The concept of human personality identification in psychology. Identification of a person and establishment of the identity of a citizen Types of personal identification

Identification- This is the likening of a person to another individual, group or fictional character. Identification is a defense mechanism of the psyche, which is contained in the unconscious identification with an object, which causes anxiety or fear. Identification is translated from Lat. in the language “identificare”, as identification, the root “iden” means something that does not change for a long time. Given this definition, we can formulate the concept of identification as the similarity or correspondence of something to an existing sample, taken as a basis, having designated stable parameters. The mental defense mechanism can be situational, unconscious, in which a person likens himself to a specific other significant person, as a model. The basis of this similarity is the emotional connection between people.

Types of identification

Identity in the narrow sense is the identification of a person with other people. There are primary and secondary identification. The primary one is the identification of the baby first with the mother, then with the parent whose gender corresponds to the child. The secondary one occurs a little later with people who are not parents.

When identifying with a fictional character (from literature, a film), insight into the meaning of the work of art itself occurs, in which the individual begins to experience aesthetically.

The identification mechanism begins to operate actively from childhood. The child gradually develops similar traits and stereotypes of actions, value orientations, and sexual identity matures.

Situational identification often manifests itself in children's games. Situational identification examples: identification of a child with his parents, loved one, brother (sister). This identification is expressed in an intense desire to become like a significant person.

Group identification is a person’s stable likening to a community and a group; it is reflected in the acceptance of the goals and values ​​of the group as one’s own; understanding oneself as a member of a group. The described concept is often found in engineering, legal, and criminal psychology, and serves as identification, recognition of some objects (people), assignment of these objects to a specific class, or recognition through comparison of known features.

Social identification reflects the process of classification, perception, evaluation, and personality of oneself as an agent who occupies a specific position in the social circle. It is a way of understanding one’s own belonging to social groups. The identification of a person as a biological individual with social groups makes him precisely a social person and an active personality, which allows him to evaluate personal social connections and use the term of belonging “We”.

Personal identification is a set of traits that are distinguished by their constancy and allow one to differentiate a particular person from other individuals. Personal identification refers to a set of characteristics that makes a person similar to himself and distinctive from others.

Personal identification (Self-identity) represents the unity and constancy of life-meaning attitudes, motives, goals of life of an individual who understands himself as a subject of active activity. It is also not a set of special traits, or a special quality that a person possesses. This is the person's self (true essence). It manifests itself in a person’s actions, in the reactions of others to him, and most of all in his ability to understand and maintain the history of his personal “I.”

Types of identification also include ethnic identification. Ethnic is one of the most stable types of social identification. It is designated as the emotional result of the cognitive process of self-determination or a small group in social space, characterized by an understanding of personal belonging to an ethnic culture, as well as an understanding, experience and assessment of one’s position.

Political identification is the identification of an individual with a specific life position. It is expressed as the unity of attitudes and orientations of a political subject, the coincidence of ways to achieve political goals, arises from the acceptance of political roles and the emotional relationship of the individual with political force.

Political identification is an attitude toward political leaders, institutions of power, and various issues related to politics.

What is identification

The definition of identification is the deep-seated need of the individual to establish coincidences and similarities with the object of veneration. A person who perceives the world as a system of mysterious phenomena and things becomes unable to independently understand the meaning of existence and the purpose of the world around him. Such a person needs a stable orientation system that would enable him to compare himself with a specific model. A mechanism of this kind was first developed in the psychoanalytic theory of Sigmund Freud. He identified it based on personal observation of pathological cases, and later extended it to the “healthy” spiritual life.

Sigmund Freud considered the identification mechanism as an attempt by a weak person (or a child) to adopt the strength of significant other individuals who are authorities for him. Thus, the individual's anxiety and feelings about reality are reduced. It has been established that the individual has a deep-seated need to constantly observe personalized samples in his field of vision. Applied also studies the types of identification mechanisms associated with the organization of various social movements and the manifestation of the charisma of political leaders.

