Abstract: Psychology has a wide range of methods and techniques. To start with, this profession preserves a great asset of philosophy — reflection. Psychology inherits deep knowledge that has been accumulating by philosophers of different nations and historical epochs for many years. Being developed as a branch of philosophy, psychology had many astonishing revelation when it didn’t even become an independent science. At the same time, psychology tried to understand human as a particular species of living creatures. Yes, we can say that human represent the animal world in the first place because human has a similar biological nature and instincts. On the other hand, human is not only an advanced animal. Human has something that brings him above all the other world of nature. Human created the phenomenon that had never been met before in the natural environment — human created culture. He appeared to be the creation and the creator of that great province of all mankind.

Keywords: psychology, philosophy, nature, culture, human, speculation, physiology, psychiatry, consciousness, ethics.

Abstract: The article contains a logical summary of the term ‘character’. The definition offered by the author of the article allows to apply this term not only to people but also to actors, both factual and imaginary ones. This outlines a new field of research called the ‘actor character analysis’ and establishes a framework for structural-hermeneutic analysis of actors’ characters. It has been proved that a necessary stage in each procedure for defining human character is character reduction, i.e. reduction of all variety of character features to a particular discrete set of features. This new approach casts light on nature and functions of character reduction. No matter how many discrete character features we define by using formalized and poorly formalized methods, this is just a tiny drop in the bottomless ocean. Continual character contents cannot be studied even by the most thorough discrete analysis and described by natural verbal language. Only character reduction allows to cover the logical gap between the discrete and the continual.

Keywords: psychology, actor, diagnostics of character, hermeneutics, psychological diagnostics (psychodiagnostics), psychodiagnotic methods, structuralism, character, character feature, actor character analysis.

Abstract: Starting out from writings by Erik Santner, Slavoy Zizek and Alenka Zupanchich, the researcher establishes the theory of the subjective singularity from the point of view of Lacanian school. The researcher declares that unlike the ‘subject’ (who exists as a result of symbolic prohibition) and ‘personality’ (that is related to narcissistic self-conceit of the imaginary), the singular ‘self’ emerges as a response to the trigger, i.e. directive coming from the reality. Disregarding social and interpersonal relations of a person, this directive forms a ‘character’. Consequently, the singularity reflects personal features, qualities and temperament but at the same time the singularity prevents from both symbolic and imaginary closing. It is open for all levels of disobedience which shows that human life has certain elements which go beyond the borders of standard sociality. Indeed, since the singularity clearly speaks of something related to ‘undead’ enjoyment (‘jouissance’), it connects the person with the paradoxical immortality. It does not mean that he will never die. It is more likely that it brings the ‘transcendental’ experience such as a strong desire to be creative which may take us beyond the borders of earthly life at least for a moment. Such experience allows the individual to feel ‘real’ and prevents symbolic abduction and psychic death.

Keywords: repeated trauma, desire, attraction, enjoyment, signifying, singularity, infinity, transcendental, immortality, character.

Abstract: Theories of fashion are viewed from the point of view of their influence on identity. Without opposing to classical philosophical and sociological concepts, the author, however, believes that interpretation of fashion as a semiotic (Roland Barthes) and symbolic (Jean Baudrillard) phenomenon. Based on that approach, the author of the article analyzes how the system of signs representing fashion and vestimentum codes created by fashion influence the process of identity formation. Increasing role of fashion under the conditions of globalization and acceptance of cultural and national diversity is due to the fact that choice of identity is becoming a more complex process. However, searches for individuality haven’t become easier because it is appearing to be even more difficult to find ourselves among numerous and equal models of Self. The simplest way out can be sometimes trying out different types of identity in the form of a collage, mosaic or both. Very often the simplest way to present one’s identity is to present one’s appearance (i.e. body or clothes). The author of the article shows how the codes of Eurocentric fashion are transformed or even rejected from ethnocultural and gender positions. The author also considers the development of fashion in Russia after the Perestroika period and concludes that in Russia fashion in many ways is related to traditional gender identity: femininity is related to glamour and masculinity is related to brutality and success in business.

Keywords: fashion, identity, gender, body, sign, simulacrum, symbol, differences multi-culturalism, glamour.

Abstract: The article is devoted to the phenomenon of envy. The author of the article presents different interpretations and definitions of envy, demonstration of envy and the role of envy as emotional experience and personal trait. The author also describes and analyzes current classifications of envy and provides researchers’ views on origin, sources and factors of envy. Based on references to different literary sources, the author states that the phenomenon of envy as a part of human nature is poorly studied compared to such phenomena as jealousy, for instance, although envy as a unconscious dominant or determinant of one’s behavior can create a social danger. The author describes a four-stage system of determinants triggering or blocking envy potentials at the personal level. The article also contains phenomenological analysis of demonstration of indirect or hidden envy provided by projective mechanisms of psychological defense. The author views possible directions or elements of such envy in different variants of personality development and professional or life situations. The author summarizes the phenomenological analysis and offers a classification of psychological defenses masked and realized through unconscious envy. At the end of the article the author describes a step by step model (‘ten steps of envy’) of possible prevention and psychotherapy.

Keywords: envy, projection, research, condition, personal, trait, feature, determinants, prevention, development.

