THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN’S IDENTIFICATION: A CROSS-CULTURAL COMPARISON BETWEEN BULGARIA, ITALY AND UKRAINE

The study presented here analyses the development of self-categorisation, national, European and local identification of Bulgarian, Ukrainian and Italian children and adolescents growing up in Bulgaria, Ukraine and Italy. The sample consisted of 541 children aged 6, 9, 12 and 15 years. It was found that national, European and local identifications differ in the three national groups. It is argued that the cognitive-developmental account of the development of national identification is unable to explain the patterns of findings which were obtained. The social identity theory, however, is able to explain the different patterns of importance given to the different identifications by the three national groups.