There are some identification methods that are used in different spheres of life (psychology, criminology, medicine).

Identification methods include the study of such biometric indicators: fingerprints, face shape, retinal pattern, iris, uniqueness of voice, originality of handwriting and signature, “keyboard” handwriting, etc.

Identification methods are divided into static and dynamic techniques. Static - formed on unique human properties, given from birth, not separate from the body. These are physiological properties - palm pattern, facial geometry, retinal pattern, etc.

Dynamic - based on the dynamic (behavioral) characteristics of the individual. Behavioral characteristics are manifested in subconscious movements carried out by a person - speech, typing dynamics, handwriting. These dynamic characteristics are influenced by controllable and less controllable psychological factors. Due to variability, biometric samples must be updated when used.

One of the popular methods is fingerprinting. Fingerprinting is based on the originality of the papillary patterns of each person's fingers. A special scanner acquires the outline of a fingerprint, which can be correlated with existing fingerprints in the database and identify a person. Another static method is identification by hand shape. To do this, measure the shape of the brush. Identification based on the uniqueness of the iris and the pattern of the retina is performed with a special scanner that is harmless to vision.

Creating a 2/3D face is also a static method. Using a camera and a special program, facial features (contours of lips, nose, eyes, eyebrows, etc.) are highlighted. The distance between these indicators and other parameters are calculated. Based on the information received, an image of the individual’s face is formed.

The dynamic method is to identify a person based on the characteristics of his signature and handwriting. In this method, the main thing is the stability of the uniqueness of each person’s handwriting (pen pressure, curls, volume, etc.). The handwriting characteristics are examined, then processed into a digital image and processed by a computer program.

Another dynamic method is recognition by the dynamics of typing using keyboard keys (“keyboard handwriting”). The process is similar to the handwriting recognition method. However, here a keyboard is used instead of paper, and a certain code word is used instead of a signature. The main characteristic is the dynamics of the computer typing of this code word.

The voice recognition method is a method that is very convenient in its application. It began to be used due to the widespread use of telephone connections and various gadgets with microphones. The problem with this method is the factors that affect the quality of voice recognition: noise, interference, errors in pronunciation, uneven emotional state, etc.

Identification in psychology

This concept in psychology describes a process where a person is partially or completely dissimilated (rejected) from himself. A person's unconscious projection of his own personality onto what and who he really is not: another person, a matter, an object, a location. This is identification, unconscious assimilation with another person, ideal, group, phenomenon, process.

Identification is an important part of normal personality formation.

Identification examples: identification of a child with his father, which means assimilation of his way of thinking and stereotypes of action, or identification of siblings who exchange information, constantly interact, as if separately they were not individuals.

Identification may be confused with imitation. However, it is distinctive because imitation is a purely conscious imitation of another person, and identification is unconscious. It promotes the development of man until his individual path is laid out. When a better opportunity arises, it reveals a pathological character and subsequently leads to a suspension of development, although before that it contributed to development. This mechanism promotes personality dissociation, that is, the splitting of the subject into two personalities alien to each other.

Identification concerns not only subjects alone, but also objects, phenomena, and psychological functions. The identification of psychological functions leads to the creation of a secondary character; the individual identifies himself so much with his most developed function that he moves greatly away from the initial bias of his own character, as a result of which true individuality passes into the unconscious.

A similar outcome is regular in individuals with a developed primary (leading) function. This has some significance on the path of individualization of a person. The child's resemblance to the closest family members is partly normal because it is consistent with the original family identity. Here it is more appropriate to talk about identity rather than identification.

Identification with loved ones, unlike identity, is not an a priori fact, but is formed secondary in a subsequent process. An individual, starting from the initial family identity, on the path of personal development and adaptation encounters obstacles that require efforts to overcome them, as a result, stagnation of libido (vital energy) is formed, which begins to search for a path to regression. Regression allows one to return to previous states and to family identity. On this path, any identification is formed, it has its own goal - to comprehend the way of thinking and stereotypes of action of another subject, in order to achieve a certain benefit or eliminate some obstacle, solve a problem.

