Cultural Identity as a Psychosocial Interface

ntroduction. The subject of the study is human identity as a social and cultural phenomenon of modernity. Both social and mental aspects of human self-awareness and self-presentation in a socio-cultural environment are investigated. A more detailed examination of the phenomenon of socio-cultural identity allows us to talk about its existence in two registers - imaginary and symbolic. An important functional aspect of identity is its exteriorization - a way to reveal the inner cognitive and emotional experiences of an individual's identity in an external socio-cultural environment. The exteriorization of identity is considered as a condition and basis for the interaction of man and society. Content. Identity is considered as an interface connecting the individual's inner world with the external socio-cultural environment. Two types of identity are distinguished: symbolic (sociocentric, expressed through language and social roles) and imaginary (anthropocentric, manifested through creativity and imagery). Based on the theories of Erikson and Lacan, it is shown that modern culture is moving towards a strengthening of the imaginary identity, reflecting the human striving for greater autonomy and freedom from prescribed social frameworks. Conclusions. The main result of the research is the construction of an interpretative model of identity as a psycho-social interface that functionally connects the inner mental space of an individual with the external socio-cultural environment. A significant result of the research is the synthesis of the concept of identity, developed within the framework of E. Erickson's ego psychology, with the triad Real-Imaginary-Symbolic J. Lacan. The results include a detailed analysis of the forms of exteriorization of identity, manifested in different registers, carried out in the study. If symbolic identity is revealed conceptually, then imaginary identity is revealed figuratively. In addition, the study showed that socio-cultural identity is dynamic, it changes over time and corresponds to the logic of strengthening emancipation trends in culture and society. The leitmotif of these changes is the weakening of the role of symbolic identity and the strengthening of the imaginary one.