Russians mass consciousness: Philosophical interpretation

The purpose of the article is to analyze effective social initiatives introduced in Russia, implementation of which suggests active engagement of citizens. The practical relevance of the philosophical analysis of ‘mass consciousness’ and its adaptation to the new principles of the society functioning is an indisputable fact for modern philosophers. The study of this sort of challenges is justified by the need to focus on social process management because, under the conditions of crisis, the breakdown of social basics, institutions, and habitual living conditions and norms, the impact of the awareness of the citizens on their activity and participation in national matters dramatically increases. The philosophical issue has been studied through considering and analyzing the basic features of the Russian mindset, which has proved to be a constant element of the mass consciousness in this country. At the present stage, there is a dissonance between the social aspiration of the Russian power elite and the steady and constant Russian mass consciousness, which stems from the intense mass media impact on the basic element of social consciousness and the unwillingness of the ordinary citizens to respond the proposed ideas and considering them very distant and impossible to convert into a reality. The background for the study is connected with the data of sociological research conducted through reviewing scientific literature content, group and in-depth interviews of the Russians belonging to different age groups with different levels of education and income, and different regions. Reflection on the data collected made it possible to present a comprehensive philosophical analysis of the concepts like ‘mass consciousness’, ‘tolerance’, consider the mechanisms of influence and determinants for mass consciousness transformation of the Russians. The materials presented in the paper are of practical significance and can be useful in developing and implementing methods and new technologies to create adaption moods and attitudes in modern social ambiance, manage social processes at various levels, implement mass media programs and information-and-communication PR techniques, develop tolerant ideas, prevent and solve national and social conflicts, organize and conduct social and political events. © 2018, Slovenska Vzdelavacia Obstaravacia. All rights reserved.