The Question of Identity behind Processes of Social Construction.

The topic of identity has attracted the attention of a growing number of specialists in the generic field of the social sciences during recent years. From psychologists to internationalists, social scientists of the most diverse origins and trends seem to have found in the question of identity some kind of crucial guiding thread which knits a substantial linkage between all manifestations of collective life (Castells, 1999).Although the reasons for this may vary, it is basically safe to say that there is a growing awareness among specialists at large, as well as among international public opinion, about the importance of identity as the basis of most processes of social construction. Since no human being can be properly considered as a monolithic, self-construed, self-motivated and self-regulated entity, specialists from different fields are now looking at the way in which an identity is developed or built as a result of social interaction, whilst also serving as a foundation for social action. The process is, of course, a complex one that involves several variables and continuous exchanges with the environment (both social and natural) in which the individual grows. The presence of the other in this context plays a key role in defining an individual identity, which is never produced as a clear-cut, once-and-for-all stance from which we can, thereafter, act socially. Even the most apparently solid identity is always gaining experience and transforming itself, thus people (especially those we think we know best) can often surprise us in the most unexpected ways with new projections of their identity. From the perspective of complexity theory (Morin, 1997; Sussman, 2000; Ferreira, 2001) and the key notion of emerging properties, this paper argues that the set of processes whereby identities are built, from the most intimate realm of individuality to the widest sphere of globalized collectivity, and including the realms of local and regional identities, offers the most fertile ground for a multidisciplinary social analysis. In such analysis, specialists from highly diverse backgrounds can fruitfully combine their efforts to reach a better understanding of the complex universe created through social relations in a globalized world. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]