Autodefinición y modernizaciónla identidad entre el individualismo y la globalización

Abstract

This thesis examines the complex interaction between individual self-definition and sociocultural as well as macrosocial contexts in contemporary society, characterized by its intricate dynamics of modernization, individualization, and globalization. Employing the Twenty Statements Test (TST) developed by Kuhn and McPartland (1954) on a diverse sample of individuals from Chile, Spain, South Africa, the United States, and the United Kingdom, it analyzes how various sociodemographic variables, along with the country of origin of the responses, influence individuals' self-definitions. Methodologically, the research confronts the challenge of coding and analyzing responses from the TST, given the textual nature of its responses. It utilizes the three-dimensional coding system for the TST proposed by Escobar (1988), which classifies content across three dimensions: reference, attribute, and sense. Sense is understood as the content expressed by individuals in their statements, reference encompasses the set of entity or entities explicitly mentioned by the subject, and attribute comprises the set of descriptive adjectives defining the person. Aiming to explore the advantages and limitations of various coding and classification techniques for open-ended responses, methods such as manual, semi-automatic, and automatic coding are employed, and the capability and quality of the different methods are compared. The efficacy of semi-automatic coding with dictionaries stands out, demonstrating superior performance for this type of responses. The empirical findings indicate that individualization, modernization, and globalization impact the way individuals define themselves, suggesting a complex interaction between self-definition and the macrosocial context. Notable differences in self-definition are observed according to the degree of individualization of countries, reflecting the tendencies of individuals from more individualized countries –the United Kingdom and the United States– towards a lesser number of self-definitions, which are shorter in length and exhibit a greater propensity for doubts, evasions, and indecisiveness in their responses. In contrast, responses from Chile, Spain, and South Africa show a greater reference to family and social roles. However, a trend towards subconsensual self-definition is underscored across all observed countries. Concurrently, it is observed how elements such as gender, level of education, size of the place of residence, or age play crucial roles in identity construction. Additionally, the relationship between the work environment and self-definition is examined, highlighting the importance of social structures in identity formation. This study deepens the understanding of how socioeconomic and cultural changes of modernity affect self-perception, underscoring the variability of self-definition in different cultural contexts. The results emphasize the need for integrative approaches that consider both global and local influences in identity construction. This research significantly contributes to the understanding of self-definition in a globalized context, offering valuable perspectives for fields such as sociology, social psychology, and education, and laying the groundwork for future research at the intersection of these disciplines.