CHAPTER X
Social Identity as a Basis for
Dialogue in Society
Lithuania
is going through a period of transition and development. The problem of social
identity is the actual problem of the real life of Lithuania. Can there be
political democracy, i.e., dialogue in society without guaranteeing a basic
minimum level of economic well-being? In other words, can people enjoy its
social identity if they do not have access to the conditions requisite for a
quality of life beyond subsistence?
The
history of Lithuania is riddled with injustice, misfortune and social evils.
Over the centuries, Lithuanians have been oppressed by a host of foreign
invaders -- German, Russian, Polish. The territory of Lithuania has been just a
"window to Europe" for Russian Tsars; it has been
"Lebensraum" for the Germans in their centuries-long "Drang nach
Osten.” Lithuanian people managed to preserve their national identity and
their language over the last fifty years despite the ravages of World War II,
including forced emigration, mass deportations, overt and covert russianization
and general destruction of the very foundation of national cultural life.1 For
this the nation as a whole had to pay a high price in the form of depopulation
and acculturation. The loss of a great number of conscientious, educated,
cultured people cannot be easily and quickly compensated.
However,
our interest is to describe the present threats to social and personal identity
of the Lithuanian people collectively. For a multitude of people, the actual
conditions of life have become worse. The destructiveness, social pathology,
human decline contributed to an increasing loss of social identity.
When
the Soviet system collapsed, many people -- the old, the young, the sick, the
less able -- found themselves unable, for one reason or another, to succeed in
the new system of government. Freedom seems to have provided opportunities only
for those who are more energetic and often unscrupulous. Lithuanian society is
becoming increasingly unequal and polarized in terms of opportunities, incomes
and living conditions. Inequality in Lithuania is progressing in a cumulative
way. It means that benefits tend to accumulate for certain groups. Lithuanian
rebirth is set in a framework of disaster. The high mortality rate, decline of
health, educational indicators, deteriorating standard of living and growth of
unemployment -- all are in the danger zone. The number of homeless people is now
rising sharply, partly as a result of the policy of restitution of house
ownership.
The
speed of political changes in Eastern and Central Europe is so rapid that the
process of reform faces many difficulties. I do not agree with the researchers
who argue that those difficulties "arise from the human mind's limited
ability to accept the speed of the perceived changes,”2 or that it
is an "insufficient level of mental adaptation.”3 The
difficulties may be interpreted in terms of multidimensional reality. Naturally,
in different countries, Lithuania among them, changes in the social identity of
the people exhibit some specific features. On the one hand, the transition to a
new historical epoch is similar to the abolition of slavery or the end of
colonial repression. On the other hand, social and personal identity is lost
under the new economic and political circumstances.
What
does people's social identity consists of? It consists of the opportunity to
acquire the skills or tools, i.e., knowledge and experience, which are needed to
function effectively in a society-making process. The main indicators of social
identity include professionally assisted birth, a safe and secure life space, an
adequate diet, accessibility of health care services, a good and practical
education, political participation, an economically productive life, protection
against unemployment, a dignified old age, a decent burial.4
The
social identity is mostly based on national identity, dignity, self-respect,
self-esteem and responsibility of people. Social identity is expressed as
knowing and, also, as the feeling of dependence on society and of responsibility
to it as well as the wish to belong to it. It means that each member of the
society is aware of identity (is educated); will belong to the society (he/she
participates in social life); and can achieve identity (the social conditions
ensure a worthy human life). I would like to present some basic facts which, I
hope, will help to substantiate such an assertion. Through the interpretation of
some quantitative data, we shall try to determine the main causes undermining
social identity.
The
main threats to social identity in Lithuania are poverty, unemployment and
increasing criminality.5 Poverty is an acute problem for the
sustained social identity and social freedom. The meager salaries and pensions
of most Lithuanian people make life difficult. As consumer prices and costs of
services have increased, conversely, the real wages have decreased. Many people
do not have enough money to buy even the essentials. In the current situation,
it is difficult to understand how and from what a person and an entire family
can earn a living. The living strategy of a lot families is very simple: from
paycheck to paycheck, trying to survive, spending money only on the basic
necessities, denying themselves even some necessities. Most families cannot
afford their basic needs. A very high proportion of personal income goes towards
food and nourishment. According to the Department of Statistics the subjective
poverty-line in 1996 equalled 585 LTL ($146,250 USD), which was on average 1.7
times higher than the minimum subsistence level.6 Indeed, Lithuania
still has no official definition of poverty lines, even though the absolute
poverty line is equivalent to the minimum subsistence level (MSL).7
As
property and social differences increase, social differentiation of the
population is becoming more pronounced than is acceptable for a normal society.
The middle-class stratum – the basis of stability of democratic society -- is
not increasing, but decreasing. The gap between the rich and the poor has
widened. In 1995, the disposable income of the wealthiest 10 percent was 10
times as much as that of the poorest. Ten percent of the wealthiest households
held 26.3 percent of all disposable income, while the poorest 10 percent
held 2.8 percent (Lithuanian Human Development Report, 1996, 25).
