Regional identity of personality: childhood experience

Abstract

The paper is devoted to studying regional identity as a psychological interconnection with the territory of residence. The objective of the research is studying the peculiarities of an inhabitant’s mental representation of the childhood experience of this psychological interconnection. The research is based on the narrative method. As a result of factor analysis, the following six factors were specified in the psychological structure of the regional identity experience representation: “Activity”, “Estrangement”, “Readiness”, “Satisfaction”, “Regulativity”, “Modality”. Proceeding from the two samples compared, the following peculiarities of the childhood regional identity experience were revealed. Those who experienced regional identity in the childhood are more deeply involved in the experience, without isolating themselves from the internal and external circumstances that entailed the experience; they demonstrate a more positive attitude and are open to such experience. It appears that regulativity of the regional identity experience serves as a resource for its formation in youth. The obtained results can create the basis of a psychology pedagogy program of children’s regional identity formation (including migrant children) realized in educational organizations.