The Preconditions of Social Identity of a Small State in Transition to

The Preconditions of Social Identity of a Small State in Transition to Democracy ABSTRACT: The definition of social identity consists of two parts. First, it means protection against threats to the 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 as educated, creative and responsible persons. 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 for these nations, identity means first of all development. The essential condition for a small nation’s identity and survival is based on the people’s resolution to rely on themselves and to envision the potential for their own country. The modern strategy for ensuring social identity would essentially rely on the principle that every citizen is part of the national identit y, i.e., its active agent. For this reason, of central importance is the creation of equal starting possibilities (equality of opportunities) for everyone. An essential point of departure for an examination of our subject is the definition of social identity and its principal connotations. Both external and internal threats to social identity can arise, although our interest must be limited to the consideration of internal threats. 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 for our nation nowadays identity first of all means the development. The ... ...ording to V. Havel, "we must all behave as if we could save it". (11) Each one of us must "clean" one square metre around himself or herself. We hope that all this are the difficulties of the beginning new era. NOTES (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. 25-26. (7) Ibid., p. 83. (8) Ibid., p. 61. (9) Ibid., p. 45. (10) Ibid., p. 48. (11) Vaclav Havel, Maximilian Schell, "Europe at the Fin se Siecle", Society, 32 (1995), 71.