Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Relevance. This paper examines social identity in the context of the coping behavior of prisoners, which allows for a significant expansion of the classical model of stress coping. Objective. To present a theoretical analysis of the possibility of applying M. Hogg's uncertainty-identity model and modified stress models to explain the choice of coping strategies in the penal environment through the prism of social identity. Theoretical framework. Coping behavior is understood as a person's conscious efforts aimed at interacting with a stressful situation. Social identity, following the definition of G. Tajfel, is interpreted as an individual's knowledge of their belonging to social groups, combined with the emotional and value significance of this membership. Penitentiary stress is considered a complex of psychological experiences associated with the impact of social isolation and the uncertainty it generates. Results. Application of the uncertainty-identity model helps explain the desire of prisoners to seek out new groups in a stressful environment as an attempt to reduce uncertainty. The article examines the key tenets of R. Lazarus and S. Folkman's cognitive-phenomenological theory of coping and its socio-psychological modifications proposed by A. Haslam, S. Berjot, and N. Gillet. The potential of social identity theory (G. Tajfel and J. Turner) for explaining the content of coping strategies is explored. Conclusions. The article formulates the problem of integrating social context into studies of convict coping behavior, and suggests possible solutions with an emphasis on the multiplicity and quality of social identities. The novelty of the proposed approach, which consists in integrating the uncertainty-identity model and modified stress models to explain the choice and content of coping strategies in the penitentiary environment, is substantiated.
Source: Social Psychology and Society
Institution: Moscow State University of Psychology & Education
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7215829918