Kermanshah has experienced many ups and downs in different historical periods in terms of development status. It was the second capital of Iran in Sassanid era. Afterward, it also flourished in a period but it never achieved the position of other most important cities of Iran. This paper aims to provide a sociological analysis of the development challenges in Kermanshah and it intends to examine the contexts and conditions under which Kermanshah has not been able to enjoy a proper position in the country. In this regard, the mentality of Kermanshahi elites has been analyzed. The study method is qualitative and the information was obtained through interviews with 22 intellectuals in Kermanshah. Analysis of the themes resulting from the coding of participants' information shows that the city has gone through a process towards a paradoxical identity, which has been the result of a historical process in the formation of social anomie, the decline of culture and political behavior and the heterogeneous formation of cultural identity. In addition, conditions such as uncoordinated modernization, war and incoherence in the country's development programs and the dominance of a security discourse on the development of the city are among the areas that shape the actions related to the current situation of the city and citizens in this situation have mainly organized their action strategies in three ways, including renunciation, incuriosity and destruction.