Abstract: The present research is based on the analysis of interdependency of characteristics of the subjective picture of life path and creativity demonstrated by a group of successful individuals in order to make practical recommendations on how to teach young people to activate and use their creative potentials in the process of building their life according to their own desires and opportunities. In other others, the purpose of the research is to provide statistical summary of successful (i.e. creative) individuals building their life path. Respondents involved in the research worked at academic and research institutions and had a PhD in medicine or technical science (or good position at a university) and also had families. The results of the research showed that creative people were naturally active on their life path and demonstrated interest towards learning and creating new things, set life goals and clearely understood how to achieve them, had large-scaled life goals and understood the causal and purpose connections between events.

Keywords: picture of life path, creativity, causometria, divergent thinking, success, biographical method, life program, the scale of life targets, strategy, rationality.

Abstract: The author of the article analyzes peculiarities of information and psychological impact organized by extremists in order to involve young people into terrorist activities and to train them for commitment of the ‘suicide’ terrorist action. In this regard, mass communication tolls are views as a discursive system involved in the process of creating and producing typed meanings. The author also views virtual reality and its role in social construction of the phenomenon of terrorism and in representation of terrorist activists. The author analyzes psychological techniques that are used to overcome the fear of death of those who are preparing for becoming an ‘alive bomb’. The author underlines the need in improvement information and psychological prevention of extremism and terrorism ideologies in a particular social and historical environment. The author describes opportunities of mass communication tools in formation of antiterrorist values in the Russian society and stresses out the question about developing pedagogical journalism aimed at formation of social values and beliefs and influencing personal motives. The author also considers the role of secular and religious systems of education within the framework of the topic about information and psychological impact by extremists and prevention of terrorist and extremist activities.

Keywords: terrorism, terrorist, society, communication, information and psychological influence, construction, reality, discourse, propaganda, counteraction, prevention.

Abstract: The present article is devoted to information communicative competence as an expression of developed system of qualitative characteristics efficiently used for foreign communication. The author views the projective method of formation of information communicative competence as well as the method of computer-assisted training as the most efficient and famous methods today. Modern school does not only prepare students for studying at a university and getting a profession. It is also becoming a very important mean and resource for building competence in different spheres of social life such as making responsible decisions and conducting a dialogue as a form of cooperation and competence. The author of the present article describes innovation-based methods for teaching foreign languages at high school such as using the competency building approach, projective technologies and Internet technologies. Increasing level of general informatization and integration of the global community creates new tendencies in development of the modern language education and sets new targets and goals for pedagogy and teaching of foreign languages. Therefore, determination of adequate and efficient innovation-based technologies in the process of formation of communicative competence of senior students plays a very important role in the modern process of teaching foreign languages. This is a very important goal for school teachers who help school graduate to maintain language competency.

Keywords: secondary school, school student, project activities, Internet, information, communication, approach, competence, pedagogy (teaching), foreign language.

Abstract: The main purpose of the present article is to summarize the author’s experience in diagnosing attachment of children to their mothers when rendering psychological assistance, to define the main directions of diagnostics of attachment disorders in the course of psychological counseling and psychotherapy. The author of the article describes the following targets of procedural diagnostics: to collect information about the first years of child’s life, to observe the mother-and-child relationship and analyze communication between the child and the psychologist during psychological sessions, to analyze the course of free play and child’s drawings and the psychologist’s resonant feelings. The author describes signs of unreliable attachment at each stage of diagnostics and concludes that it is necessary to integrate psychological data at the intrapersonal and interpersonal levels in order to define what blocks the mother’s ability to develop a reliable connection with her child. The author also proves the need in the integration approach to setting the main goals of psychological assistance when working with children who suffer from attachment disorders.

Keywords: attachment quality, experimental psychology, practicing psychologist, psychological diagnostics, free play, psychological assistance, attachment reliability, resonant feelings, interpersonal level, intrapersonal level.

Abstract: In today’s unstable social environment and escalation of ethnic conflicts researches of formation and development of ethnic identity supported by, inter alia, ethnic stereotypes and ethnic discrimination of other nations. Cognitive and emotional components of these phenomena create images of the Other from different points of view: Us — Them or Friend –Foe. Nevertheless, the influence of social and psychological aspects of us-them representations on formation of discriminatory attitude to members of other ethnic groups is understudied. The purpose of the present research is to define the interdependence between perceiving someone as the Friend (based on the example of Russian and Kalmyk students) and discriminatory attitude towards representatives of other ethnocultural groups. In this research the author used both quantitative and qualitative methods (subjective scaling, categorical, frequency and cluster analysis). It is shown that Russian and Kalmyk respondents who had different perceptions of the image of Friend had a different attitude to Slavic, Caucasian and Asian nations. This data proves the hypothesis about the influence of the perception of the Other as Friend on formation of discriminatory attitude to other nations. The results of the research can be used for preparation of trainings of interethnic and intercultural tolerance, conflict solution and creation of social and psychological technologies of anti-terrorist activities.

Keywords: beliefs, ‘friend or foe’, discriminatory attitude, ‘us or them’, ethnocultural group, discrimination, ethnic stereotype, ethnic identity.