When long-standing social institutions are disrupted by rapid change, the resulting situation is often mixed rather than uniform. Some individuals return to older group loyalties for a sense of continuity, while others attach themselves to newly formed groups and identities that emerge from the change process itself. At the same time, this same process tends to sharpen people's awareness of many different group identities, be they based on class, region, language or occupation.

Which one of the following is the best explanation of the above passage?