ANALYSIS OF ETHNIC IDENTITY AND TOLERANCE OF UKRAINIAN TEENAGERS

Abstract

The article analyzes the concepts of «ethnicity», «ethnic self-awareness», «identity», «ethnic identity», «ethnic tolerance». Types of ethnic identity are described: ethnonihilism, ethnic indifference, positive ethnic identity, ethno-egoism, ethno-isolationism, ethno-fanaticism. The concept of development of children’s awareness of their belonging to an ethnic group is considered. An analysis of psychological, anthropological and sociological literature on the problem of formation of national self-awareness, ethnic tolerance of the individual was carried out. It is shown that ethnic tolerance is a specific feature of the national character, the spirit of peoples, an integral element of the structure of mentality.

It was found that ethnic identity, as a result of the cognitive-emotional process of self-awareness of a person as a representative of a certain ethnicity, is characteristic of the majority of adolescents of the experimental sample. 99% of the interviewed teenagers have high indicators of belonging to the Ukrainian nation. 98% of respondents have a normal level of ethnic identity and tolerance. Adolescents use behaviors typical for their ethnic group, and want to preserve the Ukrainian language and customs of their people. The majority of respondents have a positive ethnic identity, which is a combination of a positive attitude towards their own people and a positive attitude towards other peoples.

The results of statistical data processing using the Student’s t-test showed that there are no gender differences (α=0.05) in indicators of such scales of the «Ethnic Identity» methodology as «Feeling of belonging to one’s ethnic group», «Meaning of ethnicity». There are gender differences (α=0.05) in such indicators of the scale of the «Ethnic identity» methodology as «Assessment of majority-minority relations».