SOCIALIZATION AND INCULTURATION

In our literature, there is a widespread point of view according to which “socialization” and “enculturation” are synonyms. In fact, the concepts of socialization and enculturation are very close in content. However, it is better not to mix them.

Socialization denotes a person's learning to live in modern society. Whatever country he goes to temporarily or moves permanently, he must have elementary representations about the social structure and stratification of society, the distribution of people by class, ways of making money and the distribution of roles in the family, the foundations of a market economy and the political structure of the state, civil rights and so on.

Enculturation(enculturation) means teaching a person the traditions and norms of behavior in a particular culture. Culture in different countries is more specific than social structure. It is more difficult to adapt to it, fully engage and get used to it. An adult emigrant who leaves Russia for America quickly assimilates the social laws of life, but it is much more difficult for him to assimilate foreign cultural norms and customs. A Russian physicist, programmer or engineer, having high qualifications recognized abroad, in a short time acquires the rights and responsibilities corresponding to his new position. In a month or two

he copes with professional responsibilities as well as a Native American. But he manages to get used to a foreign culture and feel it as his own after many years.

Thus, adaptation to the social order of life in a foreign country occurs faster than inculturation, adaptation to foreign values, traditions and customs. According to the fully qualified opinion of M. Mead, the term “socialization” should denote the process of assimilation by an individual of norms of behavior common to the species Homo sapiens, whereas “inculturation” is the assimilation of the culture of the ethnic group to which a person belongs 2.

The broad interpretation is correct in cases where culture has not yet developed, as in primitive society, or when the assimilation of cultural norms precedes the assimilation of social roles. In particular, historians of primitive civilization 3 use the terms “socialization” and “inculturation” as synonyms. They note that socialization, both in general and in particular in primitive society, has two sides. It includes both socially controlled, targeted influences on the individual (upbringing), and unintentional spontaneous influences, as a result of which the individual becomes involved in culture and becomes suitable for performing various social roles. In primitive, as in subsequent eras, the socialization of children is a necessary means of intergenerational transmission of culture 4 .

Socialization is the assimilation of universal social norms and roles. A Russian in Germany becomes a German, in England an Englishman, etc. Socialization is especially visible among young people: young Englishmen, Germans, and Russians quickly find a common language and understanding. The faster a Russian tourist begins to navigate an unfamiliar country, the deeper his socialization and inculturation.

Enculturation differs from socialization, since it represents the assimilation not of universal, but of local cultural norms. In this sense, a Russian in both England and Germany must remain Russian, and not German or English.

You can carry out socialization without engaging in education. Parents, usually poorly educated, feed their children, drink, bring money to the family (often not all of it), go to their six hundred square meters for the weekend, arrange friendly companies and drinking, but they are not involved in the purposeful education of their children. No one takes them to museums, reads books, holds soul-saving conversations, etc. There is socialization, but no education. Apparently there is no inculturation either. Therefore, socialization can be carried out. But lack education and inculturation.

2 Hoebel E.L., Weather Th. Anthropology and the Human Experience. N.Y., 1979. P. 334; Mead M.
Socialization and Enculturation // CA. 1963. Vol. 4. No. 12. P. 184-188.

3 History of primitive society. The era of class formation. M., 1988.

4 Kon I.S. Socialization // TSB. T. 24. M, 1976. P. 221; It's him. Introduction // Ethnography of childhood.
Traditional forms of raising children and adolescents among the peoples of the East and South-East
Asia. M, 1983. P. 4.

IN In any human society, no matter what level of development it is at, each new generation of people, before becoming its full-fledged and full-fledged members, must master the culture accumulated by previous generations and go through certain stages of inclusion in the system public relations.

Adaptation occurs during both socialization and enculturation. In the first case, the individual adapts to social conditions of life, in the second - to cultural ones. With socialization, adaptation is easy and fast, with inculturation it is difficult and slow.

When a person is asked: “Who are you?”, then from the point of view of socialization

he must answer: I am a professor, scientist, engineer, head of the family. But from the point of view of inculturation, he is obliged to name his nationality: “I am Russian.” Everyone can check Just a simple experiment: ask a friend or stranger who he is. It is important that the first thing that comes to the mind of the interviewee is social or cultural roles.

A person adapts to life in society thanks to inculturation- the social process through which a person learns and transmits culture to other generations.

At the individual level, the process of enculturation is expressed in everyday communication with others like themselves - relatives, friends, acquaintances or strangers from their culture, from whom the child consciously and unconsciously learns how to behave in various life situations, how to evaluate events, meet guests, and react. to certain signs of attention and signals.

All creative forms of expression are thus of potential interest as cultural products and documents. The most interesting thing that happens to culture and in culture happens precisely in the everyday communication of ordinary people, including in the process of assimilation of cultural norms by children, which is commonly called enculturation.

Enculturation, or cultural training, happens in several ways. It can happen directly when parents teach the child thanking for a gift, or indirectly, when the same child observes how people behave in similar situations. Thus, direct statement and indirect observation (“looking”) are two

important ways of enculturation. A person changes his behavior when he is told what he should do and when he observes how others behave in similar situations. People often say one thing and do another. In these situations, the individual loses orientation and the process of enculturation becomes difficult. The discrepancy between words and actions is one of the brakes this process.

