Myths of ethnic consciousness as a factor in the formation of personal identity in preschool children: A psychological analysis in a multicultural environment
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12795/revistafuentes.2026.28836Keywords:
multicultural education, bicultural identity, narrative psychology, ethnic-racial socialization, war traumaAbstract
The research in this article examines the function of ethnic myths as psychological and symbolic mechanisms in building identity in preschool children. Through the lens of war and refugee displacement, we examine how cultural narratives impact early ethnic-racial awareness and identification. We applied a comparative mixed-method design to two preschool groups (ages 4–6): a group who stayed in Ukraine during the war (n = 45), and a group resettled to multicultural surroundings abroad (n = 43). The following tools were used: a narrative projective exercise ("Tell the Hero’s Story"), the Bicultural Identity Integration Scale for Children (BIIS-C), pictorial self-identification tools, and questionnaires from parents. The children living in Ukraine had stronger ethnic identification, more frequent occurrence of enemy figures in narratives, and more ethnically marked symbols. The displaced children had larger bicultural identity integration, more open narratives, and more hybrid or cosmopolitan character figures. Research shows ethnic myths as early symbolic models used in building identity, particularly in situations of cultural threat or change. In conflict situations, myths are used to enhance psychological consistency and group affinity and in multicultural environments to achieve adaptable bicultural identification. The importance of narrative structure to the formation of identity early in life underscores the necessity of culturally responsive and trauma-informed pedagogy.
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