Theoretical Design of the “Mass consciousness” concept in the Social Transformations context
N. G. Glazunov
The Federal Bureau of Medical and Social Expertise of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia
Keywords: mass consciousness, common consciousness, public consciousness, ideology, values, social transformations
Abstract
Introduction Social transformations are interrelated processes that affect both social institutions and structures, and mass consciousness. The effectiveness of institutional changes depends directly on whether the mass consciousness is ready for the changes, or it experiences the opposite effect of structural changes that take place in society. The research is aimed at studying of these processes correlation is the initial condition for social transformations effectiveness. Methodology. The research is based on a comparative historical method (involving data on socio-economic and political transformations in China and Russia), as well as on interpretation of the role of ideological and value components of individual and mass consciousness in the social change process. The work also considers the models construction that ensure the functioning of these components in public space. Discussion. Mass consciousness in its most concentrated form reflects the ideas, goals, values, and motives (that have a positive normative status in this society) rooted in the national mentality. In total, they regulate and coordinate activities of both an individual and society as a whole. At the rational theoretical generalizations level, mental attitudes crystallize in the ideology that dominates in a society. The transformation conditions are objective needs of the social system, whose structural elements and functional connections have ceased to meet the needs of the system and cope with internal and external challenges. The social structures functioning algorithms are clearly interrelated with the ideological and value attitudes adopted in society. Without changing these attitudes, social transformations are either impossible or ineffective. For example, the introduction of market mechanisms into the Chinese and Russian economics would be impossible under domination of communist ideology, which is fundamentally incompatible with liberal market ideas and values. Conclusion. The interdependence of institutional transformation and changes processes in attitudes of mass consciousness directly affects society, either ensuring the high effectiveness of changes taking place in it, or hindering this process if the correlation between them is violated.
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