In particular, in most cultures, neither parents, nor acquaintances, nor friends teach a child how far away from a partner one should stay when talking. They simply do not have this knowledge. Or rather, this knowledge is not reflected in them. People learn the proper distance when speaking through observation, trial and error, and experimentation.

Even the simplest procedure that we perform many times every day, namely eating, from the point of view of cultural studies is a set of certain poses and gestures, endowed with different meanings and meanings. different cultures. The behavior of a savage while eating is one thing, the behavior of a savage is quite another. cultured person. He is taught everything, including verbal and sign language. Civilized man teach how to satisfy your natural needs in accordance with the norms of a particular culture. In other words, culture teaches us, what, when And How should eat.

Every person, like an animal, needs food. Most cultures eat their main meal at noon, but the British eat it in the afternoon. They eat fish for breakfast, while Americans prefer muffins and special breakfast porridge. Brazilians add hot milk to strong coffee, and Americans mix milk with beer. For the British, lunch comes at 5-6 o'clock, and for the Spaniards at 10. Europeans eat with a fork in their left hand and a knife in their right. They immediately put the meat cut with a knife into their mouth with a fork, which the Americans first transfer to their right hand 5 .

Regardless of culture, people are forced to remove natural waste from the body. But in some cultures they are taught to do this while standing, and in others while sitting. Europeans cannot do this publicly, so in all European cities built public toilets where you can perform natural needs in complete privacy. But in Peru, peasant women living in high mountain villages squat down in the middle of the street next to a gutter. A massive skirt creates intimacy for them, thanks to which they feel completely private. Similar habits and skills - an integral part of cultural traditions that transform natural processes into cultural actions. Learning the norms of the native culture is the most important part of the socialization process and the essence of enculturation.

5 Schwarrz V. Queuing and waiting: Studies in the Social Organization of Access and Delay. Chicago:, 1975. P. 42.

Socialization and enculturation are parallel and interacting processes. The general trend is that as a person grows older, the volume and importance of one increases and the other decreases (Fig. 6).

Socialization- growing into society, becoming a social person. The final process of socialization is personality. Personality - totality

Rice. 6. The relationship between enculturation and socialization

ity of acquired social roles. Even a criminal may well be a person.

Enculturation- merging with the native culture, becoming an educated person. The end result of inculturation is intellectual. An intellectual is a set of acquired cultural norms. A thief in law, while remaining a strong personality who knows how to stand up for himself in any situation, is not an intellectual who knows how to observe and defend universal human ideals and cultural norms of his country in any situation, especially when no one is watching him.

You can be very socialized and completely uncultured. “New Russians” are an example of excellent adaptation to the world that changed in the 90s. social reality, people who know how to find a way out of any situation, who know all the moves and exits in this life. This is the result of superior socialization. However, for the most part, “new Russians” are completely uninculturated people. They don’t give a damn about universal human values ​​and Christian commandments, including “thou shalt not kill,” about etiquette and etc. These are socialized but not enculturated people.

In old age, the process of accumulation of cultural norms reaches its climax (Fig. 7). It is most difficult for an elderly emigrant to adapt to the norms of a foreign culture, since it is most difficult for him to free himself from the burden of previous cultural habits.

Therefore, inculturation should be minimal in childhood and maximal in old age.

What happens to socialization? Is it subject to age-related changes and how? It is known that the ability to adapt declines with age. It is becoming more and more difficult for older people to adapt to rapidly changing social conditions. Victims of market transformations of the 90s. In Russia, the elderly and old people became the first to live. They are not

Rice. 7. Enculturation reaches its maximum in old age

were able to assimilate the norms of capitalist society. The latter, like the norms of socialism, are for the most part (but, apparently, not entirely) social norms, more precisely economic, but not cultural. This is where the old people have difficulties. On the contrary, young people very quickly joined new order and started doing business with all her might. Her ability for social adaptation and socialization turned out to be maximum. She turned out to be ready to play any new social and economic roles. Although her enculturation, i.e. the totality of accumulated norms and values ​​of the native culture, still minimal or almost minimal.

The norms of socialism and capitalism can remain social, i.e. rules that help to maneuver in the external environment, but not necessarily

Rice. 8. Socialization will reach its maximum in youth and maturity, and then more often decreases, less often - remains at the same level

but penetrate the soul. Many of those who sympathized with the Bolsheviks before the revolution were merchants and wealthy people, and this indicates that they had a good understanding of capitalism as a system of only social norms. The very fact of sympathy for the Bolsheviks speaks volumes about something else: in their world-

capitalist norms have not penetrated and have not become the main values ​​of life. In other words, capitalism as a system of cultural norms remained alien to them.

80 years passed and at the end of the 1980s. A significant part of the Soviet intelligentsia, in its cultural norms, was oriented towards Western culture, although in its socialist society it held high positions and good positions. When the time came for radical changes, she acted at the forefront of perestroika. But most of our intellectuals were unable to settle just as well in the new capitalist society for which they called. What was stopping them? Moral principles? Accumulated cultural norms? Or passive socialization, the peak of which they inevitably entered at the age of 40-60? In other words, the revolution was ideologically prepared by the mature, and the young took advantage of the fruits.

So, the processes of socialization and enculturation can go in one direction, or they can develop in opposite directions. Their phases may coincide, but may differ significantly. These are two diverging streams of life.

When both processes coincide, i.e. go in the same direction, we can build a single continuum of “socialization-inculturation” (Fig. 9).

