The name is absent

CHAPTER XXV

Identialszcultural attributes - the securing of identity

25.1 Introduction

Sorokin (1947) discussed the importance of external factors
of continuity of a group. One particular component of identity
was found to lie in the 'vehielesɪ*of the group - property and
material possessions, language, territory.

De Levita (1965:169), in studying individual identity, used
the term ^,identials^, with the same connotation as Sorokin’s
J

vehicles of identity. Identials are objective attributes through
which individuals are able to locate themselves, or are located by
.                                          2

others, within a 'world' of meaning .

One’s identity is secured by 'identials^,. Particular identials
are located in physical attributes, in personal possessions, in
one’s name, in one’s faith, either religious faith, or faith in
individuals, and in language. Physical attributes have been touched
.                        3

on indirectly in Statement 14 .

Where identials are negative, one would expect a strain towards
negative identity.

It has been shown that, for certain people, Aboriginality does
not consist in identials that are specially Aboriginal. Nevertheless,
it may well be that some identials in the world of
Aboriginal students differ from those of non-Aboriginal students.

The following statements are concerned with the areas of
housing, religious faith, language, looks, nickname as identials,

ɪsee p. 26.

²See ρ. 31.

ʒsee p. 423.                        ∙

^See p. 302ff.

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