Introduction
Identity formation - the central task of youth - is profoundly complicated by war,
displacement, and the loss of territory. For young people from the Donetsk
region, this process since 2014 has involved the challenge of integrating
collective trauma and a radically changed social context into a stable sense of
"self".
Purpose
This study aims to explore the lived experience of identity formation among
young people from Donbas and to interpret how they make sense of their
personal development within the context of prolonged conflict and social
instability.
Method
The research used a qualitative approach to the studied phenomenon:
interpretive phenomenological analysis. This involves two: a phenomenological
description of the participants' experiences and the researcher's interpretation of
these experiences. The data were collected by semi-structured interviews with
three young men aged 18-19 who had lived in the Donetsk region since birth and
were there in 2014, meaning they grew up in the context of a protracted conflict.
Since 2022, all three have experienced displacement within or outside the region,
including as a result of changes in the security situation and educational
opportunities.
Results
The experience of identity formation in a war environment is summarized in two
main categories, each containing specific subordinate themes:
1. Perception of war as a distant background (dominance of denial and
avoidance coping strategies; lack of familial reflection or open discussion);
2. Adaptability as a core identity mechanism (development of psychological
defense against social hostility; identity as fluid social capital and a tool for
integration); and Strategic control over uncertainty (hyperplanning as a substitute
for existential safety; identity suspension and the transition to a moratorium
status).
Conclusions
Identity among young people in Donbas has been forged through a dynamic
interplay of trauma and adaptation to war-related instability, manifesting in a
complex struggle between denial, survival strategies, and the search for self-
definition. This process highlights the importance of theoretical frameworks, such
as social identity, moratorium status, social capital, and hidden identity, in
understanding how individuals reconstruct themselves during ongoing conflict.