The continuum shows how cultural and social potential increases or decreases among different types of people. Feral people - This

Rice. 9. Socialization-enculturation continuum

human cubs raised among wolves or other animals. Returning to society, they cannot adapt to it and soon die. They have minimal potential for enculturation and socialization. Children raised in orphanages and boarding schools have average values. As adults and having left the institution, they find themselves ill-equipped for a full life in a large society, unable to do much of what children in ordinary families can do. Intelligent people have the highest potential. The elite of society, as a rule, consists of them. These are socially active and culturally accomplished individuals.

Socialization, according to St. Petersburg culturologist E.V. Sokolov, is associated with the assimilation of a certain mandatory minimum of culture. We are talking about mastering basic social roles, norms, language, and national character traits. On the contrary, the term “enculturation” implies

There is a broader phenomenon, namely the introduction of the individual to the entire cultural heritage of mankind. This means not only to one’s own national culture, but also to the culture of other peoples. We are talking about mastering foreign languages, developing a broad outlook, and knowledge of world history. So, inculturation means “the acquisition of a broad humanitarian culture.” It also includes vocational training, since the acquisition of professional knowledge is not a necessary requirement for socialization 6 .

Enculturation becomes more complicated if living carriers of antiquity are lost or the material base of the culture is destroyed. Examples are the Cossacks in Russia, whose cultural core of the ethnic group, which had been the main agents of socialization for two hundred years, was destroyed during the years of Bolshevism, and the indigenous Indians of North America, expelled by the colonialists from their ancestral lands and imprisoned in reservations. To the younger generations of Cossacks and Much of the Indians had to be reconstructed from books or oral stories of the few surviving bearers of traditional values. Natural background, dense cultural environment, a significant number of representatives of older generations who create the necessary information There was no cultivation of the atmosphere and spiritual aura in either case.

IN STATUS AUPAIR 7

AUPAIR* translated from French in different ways: both “in pairs” and “equal”. All over the world, this is the name given to students who combine cultural and economic functions, i.e. They earn money to stay in a foreign country and get to know its culture by living with someone else’s family and helping them with housework. The first meaning - in a pair - means joint work, the second - on equal terms - means status: you enter the host family for a while as a member of this family with certain rights and responsibilities. The family will provide you with a separate room, food, pocket money (for example, in Germany it is 400 OM per month), a travel ticket and insurance. In addition, it will also provide the opportunity to attend language courses and participate in family cultural events. For this you must perform some household duties.

6 Sokolov E.V. Culturology. Essays on theories of culture. A manual for high school students. M., 1994
P. 120.

7 Information from websites: www.yat.ru; http://euroconsult.narod.ru; http://www.sv-agency.udm.ru;
http://www.aupair.ck.ua.

s This word is spelled differently: AU PAIR, au-pair, Au Pair. Everyone chooses a combination to their taste.

Young people (18-24) live with a host family as guests, get acquainted with the culture of the country, do simple housework, care for and look after children. Naturally, families who accept students prefer girls for such work, but there are exceptions. According to the data banks A U PAIR on the Internet, many young people would not mind living in a European or American family as a “mustachioed nanny.”

In fact, we are talking about a very broad program of youth inculturation, intercultural exchanges and connections. Study and work program for AU PAIR was organized by the Society for International Youth Contacts in Germany in the early 80s. XX century with the aim of developing cultural ties between young people from Europe and then the whole world. Today A U PAIR It sounds the same in all languages ​​and this is how the special type of visa on which young people arrive in the country is designated - a temporary residence permit for a period agreed with the family. The visa is issued by the migration service on the basis of an agreement signed by the family and AU PAIR. So stay AU PAIR absolutely legal in the country, with all the ensuing benefits: insurance, security of rights, etc.

The program gives young people and girls the opportunity to improve their knowledge of a foreign language, which is especially important for a professional start. Upon completion of special courses (2-3 times a week for 2-3 months), they are provided with a corresponding certificate from the educational institution.

Young people are expected to gain knowledge of the country's culture by becoming citizens for a time; live throughout the year, obeying customs and way of life new family. The family, in turn, will become more familiar with the traditions of another people. According to the government organizations responsible for supporting this program, it is this kind of communication that will allow future generations to more successfully implement peace-loving policies.

Benefits of living abroad in status AU PAIR a lot. Firstly, constant exposure to native speakers. Secondly, the opportunity to save money. AU PAIR is not officially considered a work activity. In the language of officials, it is an intercultural educational program to assist foreign language learners. Program participants are neither classified as students nor as employed. Activities^ UPAIR defined as employment special type, i.e. studying is the main thing. Performing the duties of a housekeeper and governess in the host family, the student does not

pays for accommodation in the country, food, travel on public transport, etc., and also receives a certain amount of pocket money.

In addition, the host family is obliged to treat him as a member of the family, invite him to family celebrations, allocate a separate room, provide health insurance(which is important) and do not overload with homework, so as not to interfere with successful studies.

Rights and obligations AUPAIR in all European countries for the most part the same, there are differences only in particulars. Student AUPAIR must meet the following requirements:

1. Be between 18 and 24-28 (in Norway up to 30) years of age.

2. Not be married and have no children.

3. Have good physical and mental health, knowledge of foreign languages ​​and - preferably - a driver's license.

4. Love children and animals.

5. Help the family with simple housework (for example, washing dishes, vacuuming, ironing, preparing simple meals, shopping, walking the dog).

