and comparing with others; the latter is higher than the scavenger identity, and the two identities are not in the same social space. According with the four logics, the active scavengers take different strategies to construct their self identity to resist:"the greatest importance attached to economic interest"under the logic of economy,"being able to move if possible"under the logic of alleviating burdens on offspring,"being more free"under the logic of freedom, and"being a life style"under the logic of leisure. The transitional scavengers take such strategies as hiding scavenger identity, endowing positive social meanings to scavenger identity, and constructing another identity to construct their self identity to resist.The resources used to construct self identity by the scavengers are positive social meanings, relative sense of advantage, identities with higher social class, economic interest, traditional bringing-up culture, freedom idea, and leisure idea. Besides, some similarity appears in the strategies,resources and identity-constructing mechanisms used to construct their self identity by the three kinds of scavengers.Contradictory identity is new, and it refers to the one the identity body continues constructing or maintaining under the condition of the lack of identity in self identity between identity body and identity. Its essential characteristics are as follows: a. it is involved in the relationship between identity body and identity; b. the identity body doesn't identify it; c. the identity body continues constructing or maintaining it in any case; d. it forms and continues in the relationship with the identity body. It's characterized by contradiction, subject and dynamic state.The formation of the contradictory identity is the result of identity-lacking mechanisms and identity-continuing mechanisms which constitute its forming mechanism. The identity-lacking mechanisms of the contradictory identity include other demeaning, self demeaning and identity fall. The identity-continuing mechanisms of the contradictory identity include necessary dependence on identity, selective dependence on identity and transitional dependence on identity. The maintenance of the contradictory identity is possible on the condition that identity-balancing mechanisms run. They include identity legitimization, identity comparison, identity seeking and self persuasion. The composite operation of the forming mechanism and the identity-balancing mechanisms results in the realistic existence of the contradictory identity.