Collectivist identification manifests itself in collective activity, when the experiences of one group member are offered to others as motives of behavior that form their common activity. This means unity and the formation of relationships based on moral principles. It is most expressed in complicity and sympathy when a group member responds emotionally to the successes, happiness or sorrows of everyone. Collectivist identification is expressed through the recognition of equal obligations for oneself and others, manifested in the provision of support and participation, and the demanding attitude of others towards oneself.

The psychological basis of collectivist identification is the individual readiness to act in collective activities, to experience, to feel others as oneself. This phenomenon prevails in the group of significant development, without paying special attention to the personal preferences of team members. Manifestations of collectivist identification, mediated by value orientations of joint activities and semantic attitudes, become stable characteristics of each member of the team and cease to be dependent on subjective sympathies.

Collectivist identification arises around preschool and school age when children cooperate with each other.

Narcissistic identification manifests self-projection onto the “I” as a lost subject if the detached libido is oriented towards the “I”, while the individual treats the personal “I” as an abandoned object and directs ambivalent impulses towards it, which, among others, include aggressive components.

Gender identification expresses the integrity of the behavior and self-awareness of an individual, who identifies himself as one of the genders, and is guided by the requirements corresponding to his gender.

Gender identification expresses one aspect of gender, which is defined as a person’s self-identification with a specific gender, as a sense of self as a woman, a man, or an intermediate state. It is worth remembering that gender identity will often, but not always, correspond to biological sex. Thus, a woman brought up in a certain environment may feel more like a man, and vice versa.

Identification in psychology is understood in several meanings. But in general, in simple words, identification is the process of identifying oneself with a group, another person or image. The meanings in which this psychological process is viewed in science depend only on the goals of the process.

The meaning of the word "identification" comes from the Latin "identificatio", which means "I identify". Identification of a person’s personality occurs with his profession, with his gender, with his people. It can be both positive and negative.

Through identification, a person appropriates certain aspects of other people or ideal images. In fact, changes occur unconsciously, but the choice of the object from which a person takes an example is quite conscious. In many cases, identification becomes the basis of adaptive changes.

Development

The concept of identification is actively used in social psychology. The most original theories are associated with the names of Tajfel and. Tajfel developed the theory of social identity. The groups to which people belong are a source of pride and self-respect, they integrate a person into the social world and create a sense of belonging to a large group of people.

The negative aspect of such a process is the attempt to increase one's self-esteem by exalting the group to which a person belongs and painting other groups with black paint. The division into “we” and “they” leads to a decrease in relation to the latter. At the same time, it becomes important for us to help and support those who are part of the “we” group.

The prejudices that arise in a culture as a result of this division sometimes result in large-scale and violent conflicts. Examples are racism and genocide. Social identification leads to an exaggeration of differences between groups and an erasure of differences within them. Thus, we do not see personalities, individualities behind all this, and we begin to perceive those around us from other groups stereotypically.

Tajfel and Turner identified three stages of identification. We first classify objects to understand and identify them. The name of this stage is categorization. There is nothing wrong with categorization itself, since without it it would be quite difficult for us to live; categories give us quite a lot of information about a person and his roles in the group.

At the second stage, we ourselves begin to attribute ourselves to one of the groups that we identified earlier. And only the stage of social comparison is fraught with threats. When we have already classified ourselves as a member of a certain group and begin to compare it with others, we may be prejudiced against their representatives, especially if our groups compete. To communicate productively and greenly, you need to clear your thinking of unconscious attempts to denigrate people from other groups.