6. Sitting with children: conducting educational games and creative activities, walking and reading with them, taking them to kindergarten, school, cinema, and the sports ground. In charge AV PAIR It also includes spending two or three evenings a week with children to give their parents the opportunity to go, for example, to visit.

In France there are two work plans AU PAIR: classic (30 hours of work per week, 2-3 evenings with children, 1700 francs per month pocket money plus social security - 810 francs per month - and payment for a transport pass) mAU-PAIRplus(35 hours of work per week, 1-2 evenings with children, 2300 francs per month pocket money, the same insurance and travel pass). Usually programs AU PAIR are designed for 6-12 months, but there are also programs for 2-3 months of summer holidays, and therefore you can not take an academic leave at the institute, but go to work as a tutor in Europe for the summer holidays. In the United States, the student must be willing to work

in the position A U PAIR within one year.

/Ш7М//?-relationships are based on the principle of bilateral assistance: family-employer and AU PAIR depend on each other and each should be able to rely on the other. A (J PAIR accepted into the family as a nanny and at the same time takes part in the life of the family as the eldest daughter or sister and has a certain freedom (such as visiting friends, all kinds of events, etc.).

Family provides AU PAIR private room, full board, time to attend language courses and weekly pocket money. One day off per week and two weeks vacation every six months are required.

Family pays AU PAIR medical insurance, accident insurance and in case of damage to a third party. The family is so-

The AU PAIR plan is a reasonable attempt to create a common human space

united Europe

and, if necessary, pays for a one-time medical examination in the amount of 55 EUR. Upon arrival AU PAIR met and, at the end of the period, seen off by representatives of the family or agency that provides support AU PAIR during the time of stay in the host country. In addition, upon arrival, the agency provides him with a list of other A U PAIR, as well as information about traditional meeting places AU PAIR.

Weekly work time in Germany it is limited to 20-30 hours. However, “work” in in this case implies, rather, helping the housewife, light work in the family, where A U PAIR lives on the rights " older sister" In charge A U PAIR includes:

Look after children, accompany them to school, gym, play and help prepare lessons;

Maintain order in the nursery;

Help set the table and prepare light meals (for breakfast, for example), i.e. do the same thing that elders do to younger children in the family.

If serious problems arise with your family AUPAIR must contact the responsible y4£/L4//?-agency. If there are sufficiently compelling reasons for this, the agreement is terminated. In most cases, both parties settle on the fact that AU PAIR lives with a family until the agency finds another, more suitable family for him.

Why choose the program AU PAIR:

Participation in the program fully pays off (and not only financially);

A trip to various countries is possible - the USA, Germany, France (the list is constantly expanding);

In addition to staying in the host country, there is a unique visa-free opportunity to visit several more countries (if the host country is part of the Schengen agreement);

The duration of the program is 6-12 months, so it is absolutely impossible to “avoid” improving your knowledge of a foreign language both by communicating with members of the host family and by attending language courses;

Additionally, experience in caring for children is acquired, confirmed by a foreign (!) certificate.

It is worth noting that the process of enculturation - familiarization with culture - in this case is bidirectional. Anyone who decides to live with a family abroad must be open to everything new, he must also be prepared for the fact that the family’s lifestyle, its individual and cultural habits may differ from his own. At the same time, the family will also get used to and adapt kAUPAIR. A host family who may have never been to your country will also be interested in learning how life is in another country. As a rule of thumb, most host families live in single-family homes in or near the suburbs. big cities. There are generally good bus and train connections.

Thus, thanks to the program AU PAIR any student can try himself in the role of a temporary (six months to a year) socializer - a nanny for other people's children. At the same time, in a foreign country, they undergo inculturation - a detailed acquaintance with another culture, habits, customs and traditions of one more people, besides their own. As you can see, the benefit is double.

SOCIALIZATION AND MENTALITY 9

The close connection between the two categories - socialization and inculturation - has been noted by researchers for a long time. Somewhat less attention is paid to the proximity of such phenomena as social character, ethnohistorical factors influencing the development of a nation, mentality, and the historical process of socialization of large groups of people.

The habit of thinking and assessing events in a certain way among peoples has been formed over many centuries. Historical events have imposed on national mentality their imprint and influenced its formation in a special way. Therefore, mentality is a product historical socialization. AND This is not surprising, since mentality characterizes a special structure of individual and collective consciousness. This concept is used with great benefit for the analysis of archaic structures and mythological consciousness. Mentality is that general thing that is born from natural data and socially conditioned components and reveals a person’s idea of ​​the life world.

9 Material written by N.A. Moiseeva.

of a given people, a set of basic personal traits (the concept of modal personality), or as a system of ideas existing in the ethnic group: attitudes, beliefs, values, attitudes (the concept of social personality). In our opinion, mentality and character, despite their similarity, are not synonymous. The difference between mentality and national character is that the latter, being an integral part of the mentality™, includes general psycho-physiological features of life (determined by the value system adopted by the nation). The concept of “mentality” is much broader in content than the concept of “ national character».

Thus, the main feature of the Russian character (according to philosophers, historians, sociologists, ethnographers, psychologists, writers) is considered to be inconsistency, mystery, and unpredictability. The national character of Russians is dominated by inversion logic, when almost instantaneous transitions occur from one pole to the other, i.e. the ability to quickly turn to the opposite side according to the law of the “pendulum model”. Scientists trace the action of the “pendulum” in the character of the Russian ethnos throughout its history. A Russian person sometimes carries within himself incompatible things, which is one of the deep, and therefore stable, characteristics of the mentality of the Russian ethnic group.

