From Atomization To Community:Research On Reconstruction Of The Identity Of The People Who Have Lost Their Only Child

After the implementation of the one-child policy for more than 30 years,wit h the first generation of the only one-child parents into the elderly groups,especi ally some of the child parents who have lost their only child are confronting seri es problems including the lack of aged care and medical care,as well as spiritua 1 crisis,further,those parents are also suffering from the crisis of self-identity,soc ial identity,social relations,and other aspects of crisis.The terms of "the people w ho have lost their only child" and "the families who have lost the only child" ha ve become to the specific terms of these social problems.The death of the only child can cause a huge hit and grief,sometimes even mental problems to the suffered parents.In fact,some of those parents often try to avoid facing this fact and become more self-enclosed,therefore they often avo id socializing purposely or unconsciously.There are some problems with their ide ntity as these parents often isolate themselves from others.However,socializing i s so important even for these parents who have lost their only child.Although at the beginning of the people who have lost their only child is scattered,atomize d,when their spiritual needs and other aspects need to be met,some of them b ecome to seek their own group and identity consciously or unconsciously.This research is looking at the identity of people who have lost their only c hild in China.Based on the model of "crisis-reconstruction-influence",this re search analyzes the process of the crisis and reconstruction of the identity.The study finds that parents who have lost their only child become more self-enclosed because of the emotional experience desperately and the failure of the emotional mechanism,they are suffering the crisis of identity,and therefore are excluded o r broken down from their original social relations proactively or passively.Becaus e of the irreversibility of the original identity,the reconstruction of the new identit y is very necessary for those suffered parents.The reconstruction of the identity of the parents who have lost their only child is becoming more reality as the ba sis and conditions,which consist by the common situation,the rapid mobility,the opening social circumstance and internet,and the active elite leading groups am ong these parents.The identity of "same fate" has offered a good chance to meet the emotional needs of the parents who have lost their only child,the interacti on within the groups has been increased,the social participation has been continu ally improved,the social reintegration has been achieved.However,this new identit y has also brought some negative effects.The similar emotional experiences and the frustration of appealing their social rights have made those groups more vuln erable with negative emotions.The limited social interaction within their own gro ups has constantly strengthened the boundaries between those groups and other pe ople,which would impede the social integration with other social groups.In addi tion,with the intensified and expanded action of appealing their civil rights,"righ ts" seems to be the only concern of some of the lost only child parents,and this has constantly encouraged the excessive "specialization" of their demanded rights and interests.