Identification is an important term in Erikson's identity theory. To find oneself, to become an individual, a person must make many identifications with others and integrate them. The acquisition of identity is accompanied by an awareness of one’s inseparability from the social and cultural field, the perception of the integrity of the individual, the continuity of its development through identification with different social groups. In his theory, identification is the path to achieving identity.

Specific Aspects

Methods of identification, or, more precisely, the mechanisms through which it occurs, can be divided into conscious and unconscious. The psychological process under consideration is characterized by:

• Compare and contrast with others.
• Imitation of examples.
• Empathy (i.e. the ability to get used to the role of another, feel like another person and understand).
• Projection of one's inner world onto others.

With the help of identification, we learn the necessary behavior patterns, ethical standards, and forms of response to what is happening. The positive influence is clear, but there is also a negative one, expressed in the danger of emasculation of the individual. This psychological process helps us expand our experience and become emotionally rich.

The profession also leaves its mark on the personality. Identification with a profession cannot be considered purely negative, but it does not always have a positive impact. It manifests itself in the fact that a person begins to evaluate reality and people from a professional point of view, using the techniques and skills that he usually uses in his profession. Thanks to this, a person can often grow as a professional not only at work. On the other hand, the question remains open: is this good, is it useful for individuality and perception of the world?

Identification of a person’s personality based on appearance encounters many oddities. Thus, it is often impossible to understand another person based on external signs. We attribute positive qualities to handsome people and perceive strangers as similar to ourselves.

Psychology uses the concept in different contexts. So, on the one hand, identification is a way to adopt some properties of other people, on the other hand, it is a way to understand people in the process of interpersonal interaction.

Consciously working to understand how other people feel and think based on their experiences, trying to put yourself in the shoes of another person is the second case. Making the transition from oneself to another is extremely difficult, and such attempts rarely end in complete success.

Having understood what identification is, determining its role will not be difficult. Subbotina quite convincingly calls it the basis for the formation of personality. Cultural identification helps us to fit in with the times and people around us, without destroying individuality.

Professional – contributes to the development of a specialist. Identity helps us understand others and become better people if we choose good role models. Author: Ekaterina Volkova

I Personal identification

establishing the identity of a person based on a set of characteristics through their comparative study. In investigative and judicial practice, I.L. is carried out. suspects of committing a crime, criminals, unknown persons detained by law enforcement agencies, unknown corpses, etc.

Depending on the object of identification and its characteristics, various research methods are used. for example, they use the fingerprinting method, based on identifying the individual, unchangeable features of the papillary patterns of the skin of the palmar surfaces of the nail phalanges of the fingers; verbal portrait method - a description of a person’s appearance and his features using special standard terms. A verbal portrait includes a description of static features (shape and other features of the face, eyes, nose, ears, etc.) and dynamic features (features of gait, gestures, facial expressions, etc.). Peculiarities of gait can also be determined from the footprints of the feet (path of footprints when walking). An important part of the verbal portrait is made up of special features. These include birthmarks, warts, scars, signs of previous diseases and injuries, structural features of the dentofacial apparatus, tattoos, etc. They also use measurements of body length, feet, head circumference, chest, shoulder width, etc. (see Anthropometry) . The appearance of the wanted person can be established using an identikit - a graphic image of a portrait of this person, compiled from the descriptions of witnesses. In case of significant post-mortem changes, restoration of soft tissues is most often applied to the face of the corpse. When a corpse is fragmented as a result of injury (aircraft, railway, etc.) or its deliberate dismemberment in order to conceal a crime, it is established that the parts belong to the same corpse, their gender, the presence of special features, the size of the examined parts of the corpse, the height, age of the victim, etc. When bone remains are detected, they are determined to belong to the human skeleton, his gender, age, the presence of pathological changes, etc. For this purpose, osteometry, histological examination, radiography, determination of the physical properties of bone tissue, the method of photo-combination of intravital photographs and photographs of the skull, reconstruction of the face from the skull are used. using Gerasimov's method.

See also Forensic medical examination .