Most often, the mentality of one people is reconstructed by researchers by comparing it with the mentality of another. Capturing the unconscious, mentality expresses people’s life and practical attitudes, stable images of the world, emotional preferences, as well as methods, techniques and strategies of collective socialization characteristic of a given community and cultural tradition.

Research in the field of ethnology (evolutionism and animist school), and then research in the field of sociology (sociological rationalism of E. Durkheim) identified elements of the primitive mentality, which they attributed to the archaic stage of society. In the context of these first studies, which failed to give a precise definition of the concept of “primitive mentality,” one can trace both a hidden opposition between primitive peoples and developed peoples, and a hierarchical distribution of mentalities. Lévy-Bruhl made a great contribution to the formulation of the concept of “primitive mental™”. He emphasized the dangers that arise when trying to comprehend the collective life of unliterate primitive peoples based on modern concepts, which had a huge impact on the direction of anthropological and ethnological research. Lévy-Bruhl noted the essential differences between primitive and civilized mentality, while not excluding the possibility that there may be transitions between them. In Notebooks (1949), published posthumously, Lévy-Bruhl returned to the opposition between the primitive and the modern mentality. In the latter, he identified a number of features that make it possible to characterize it as logical, organized and rational.

Studies of sociocultural differences and psychological characteristics in the context of a particular era show the multi-level nature of historical time. Here are some mental processes relating to

Xia of the individual are superficial and short-term, others are medium-term in duration. These are processes in the field of forms of feeling and ways of thinking of society, which proceed measuredly and are characterized by economic, social and psychological factors. Next

The level is characterized by the longest Duration. These are mental characteristics that do not change with the change of generations and are the most stable structures of behavior patterns and ideas. This is the deepest mental layer associated with the biological properties of a person, which is expressed in the constants of archetypal formations.

All the major historical events that took place in the homeland, like layers or layers of culture, accumulate in the structure of the psyche of a representative of a given nationality, determining the structure of his mentality. To decipher the structure of mentality means to list significant historical events and find out how people experienced and assessed them, how they ultimately influenced their motivation, system of value preferences, and the structure of elections. Thus, mentality is made by history and historical socialization, and national character is formed by human nature, climate, and geography.

According to the neo-Kantian Cassier, primitive mentality differs from ours not in its special logic, but in its perception of nature. Primitive man is not able to distance himself from nature and make empirical distinctions between things; he has a much stronger sense of unity with nature, in which he does not attribute to himself a special, unique position. In totemism, he does not simply consider himself a descendant of some kind of animal, the connection with this animal runs through his entire physical and social existence. Primitive man identifies himself with a totemic animal or bird. The deep sense of the unity of living things in primitive man is stronger than empirical differences. The simple morphological community of spirituality, according to Husserl, should not hide intentional depths from us.

Attempts to study mentality were also made in Russia in the 20s. XX century Russian philosopher G. G. Shpet defined this area of ​​knowledge as a branch of psychology, covering the study of such manifestations of human mental life as language, myths, beliefs, morals, art 10, i.e. the same products of spiritual culture that Lazarus and Steinthal, Kavelin and Wundt called for studying. In this work, Shpet conducts a detailed methodological analysis of the concepts of Latzarus - Steinthal and Wundt. The ideas of the Russian philosopher, set out in the first part of his book, introduced by him

1,1 Shpet G.G. Introduction to ethnic psychology // Psychology of social existence. M.; Voronezh, 1996. P. 341.

Russian mentality is a reflection of immense space and harsh nature

The concept of “collective experiences” is called mentality in modern science. G.G. Shpet proposes to study not the products of culture as such, but precisely the experiences of people about them, emphasizing that “perhaps nowhere is the psychology of the people so clearly reflected as in their relations to their own ‘created’ spiritual values.” He talks about the same thing that modern science has come to: the need to study subjective culture in psychology. His assertion that a person’s belonging to a people is determined not by biological heredity but by conscious involvement in those cultural values ​​and shrines that form the content of the history of a people sounds very relevant: “Man , indeed, he spiritually defines himself, considers himself to be to this people, he can even “change” the people, enter into the composition and spirit of another people, but again not “voluntarily,” but through long and hard work of re-creating the spiritual structure that determines it.”12 But at the same time, Shpet notes a very important feature of ethnic identity, which many researchers of our days do not pay attention to: the unity of a person with a people is determined by a mutual act of recognition. In other words, to be a member ethnic community, it is not enough to realize one’s belonging to it; recognition of the individual by the group is also necessary.

Then, for a long time, the problem of mentality was practically not studied in our country. A breakthrough appeared in the early 1990s. For example, in 1992 and 1993. a collective monograph by the authors of the Institute of Ethnology was published

" Shpet GG. Introduction to ethnic psychology // Psychology of social existence. M; Voronezh,

1996. P. 341. 12 Ibid. P. 371.

Institute named after Miklouho-Maclay “Russians: ethnosociological essays”, the work of two St. Petersburg scientists A.O. Boronoeva and P.I. Smirnov “Russia and the Russians: the character of the people and the fate of the country”, as well as Moscow specialists from VTsIOM “Soviet simple man”. They were first introduced scientific analysis ethno national characteristics and the character of Russians. However, from a methodological point of view and consideration of the problem

mentality, the first monographs were not deep enough. In addition, both monographs were published in light with such a large time gap between the collection of data and their publication that, given the pace of social change in post-perestroika Russia, they became obsolete even before their birth 13 . And only with the advent of the works of V. Ageev, Z. Sikevich, P. Shikhirev, M. Grachev, K. Kasyanova and A. Naumov, the study of Russian national character acquires the features of scientific validity, which was largely facilitated by the use of Western methodology.

