Experimental Study of Iranian Identity Sources

This paper is taken from a survey study at the national level, which is conducted in order to review and measure the strength of collective identity in Iran-including national, ethnic, religious and modern identity, considering cultural, social and political dimensions of each of them, and also aiming to review relations and occasions among these dimensions. The theoretical framework of this research is the Symbolic Interaction Theory (SIT), on the basis of which hybrid and multidimensional (Iranian) identity is taken, and relations among these dimensions are also assumed to be in balance and harmony (and not conflicting and violating). In this research, 4 scales are designed to measure Iranian identity dimensions, and after several pretesting, the unit tool is provided, and is implemented in a sample population of 1800 people in 13 central cities of the province. The outcomes imply the strength of cultural dimensions of national identity, ethnic identity and religious identity, and also average tendency to social dimensions of national, ethnic and religious identities, below average tendency to political dimension of national and ethnic identity, and eventually a slight tendency to the three dimensions of modern identity. Furthermore, the findings support the existence of numerous positive relations among most dimensions of national identity, ethnic identity and religious identity with one another, and the meaningful distance of modern identity with other dimensions of Iranian identity.