Abstract: The author of the article compares the two terms “psyche” and “soul” that are often viewed as synonyms by the history of psychology. However, if we address to ancient philosophy or mystical spiritual tradition, we can see that these terms have different meanings there. In one case, psyche is thought to be the achievement of individual consciousness and in the other case soul is interpreted as a connecting link between the world of eidos and the underworld where phenomena appear and disappear. The author of the present article attempts to reveal the meaning of Plato’s concept of soul. Psyche deals with mental processes and does not include a more profound existential experience. Phenomenological comparison is used as the analysis method forming the basis of this article. This method allows to distinguish between the two terms “psyche” and “soul”. The fact that such this is the first attempt to differentiate between these terms in Russian literature creates the novelty of research. According to the author of the article, soul and psyche are not synonymous terms. Soul has a wider and more profound meaning than psyche. Soul does not die when a body dies. Soul exists before someone’s birth. Soul contains versatile spiritual experience and this is what makes it to be the opposition to psyche.

Keywords: psychology, spirit, pneuma, soul, psyche, mythology, eidos, existence, transcendental, Psyche.

Abstract: Jurgen Habermas’ theory of deliberative democracy has been the matter of philosophical discussions in the West for a long time. The author of the present article compares Habermas’ theory to the liberal and republican forms of government. According to Habermas, political public sphere of a developed democratic state should realize principles of separation of a ruling government from economic society, freedom of speech and information exchange. All the three elements including equal rights to liberty, democratic participation and take part in government by using public opinion are “merged” into one project. However, they may have a different role and different order depending on political traditions. Liberal tradition, for example, demonstrates preference towards freedoms of citizens while republican and deliberative traditions emphasize participation of active citizens in democratic will expression or formation of more rational public opinions. The author of the article describes certain weak points in the theory of democracy developed by Habermas in his later works. In particular, the author criticizes his famous theory on communicative rationality.

Keywords: Habermas, democracy, liberalism, republicanism, society, human, law, power, behavior, freedom.

Abstract: Anthropological approach plays one of the most important roles in modern researches on Japan and Japanese society and especially in so called theories “Nihondzin ron” and “Nihon bunka ron” (theories on Japanese ethno-psychological and cultural distinguishing features). Today’s Japanese society is viewed by many researchers as something completely different from other societies because despite similar levels of overall development in Japan and other advanced capitalist countries, the former has a higher potential for socio-cultural development. So called “Japanese personality” is a very important anthropological element of such socio-cultural potential. Today Japanese studies offer three approaches to interpreting the phenomenon of Japanese personality: westernizing and modernizing approach that focuses on development of individual personality in Japanese society, uniqueness-based approach that views Japanese personality as a result of Japanese cultural and social development and Japan-oriented approach that considers Japanese society and its socio-cultural potentials as the model to be followed by other countries because this model, in particular, such personal identity, satisfies the requirements of the “future society” defined by researchers as the “post-industrial society”, “culture epoch society” or “alternative society” and “information society”.

Keywords: psychology, culture, enlightenment, identity, social development, modernization, anthropology, personality, sociocultural, Japanese.

Abstract: Ethno-psychological researches carried out over the previous years and the author’s field work in 15 African countries (1962–2010) provide more and more evidence of space-and-time knowledge being a fundamental feature of human neuropsychic activity. Space-and-time environment is where virtual reality as a cognitive algorithm of human perception of the surrounding world is evolving into real virtuality of social and interpersonal relations involving structures of developing institutions. The primary authority was based on the cult of wise ancestors complemented with ancient traditions based on which population was ruled by the seniors of the tribe who did not have to provide for their living. It was caused by a need to distribute responsibilities within the area in order to perform community service, ritual events and military activities aimed at protecting and creating environmental and social grounds for production, life activities and sustainable development of a society.

Keywords: human, brain, virtual reality, real virtuality, power, property, time, time-zone disease, psychology, space.

Abstract: The purpose of research is to define factors contributing to the formation of a scientific paradigm. The author of the article stresses out that science is rapidly building up its treasury of knowledge. On the other hand, the previous scientific paradigm still plays an important role which creates a paradox. New discoveries do not fit the previous picture of the world. Again and again it provokes discussions on what knowledge is, what sources it has and how this knowledge creates an integral picture of the word. Methodological concepts of approaching this problem deal with treasury of philosophical and psychological knowledge and experience of their analysis. The novelty of research is an attempt to describe patterns of formation of a scientific paradigm at a new natural science level. The author of the article notes that criticizing of a rational version of science was not successful at the time. Therefore critical analysis of prerequisites for formation of a scientific paradigm is quite challenging and topical. The article also contains critics of the modern variants of reductionism.

Keywords: psychology, philosophy, science, paradigm, reductionism, knowledge, “human death”, transcendence, methodology, genome recoding.

Abstract: The article is devoted to the analysis of the process of aging in terms of social, cultural and historical transformations. Social development and people’s lives occur in a socio-cultural environment that have direct and indirect influence on human. Specific feature of traditional cultures is their attitude to aging and old age. At different stages of development of human society public attitude to aging was conditioned by socio-cultural peculiarities of this or that epoch. The research is based on the concepts of the “old man”, “problems of an old man” and “old age”. Based on the system analysis, the author offers an integrated definition of these terms. The author also used the method of historical and genetic analysis which allowed to define the general tendency in changing attitudes towards an old man during the period when traditional culture was being replaced by modern industrial, innovation-based and postmodern culture. Determination of the problems in philosophical analysis of a man at the last stage of his life path as well as description of attitudes to aging in different social, cultural and historical epochs create the novelty of research.