Russian scientists note an undoubted relationship Russian mentality with spatial and geopolitical factors of the country's development. Openness, absence of natural-geographical boundaries, impossibility of natural isolation of society from outside world, huge extent, the presence of rich resources affect the nature of management and public organization people. A.P. Butenko and Yu.V. Kolesnichenko, analyzing the mentality in relation to ideology in Russia, believe that this is “a certain socio-psychological state of a nation, nationality, people, citizens, which has imprinted in itself (not “in the memory” of the people, but in the subconscious) the results of a long and sustainable impact of ethnic , natural-geographical and socio-economic living conditions of the subject of mentality” 14.

On a mental basis, a set of certain conscious and unconscious mental phenomena is formed as a result of a reflection of historical reality. Mentality includes thousand-year-old traditions, customs, mores, archetypes, myths, symbols, folk art (legends, tales, epics, proverbs and sayings, religious rituals and holidays), its national and social character, etc. They influence public consciousness each new era, especially at turning points in the history of the state.

When developing public policy, the principle of mental, social and national identity, but taking into account the requirements of general civilizational laws. Social identity is the correspondence and coincidence of the principles of building a social state, effective social policy and decisions made for these purposes with the deep ideas of the majority of citizens (for example, age-old ideas about social justice). National ID

13 Latova N.V., Latov Yu.V. Russian economic mentality against the global background // Society
military sciences and modernity. 2001. No. 4.

14 Butenko A.P., Kolesnichenko Yu.V. The mentality of Russians and Eurasianism: their essence and social
but political meaning // Sociological research. 1996. No. 5. P. 94.

authenticity is the correspondence of decisions in the field of national policy to national self-awareness, the deep psychology of ethnic groups and the “Russian superethnos” (L. Gumilyov) as the integrity and unity of diversity.

In the life of society important role plays the “mental instrumentation”, i.e. concepts and categories of ethnoculture - languages, rituals, customs, beliefs, magic, myths, art, morality. Analysis of mythology, folklore, archetypes and attitudes of the collective subconscious makes it possible to study the value and semantic formations of ethnic subjects, since they are the determining ones in the structure of the ethnic mentality. Mentality acts as a holistic expression of spiritual directions that are not

are reduced to the sum of forms public consciousness(religion, art, etc.), but are a specific reflection of reality, conditioned by the process of life activity of an ethnic group in a certain geographical, historical and cultural space. Ethnic mentality is essentially a system of images and ideas that stimulate and regulate behavior in given cultural and social conditions.

The characteristic psychological traits of ethnic subjects are recorded in their mentality, by which, accordingly, one can judge their historical and social process of formation. Ethnic mentality at the present stage is gaining independence and often becomes a determining socio-psychological factor that determines socio-political processes, as well as processes of ethnogenesis in most countries. The role of mentality in an ethnic group consists in the orientation of the representatives of the ethnic group towards certain behavior, values, worldview and is ideological and practical in nature.

Russia is a gigantic conglomerate of peoples. In terms of ethnic diversity, only the United States of America, historically a country of immigrants, can compete with Russia. Starting from the post-Petrine era (18th century), Russia included those peoples who to this day form the basis of its ethnic diversity. From that moment on, Russia became a grandiose genetic and psychological laboratory, in which, during the coexistence of various ethnic groups and their corresponding languages, cultures, and beliefs, an all-Russian mentality was developed. Joint historical trials, becoming the basis vitality nation, imposed their own specifics on the Russian mentality, just as the difficulties and adversities experienced contributed to the strengthening of the individual’s national character. In the spaces of Russia, a large-scale experiment of the coexistence of a huge number of peoples, both sharply different in their characteristics and relatively similar in language, culture, and genetic type, has been and continues to be carried out. The majority of Russian peoples are historically rooted in their territories, but this did not prevent them from mutually penetrating each other. Russian ethnic diversity contributed to the fact that the Russian spirit acquired a breadth that became distinctive feature his mentality, inner freedom, in contrast to the orderliness of the peoples of the West.

The involvement of all ethnic groups of Russia in the historical orbit undoubtedly did not leave the mentality of any of the peoples unchanged. Today it can be argued that in Russia there is a mixture of different nationalities, since the number of interethnic marriages does not tend to decrease. In Russia, on the one hand, there is a mixture of nations, on the other hand, the opposite tendency is constantly at work - isolation and self-preservation. The same trend is at work in the United States, since the idea of ​​the United States as a country where a “mixing” process of various peoples takes place does not correspond to reality today.

Another phenomenon is also characteristic of Russia: the population that does not consider itself a Russian ethnic group constantly “lives, as it were, in two worlds, in two dimensions, and turns out to be the bearer of two types of mentality” 15. In this regard, Russia is characterized by a process acculturation as the acquisition of new features while “preserving the basic features of the original” 16, but this in no way means that a person, having mastered the values ​​of another culture, necessarily abandons his previous values. In Russia (as in many countries of the modern world), a huge number of children grow up and are brought up in two cultural traditions, two linguistic environments. In other words, each representative of Russian civilization becomes a bearer of the mentality and character common to this civilization.

