The rapidly changing world does not provide a man with a sense of stability; he intensifies confusion in fundamental matters related to everyday life. Evolving in directions that are difficult to predict, this is not conducive to the process of maturing into a responsible experience of humanity. Various “religious” organizations and societies take advantage of this situation, putting confusion in order (usually in an apparent way), thereby obtaining new adherents for their vision of a better world. Being under the influence of charismatic leaders, the members of new religious movements change their behaviour diametrically, as well as their way of thinking about themselves and the world. Any former model of life is replaced by a new, i.e., collective, model of thinking, estimating and behaving. Important things lose their value. The hitherto prevailing existence, perceived as “bad”, “unenlightened”, “materialistic” or “not soulful”, is left for a new and “better” life, for purposes that are attainable only thanks to contact with the new group. The acquisition of self-identity and identification with the group requires considerable effort. Going over from one world to another brings with it numerous consequences of a psychological and social nature. Hence an immense complexity of factors forming the identity of a religious man appear. On the one hand, this is influenced by personality factors, the level of inner integration, psychical and emotional maturity, and on the other hand – a number of social conditions, i.e., the specificity of the cult group, its structure, doctrine, history and social relations. All the above makes it impossible to create a universal model of the follower’s identity within cult groups. It is only possible to indicate the conditions for the creation of the new individual, self leading to a manifestation of their participation within a definite cultic group.
THE SOCIAL NATURE OF INDIVIDUAL SELF-IDENTITY: AKAN AND NARRATIVE CONCEPTIONS OF PERSONHOOD
