The fundamental idea of the book is to relate structural dimensions of identity concepts to phenomenological and anthropological issues, meaning that it does not pose the question of identity itself, but rather reconstructs those thematic areas that must be considered constitutive for the concept of identity. Identity appears, in this sense, less as a clearly defined concept or model, and more as a phenomenological prism, a problematic discourse field: For it is the challenges of modern life that make it seem necessary to refer back to the idea of identity.