The process of acculturation in the history of Russia was characterized by two streams of cultural creativity, the transmission of achievements, traditions and innovation. Firstly, from central to peripheral subcultures and, secondly, associated with the development of stable connections of Russian-speaking processes in world socio-cultural activities (thanks in no small part to the French-Russian bilingualism of the main part of the Russian nobility and the attention of its enlightened groups to the study of German, English and other languages). This fact was greatly facilitated by the results of Peter’s and Catherine’s reforms, the completion of the formation of the Russian literary language (the works of G.R. Derzhavin, V.A. Zhukovsky, N.M. Karamzin, A.S. Pushkin, etc.). At the same time, elements of the people's worldview and social life values ​​constantly penetrated into the noble culture (conscientiousness, responsibility to people and to God, a sense of the Motherland, the spiritual unity of representatives of different classes and ethnic groups who were in trouble, included in the general socio-historical activity on the territory of a single state). In turn, the nobles, conscious of their responsibility for the fate of the country, following moral ideals and values, became folk heroes(A.V. Suvorov, M.I. Kutuzov, P.I. Bagration, etc.). On this basis, the consolidation of different classes, classes and national-ethnic groups of the country took place repeatedly in the conditions of tragic trials (1611 - 1612,1812,1877-1878, 1914). The lessons of this consolidation are the spiritual factor of the patriotic cohesion of subsequent generations of Russians during the years of intervention (1918-1922) and the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945).

15 Shapovalov V.F. Russian Studies: Textbook. manual for universities. M., 2001. P.125.

16 Arutyunov S.A. Bilingualism and biculturalism // Soviet ethnography. 1978. No. 2.

A special feature of Russia is its multi-ethnicity, in which its constituent peoples are at different stages of development. Hence the unique type of Russian statehood with a strong central government, a powerful bureaucracy and an underdeveloped civil society. And from here follow the features of the socio-psychological state of modern multinational Russia. This is and specific feature mental™ of the peoples inhabiting it. Data from anthropology, sociology

and social psychology confirm that the peoples of Russia have deep connections between certain “ psychological traits" And the integrity of Russia lies in the unity of “the common psychological traits of its peoples” (N.S. Trubetskoy). According to the law of mental compatibility of nations, on the one hand, culture must embody those elements of psychology that are common to the majority of a given culture. On the other hand, the differences between different national cultures should be identical to the differences in the national psychology of their bearers, i.e. individual ethnic groups, nations, peoples. From a lack of understanding of this relationship between the general and the particular, the phenomena of nationalism are observed, both at the conscious and unconscious levels.

In multinational Russia, there are common grounds (language, culture, social communication, etc.), most ethnic groups lived together for thousands or hundreds of years, having experienced many historical events(wars, unrest). What people experience does not disappear, it settles in the storage of their unconscious memory, i.e. at the mental™ level. Informal recognition of Russian culture, manifestations of community™, mutual assistance, conciliarity, the motive of strong statehood have taken root at the mental level™.

In Russia, a socio-genetic substrate has historically and culturally developed and now objectively exists - the Russian superethnos. Historically and semantically, the concepts “Russian” and “Russian” were identified. The unity of the peoples of Russia was created by “a single Russian people in all the complex combination of its nationalities.” But they have “similarities of mental structure” (I. Ilyin). The Russian superethnos was historically formed on the basis of the Russian ethnos as the base one, which is reflected in the name of the common state: Rus - Russia. Many mental traits have become common to both Russians and other nations, naturally, to varying degrees among mountain and lowland peoples. Moreover, with Russians, other nations have more common features than distinctive.

Research also shows that a group of our Islamic peoples have almost the same set of fundamental values ​​as the Russians. For example, the main features of the mentality of Russian Muslims (egalitarianism, collectivism, conformism, religious-communal corporatism, etc.) have the same origins. Thus, the statement: “There is a lot of Russian in a Tatar, and there is also a lot of Tatar in a Russian” reflects the mental characteristics of the Russian community.

The ancestral features of the Russian ethnic group are rooted in paganism

Since the economic basis, ideas and ideals have now been transformed in Russia, this has also affected the socio-psychological state of the people. As a result, certain shifts in the manifestations of character are inevitable. But another trend also emerged, the trend of strengthening national self-awareness. As research shows, the psychology of an ethnos, a nation, a people, which underlies their mentality, is not an immutable constant. The mentality of the people, firstly, includes dynamic features that change under the influence of the currently functioning social consciousness, and secondly, historically stable components (for example, community, social justice), remaining fundamentally unchanged. But these components can be expressed in different symbols and slogans in different eras. In this regard, one should be aware that a rapid change in the mental paradigm as a result of any reforms cannot occur due to the fact that historically established stable mental components are at work. The implementation of reforms will inevitably be carried out within the framework of modern exchange tal™ of a people who have their own life, which is hardly comparable with the life of one generation. It seems more realistic and less traumatic to take into account and use national characteristics of the mentality when carrying out any reforms.

