Social behaviour of academic youth in constructing their identity in postmodern society

Abstract

We chose driving a car as a means of expressing social behaviour. Our choice was conditioned by the snobbery of the consumer society when in reality, under the conditions of merging material and semiotic-cultural resources, the car becomes a means of communication. The article discusses behaviours characterizing driving: wearing seat belts, violating speed limits, driving tipsy. The empirical data revealed the links between
those behaviours and their changes in the period of eight years. We recorded changes in the behaviour characterizing car driving. These changes were discussed on the basis of sociological control theory. We suppose that in the consumer (postmodern) society, students demonstrate a lifestyle that can be described as existential escapism. Primary socialization is of great importance for first-year students in constructing their identity
in academic society.