Psychological Mechanisms of the Emergence, Development, and Establishment of Civic Identity

The aim of the article is to empirically reveal the regularities of the mani­festation of the psychological mechanisms of civic identity formation. Methods. A retrospective narrative “I am in the State” and thematic analy­sis, which intended for processing the verbal content of narratives were used to identify descriptors of the psychological mechanisms of civic identity formation. 205 citizens of Ukraine aged 16 to 60 (62% women and 38% men) took part in the research. The results of the research. According to the results of the study, the following averaged percentage distribution of psychological mechanisms de­scriptors of civic identity formation was obtained: internalization of civic con­tent (25%), imitation of civic behavior models (23%), individualization of the content of citizenship (19%), exteriorization of stereotypes, attitudes, and pat­terns of civic behavior (15%), implementation of the experience of interaction with the state and fellow citizens (10%), comprehension of one’s own citizen­ship (8%). Conclusions. Descriptors of all psychological mechanisms of civic identity formation (emergence, development, and establishment) are sufficiently repre­sented in the retrospective narrative texts of the respondents. However, the un­even «involvement» of these psychological mechanisms in the process of form­ing a person’s civic identity was revealed. The internalization of civic content, imitation of civic behavior models, and individualization of the content of citi­zenship can be counted among the most universal mechanisms of civic identity formation. Less universal but quite common is the mechanism of exteriorization of stereotypes, attitudes, and patterns of civic behavior. Mechanisms of imple­mentation of individual experience of interaction with the state and fellow citi­zens and comprehension of one’s own citizenship turned out to be more specific and less widespread. Insufficient engagement of these mechanisms can lead to the formation of a deficient or deformed civic identity.