Keywords: aging, spirituality, society, life cycle, humankind, traditional culture, culture-historical type, generation change, succession, experience.

Abstract: The author of the article offers a theoretical analysis of mechanisms of academic activity performed by primary school students. The author analyzes different approaches to the terms “activity” and “active attitude”, defines an important role of the leading activity in the process of formation of integrated individuality and its place in the process of personality development of a primary school student. The role of activity in formation of integrated individuality is presented as a measure of interaction between a subject and a surrounding world as well as a form of self-expression and independent existence of personality due to which a person can become an integrated, independent and developing subject. The author of the article also describes the structure of activity in academic activity that includes: activity potential, regulatory element expressing the relation between deliberate self-regulation (based on one’s will) and indeliberate (based on one’s emotions) self-regulation, dynamic element (pace, intensity and energy) and results of one’s activity. The author also describes the leading styles of mental activities at primary school including meta-target oriented, target oriented and intellectual (disadaptive) styles. The author defines the system-forming, harmonizing and compensating functions of the academic activity style in the process of formation of integrated personality. The author also describes the important influence of the teaching environment on mental activity at primary school age.

Keywords: activity, active attitude, mental activity, integral individuality, style of activity, structure of activity, factors of activity, subjective activity, potential activity, active learning.

Abstract: The article is devoted to some really important issues and problems faced by the institution of adoptive parenting in Russia. Russian institution of adoptive parenting is developing as a social phenomenon based on legal grounds. The author of the article analyzes the current condition of social, psychological and pedagogical preparation of candidates who want to adopt a child. The author of the article underlines the need in serious scientific researches in this sphere. The author also stresses out that there is a certain need in a scientific review and analysis of this problem (the author demonstrates the results of a low competent, chaotic and non-systematized approach to this problem). The author also describes the main directions of scientific analysis and researches and offers particular methods of realization of the scientific and research project offered. The author proves that it is necessary to involve highly experienced scientists in these researches and it is impossible to carry out such a project at local centers preparing parents and families for adoption. There is also a need in official decrees granting researchers access to information held by social custody authorities and Centers for Preparation and Support of Adopting Families in different regions of Russia.

Keywords: adopting, families, system, scientific, research, analysis, efficiency, development, topical, independent.

Abstract: The purpose of research is to study particular factors hindering from successful treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis and develop certain recommendations based on the study. The research involved 72 patients suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis — 48 males and 24 females aged from 22 to 56. Research methods included standard clinical, X-ray, laboratory and functional tests as well as the author’s questionnaire prepared in accordance with the innovation proposal No. 512 developed by Samara Medical Military Institute. The aforesaid questionnaire consists of four sections and allows to define the order of treatment, difficulties that arise in the process of treatment, will, suggestibility, treatment satisfaction and attitude to possible disability. Obtained data was statistically processed by using the SRSS program. Patients who have been diagnosed tuberculosis for the first time are influenced by such factors decreasing the efficiency of treatment as a need to pay for medical procedures, complications after injections and treatment fatigue. Patients who have already been sick for quite a long period of time may miss their doctor’s appointments and medical procedures, stop their treatment without permission and suffer from side effects of medicine. Patients who had infiltrative pulmonary tuberculosis demonstrated statistically valid differences from other patients. Patients who have infiltrative tuberculosis tend to believe that they will actually overcome the disease and this specific feature they have should be used as a motivation to proceed with the treatment. In case of patients who have chronic tuberculosis, a doctor should monitor side effects and adjust their prescription. If a patient is suggestible, a doctor should suggest the thought that the treatment will be a success. If a patient is not suggestible, a doctor should use rational instructions and inform about the progress of the disease and methods of treatment.

Keywords: pulmonary tuberculosis, social need in efficient treatment, factors hindering from successful treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis, psychological methods increasing efficiency of treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis.

Abstract: The author of the article raises a question about integration of methodological concepts offered by Galperin into the modern world psychology. Such integration is viewed in terms of history of culture and cultural and historical experience. In order to get a full and integrated insight into Galperin’s ideas, the latter are being analyzed from the point of view of social studies, cultural research, methodology and psychotechnics. The author of the article shows that the theory of stage-by-stage formation of mental activity in particular and Soviet psychology of activity in general have deep roots in Soviet culture and therefore represent solely Soviet cultural and historical experience. The author proves that such approach is very important in understanding and analyzing any psychological conception because all psychology is based on a particular cultural and historical matrix of social experience reflected. The author of the article also describes certain directions of developing Galperin’s views on psychology and methodology and stresses out their importance for psychological methodology, experimental psychology and reflexive analysis of psychological phenomena. In particular, the author shows possibilities in integration of Galperin’s ideas with Edmund Husserl’s phenomenological analysis and phenomenological psychology, existential analysis of the orientation phenomenon and etc. The author shows that analysis of the psyche concept as an orientational activity from the point of view of social studies would extend its phenomenological horizons and allow to expand the ontological base and psychotechnical opportunities of this branch of psychology. This also applies to expansion of the scope of applied psychology as well as psychological practice.

Keywords: psychology, psychotecnics, methods, cultural research, social studies, activity, formation, orientation, reflection, phenomenology.