Chinese Journal of Sociology

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The Possibility of Friendship: A Mechanism of SelfIdentity and SocialSolidarity

LUO Chaoming， Department of Sociology， School of Social and Behavioral Sciences， Nanjing University   

  1. LUO Chaoming， Department of Sociology， School of Social and Behavioral Sciences， Nanjing University
  • Online:2012-09-20 Published:2012-09-20
  • Contact: LUO Chaoming， Department of Sociology， School of Social and Behavioral Sciences， Nanjing University E-mail:luomingmpo@126.com
  • About author:LUO Chaoming， Department of Sociology， School of Social and Behavioral Sciences， Nanjing University
  • Supported by:

    The research was supported by the project “China Experience in the Context of Globalization” of the University Strengths Disciplines construction Foundation of Jiangsu Province, issued by Jiangsu Government ［2010］ No.118.

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Abstract:

The traditional supportive mechanisms of selfidentity and socialsolidarity have already lost their immanent charm under the force of modernization. In the context of modernity, the crisis of selfidentity and socialsolidarity has already been an urgent ontological security problem. Exploring the phenomenological construction and the sociological structure of friendship may help us with understanding, on one hand, the selflove basis of friendship, the selfevaluative value and meaning system,and the selfknowledge and selfassurance of intersubjective constructions of friendshipall being the realistic prerequisite for social actors’ obtainment of their selfidentity when they reach consistency with the self; on the other hand, the communion, the alterego intentional attitude, the actional selfdiscipline and moral selfconsciousness between friendsbeing an effective mechanism for social actors’ attainment of their socialsolidarity when they achieve consistency with the Other. However, the intensified rationality of instrumentation, the domination of the capital logic and the selfalienation of human behavior itself have degraded friendship building to a personal business in the private realm. The author holds that modern friendship needs to restore its important mechanism for selfidentity and socialsolidarity to set human mind onto its second voyage to free itself and to promote political and collective efforts to better the ethics in the sociality quality of friendship.

Key words: friendship, , selfidentity, , socialsolidarity，, consistent with the self，, consistent with the other