Despite the changing way of life in Montenegro, family and friends remain the center of the culture and are the pinnacle of importance on the people's minds. No matter how much the cities are altering the culture and way of life, the priorities have remained the same and even in these cities there seems to be an aura of village life ever present.
Identity
Since the 1990s and, in particular, since independence in 2006, Montenegrins have begun to create a stronger independent identity. Prior to the 1990s most Montenegrins defined themselves on items that were primarily Serbian or Russian, but today they are beginning to better define and cling to their own history and traditions. While nearly every ethnic Montenegrin first identifies as a Montenegrin, what it means to be a Montenegrin is ever evolving. Citizenship, ethnicity, language, religion, history, and other aspects of the culture are all aspects of this identity, but to what degree each holds in importance is arguable. As this identity is still being formed and is ever changing, how the Montenegrin identity will be defined in twenty, or even in five years may be vastly different from what it is today.