Actually, polarization is much greater than the survey data show, especially in
the cities, because wealthy people avoid participating in such surveys and
revealing their true incomes. For example, even within the budgetary sector,
judges earn ten times more than teachers.8
These
boundaries are strongly felt psychologically: the differences cause huge
emotional conflicts. People remain silent even though their dissatisfaction is
deep. It should be noted that the deep internal contradictions between
socioeconomic and cultural capital of the same social group, also, deserve
consideration. For instance, higher education jobs and even concrete occupations
do not characterize either the individual or the position of his social group in
the society. Thus, today the typical indicators of social status, used by
Western sociology (income, education, occupation, wealth), can only partly show
social differentiation in our society.
Alongside
the property differences, the contrasts in
education increase as well. Problems of accessibility of education in a
broad sense are very crucial. In 1996-1997, 5 percent of 7- to 15-year-old
children were not registered and not attending school (approximately
18,000-24,000).9 According to an international expert-rated
classification of education programs (ISCED), 25 percent of 20- to 24-year olds
in Lithuania are now pursuing specialized and higher education. Not everyone
wishing to obtain higher education can afford to do so.
Another
serious social problem affecting social identity is emerging: the loss of job
security and the steady increase in official and unofficial unemployment.
Some categories of people who lost their jobs first are: elderly women, workers
with disabilities, young people and those without specialization or profession.
The social stigma of unemployment is strong in society, and many people cannot
overcome this psychological barrier.
Harsh
economic realities, accompanied by the uncertainties over the future and the
erosion of traditional social norms, put additional strains on the individual.
Disillusionment undermines people's abilities and causes apathy. People are
becoming less careful with their lives and health and lack self-esteem. This
lack of self-esteem can be directed towards the political system and can put the
development of democracy at risk.10
Morbidity
and mortality are rising in Lithuania, while life expectancy is falling and is
now lower than it has been for two decades. The current life expectancy for men
is lower than it was in 1960; while the life expectancy for women is at the same
level as 1985;11 (65 years for men and 76.1 years for women).12
Mortality
is increasing most sharply among young people, who die mainly from nonmedical
causes such as accidents and suicide. There has been a sudden jump in suicide,
indicating growing human distress. Lithuania now has one of the highest suicide
rates in the world (46 suicides per 100,000 population).13 In 1995
the highest suicide indicator was among 40- to 49-year-old men. For every
100,000 residents, 135 men of this age committed suicide in urban areas; and 257
men, in rural areas. More than one-third were unemployed men, looking for work.14
The
criminalization of society and the rise in the crime rate threaten personal
security. Between 1991 and 1995, for every 10,000 inhabitants, there were, on
average, 150.8 criminal acts in Lithuania. At the same time, the number of
murders increased by 1.9 times. Nearly one in three murder victims was an adult
male. Crimes are noticeably becoming more violent and are increasingly committed
by young people.15
Economic
poverty emphasizes breakdowns experienced in other areas, for example, the
weakening and the breakdown of social ties, relationship difficulties, social
discredit, exclusion and loss of identity. The personal and social impacts of
unemployment, in their own turn, include poverty, financial hardship, debt,
homelessness or overcrowding, the weakening of family ties or family
dissolution, disintegration, isolation, erosion of confidence and self-esteem,
atrophy of work skills, ill health. Poverty and unemployment keep individuals
out of society.
Poverty-related
social exclusion is the most persistent danger to social identity and social
cohesion. On the other hand, we cannot describe the poor as a category or even a
social class in the real sense of these terms. But poverty manifests itself not
only in malnutrition, unemployment or homelessness. The biggest threat to social
identity lies in the fact that poverty does not allow people to take full
advantage of their citizenship. Many people, who may not actually be starving,
are nonetheless unable to lead meaningful lives within the accepted values and
norms and to participate in social life. They find it difficult to develop
social contacts, to travel, to study, to buy books, to visit theatres, to
subscribe to the papers. Relations of scientific workers with colleagues from
abroad are not easy to maintain.
The
most commonly used indicator of human developmental conditions in society is
poverty. Besides the traditional, acknowledged manifestations of poverty, it can
express itself in different, sometimes invisible, ways, and, thus, remain
untreated and uncorrected in society. For example, social isolation and distress
may be caused by changing consumption patterns: mass-media, theatres, telephone
calls and friendly visits simply become unaffordable; this, at least, could
account for the rising suicide rate. Phenomena of social pathology, causing
suffering in the contemporary Lithuanian society, are rising because of limited
opportunities of social contacts. Poverty hits the future of the nation.
Statistics show that it is mostly concentrated among working-age people and
young families with children. At the present time, young families often have to
choose between two alternatives: either to raise a child in poverty, or else not
to have one. Consequently, Lithuania's population has been steadily decreasing
since 1992.
