The Significance of Reflexivity in the Framework of Wider Societal Trends and Cycles: The Case of Slovenia in a Global Context

New research paper was published Prof. Dr Tea Golob and Prof. Dr Matej Makarovič in scientifc journal Annales; Series Historia et Sociologia, 36, 2026, 1. It feeds directly into the research activities of the IC4EU. It is available here: https://zdjp.si/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Annales-SHS-36-2026-1_Tea-Golob-Matej-Makarovi%C4%8D-LOWRESS.pdf

The article examines the decline of reflexivity in Slovenia within the context of broader global trends and trajectories. It analyses how reflexivity relates both to trends derived from established, typically linear, modernisation theories and to cyclical perspectives on culture and society. Empirically, the study draws on longitudinal data from four consecutive social surveys conducted on representative samples of the adult Slovenian population between 2018 and 2024. The observed decline in reflexivity contradicts the expected modernisation trajectories of individualisation, universalisation, structural differentiation, and rationalisation. Instead, it aligns with arguments suggesting that contemporary society is experiencing instability in prevailing cultural frameworks and narratives, reflecting a potential shift away from individualistic and materialistic value orientations. Rather than supporting a purely linear model of modernisation, the findings lend greater support to cyclical interpretations of social change shaped by generational replacement or broader socio-cultural transformations. The article also highlights the importance of meta-reflexivity – a mode of reflexivity characterised by critical self-evaluation and value-oriented deliberation – as an essential mechanism for restoring balance between modernisation dynamics and the current shift away from excessive individualism and materialism. In this regard, meta-reflexivity may play a crucial role in preventing the drift towards ideological exclusivism and potential erosion of modernity itself. Finally, the article discusses future scenarios, emphasising that long-term linear development and cyclical shifts need not be mutually exclusive, but can coexist as interdependent dimensions of complex social evolution.