Theoretical Analysis of the Concept „Identity“, Basic Components and their Special Aspects

Identity is a nuanced concept that is used in psychological and social science disciplines to provide the description of the core of the personality. This writing reviews various components ascribed to the concept of social identity in the frameworks of personal and social development. The implications of these different conceptualizations of identity are discussed with a call for the integrative theory that includes both types of development. This article presents an attempt to identify and analyze the structural components of identity in order to further study this concept and to create the basis for its formalized assessment in terms of interaction with various social, cultural and personal factors. Based on the theory of identity of E. Erikson, as well as on the theory of self-identification by J. Turner, the structural components of identity were determined in this essay.