It
would be very difficult to determine the exact number of inhabitants who are
severely marginalized, but judging from indirect evidence, it is possible to
conclude that numbers have grown rapidly in the past 5 to 7 years. In 1996,
approximately 18 percent of households had consumer expenditure below the real
MSL. Many youths see a future not only of joblessness but of purposelessness: a
life with little reward and no meaning. Even teaching is one of the lowest-paid
professions. For example, in July 1994, a teacher's average salary was less than
300 LTL. ($75 USD) per month. Three-quarters of teachers survive only their
earnings. Many teachers cannot subscribe to the necessary publications, cannot
buy the latest materials or books and cannot attend concert or theatre
performances. For the above reasons, the prestige of teachers in society is very
low.
The
aforementioned contrasts influence people’s consciousness, make it shredded
and split, even “schizoid.” Alongside the loyalty to an independent state
and national ideals, we can see national and civic nihilism. The former feeling
of community in the days of revival has been replaced by disunity and
disagreements. The indicated abnormal social differences and dysfunction serve
to weaken such vital elements of social identity as a feeling of belonging to a
community and a wish to belong to it. Loss of status leads to breakdowns in
socialization and sociability networks.
Transition
placed more responsibility on individuals, but disillusionment undermined
people's abilities and caused apathy. It is remarkable that, in a country with a
high literacy rate, sexually transmitted diseases are rapidly spreading at
alarming rates among people of all education and income levels. The type of
people, who have suppressed individuality, who are blind to noble values and who
have no sense of civil responsibility, is multiplying. The transition period has
given people a growing sense of insecurity and social isolation. Apathy,
alienation, indifference, violence and brutality, growing skepticism, cynicism,
fatalism and despair become the established practice. The moral disintegration,
street violence, murders, etc., taking place in society, are indicative of the
profound moral slump in our society. People, whose future is uncertain, become
frightened; they look backwards and not forwards; they become more aggressive
and are most likely to support an authoritarian rule which promises to implement
rationality and justice by force.
The
part of society with a low level of self-esteem and self-respect, in fact, a low
level of social identity, can unconsciously project its own negative qualities
into other parts of the nation and, consequently, react aggressively against
them. The excluded either are outside society, or are simply defined as
nonexistent. Marginalized and excluded people may then refuse to accept the
ruler and the laws of society. Instead they “act out” and accept the rules
of violence. Often, violence is understood as a last resource, when words and
dialogue become impossible. There are other forms of violence, found in groups
which are economically excluded. For example, there are those who do not accept
democratic rules for personal, group interests but resort to corruption and
reject the rights of “others.”
The
novel trends of the application of philosophical theory are characterized by the
transition from spontaneous creation and application of philosophy towards an
organized methodology. Philosophical conceptions cannot save the world. But,
according to Vaclav Havel, "we must all behave as if we could save it.”16
For instance, classical philosophy raised the question about how the personality
can remain self-adequate, i.e., to be human, to preserve inner humaneness;
whereas the problem of the modern social philosophy is how the personality
should act in order to preserve humaneness in other people, in the world, in
humankind. Each one of us must "clean" one square meter around himself
or herself. We hope that all these difficulties are only the beginning of a new
era.
Abstract
The
definition of social identity consists of two parts. First, it means protection
against threats to a nation's existence and well-being. Second, it means the
search for measures and possibilities to achieve the goals of social development
and improvement. Social identity implies the creation and preservation of
conditions in which each citizen can develop into an educated, creative,
responsible personality.
Today,
especially for nations throughout the former Soviet Union, the chief danger to
social identity lies in the adverse conditions of continued underdevelopment. It
follows that nowadays identity means, first of all, the development of our
nation.
The
essential condition for a small nation's identity and survival is based on
people's resolution to rely upon themselves and the potential inherent within
their own country. The modern strategy for ensuring social identity would
principally rely on this principle: every citizen is part of the identity, i.e.,
each is an active agent contributing to the identity. For this reason, a
strategic condition is to create equal starting possibilities, i.e., equality of
opportunities for everyone.
Lithuanian Institute Of Philosophy And Sociology
1. Genocide
of Lithuanian People (Vilnius, 1992), p. 48.
2.
Adam Biela, "Mental changes and Social Integration Perspective in Europe:
Theoretical Framework and Research Strategies," Journal
for Mental Changes, 1 (1995), 10.
3. Ibid.,
p. 7.
4.
John Friedmann, "Rethinking Poverty: Empowerment and Citizen Rights," International
Social Science Journal, 148
(1996), 169.
5. Lithuanian
Human Development Report, 1996 (Vilnius, 1996).
6. Ibid.,
p. 102.
7. Ibid.
8. Ibid.,
p. 31.
9. Ibid.,
p. 75.
10.
Ibid., p. 75.
11.
Ibid., p. 28.
12.
Ibid., p. 27.
13.
Ibid., p. 4.
14.
Ibid., p. 48.
15.
Ibid., p. 10.
16.
Vaclav Havel and Maximilian Schell, "Europe at the Fin de Siècle," Society,
32 (1995), 71.