The essence of the mentality inherent in the Russian peasantry (or, using the words of K. Myalo - “a set of truly ideological and creative principles") is defined as "a sophisticated dialectic of the cosmos, society and an individual personality, when, entering a community (world), a person, through the entire volume of its ideas, simultaneously seemed to enter the “correct” world order. And only through connection with this order could he find

that which, according to the universal Christian idea, also acted here as the highest good - the salvation of the soul. ...The essence of this worldview was a fundamental cosmocentricity, the desire to bring any new order of things and any technical innovation into conformity with the model of the ideal balance of the universe. We had to live to see the era of global ecological imbalances and the ozone gap in order to understand that the intuition of our ancestors, which suggested to them the idea of ​​​​such a balance, was impeccable” 17.

The formation of the mentality and its evolution was facilitated, firstly, by the racial-ethnic qualities of the community, secondly, by the natural-geographical conditions of the existence of the ethnos, and thirdly, by the results of the interaction of this ethnos and the socio-cultural conditions of its residence. Among the racial and ethnic differences of a sociocultural community that affect the mentality, first of all, it should be noted its numbers, temperament, level of development, etc. The mentality of large super-ethnic groups is determined by the mentality of small nations. The mentality and temperament of a certain sociocultural community (for example, “Russians take a long time to harness, but travel quickly”), racial and ethnic qualities, and the ethnic monolithic nature of a given community have a direct impact. One community can be ethnically monolithic (for example, the Japanese or Armenians), another can represent a certain substrate (for example, the American people, which includes autochthonous ethnic groups and immigrants from Africa, Asia and Europe), the third can unite different ethnic groups ( for example, Russians). This contributes to certain features of the mentality, in particular, for Russians, as a rule, the principles of tolerance and mutual assistance and the absence of religious wars are natural.

The natural-geographical living conditions of a sociocultural community consolidate at the mental level the optimal methods of adaptation and survival. Dependence on the results of centuries-old interaction of a given community and the sociocultural conditions of its residence contributed to the formation of sustainable socio-economic ways and types of life: collective-communal, characteristic of Russia, or individualistic, characteristic of the West, nomadic or sedentary lifestyles. This led to the presence of invariant mental constants (for example, communalism and statism in Russia).

In every Russian ethnicity, in each of his generations - and in the modern one too - the same deep traits appear that were formed in him hundreds, even thousands of years ago. It is known that the dominance of paganism is the past of our country, but pagan traditions still remain. By studying the “depth of memory” of paganism, the following conclusions can be drawn. Firstly, the unification of all nations and nationalities of modern Russia is based on the archetypes of paganism, and they “support” the great Russian superethnos as a unity of ethnic diversity. Secondly, many Slavic pagan archetypes entered the paradigm of modern Orthodoxy, i.e. appear in our time. For example, the “idol” archetype, or the “idol” archetype, and most importantly, the “Deity”. The popular belief in “mother earth” lived first in pagan and then in Christian form. Then it is transformed TO. Broken thread // New world. 1988. No. 8. P. 253.

fell into such images as “Mother Russia”, “Motherland”. The content of pagan and biblical cults affected the formation of monarchical power in Russia and the “cult of personality” (the veneration of the gods turned into the veneration of the “tsar-father”, and then the leader, general secretary, etc.) This undoubtedly left its mark on the general Russian mentality, as well as a thousand years of life according to the canons of Orthodoxy. In any religion, the spiritual experience of a particular people, group of peoples is concentrated and sifted out. The psychology of an ethnos is reflected, recorded, and operates in religion. Prayers, rituals (services), sermons, holidays, in essence, these are socio-psychological technologies for serving the human spirit and soul, a continuation of the experience of previous millennia in destinies different nations.

Thus, the mentality manifests itself at the level of the culture of the people and the historical destinies of the country when behavior patterns correspond to the nature of historical tasks, consolidating them in the popular consciousness and cultural stereotypes. At the same time, the psychological determinant that has developed historically corresponds to the mental “code” in any circumstances. Taking shape, being formed and developed historically, the mentality in each historical era is a set of socio-psychological qualities, the behavioral reactions determined by them, manifested in all aspects of the life of a given community.

The mentality of the Russian super-ethnic group has evolved over centuries, therefore, when making government decisions, one should take into account the psychology of the Russian

the people, their ideas about justice and conscience, goodness and truth, the meaning of life, their cultural and economic way of life, national character, the specifics of public administration. That's why it's relevant today We are researching the mentality of all ethnic groups inhabiting Russia, and the Russian superethnos as a whole, in order to most competently resolve social, interethnic, interreligious conflicts, take into account the interests of the center and periphery, and adjust the content of reforms. According to some researchers, it might be advisable to study the mentality of Russia’s numerous ethnic groups and build on the basis of these studies a kind of “psychogram” of the peoples of Russia. This would make it possible to make management decisions that most adequately reflect the mentality of all Russia and, in particular, of many ethnic groups.

The basic features of the Russian mentality are: the predominance of moral components and, above all, a sense of responsibility and conscience. This is due to a number of reasons, primarily by the fact that “from century to century our concern was not about how to get a better job or how to live easier, but only about how to somehow survive, hold out, get out of the next trouble, overcome another danger" (I.A. Ilyin). It is for this reason that the question is: what to live for? - is of paramount importance, more important than the question of daily bread (F.M. Dostoevsky). The influence of the religious factor (primarily Orthodoxy and other traditional faiths) as one of the sources of the Russian mentality is also significant.

Research shows the presence of a transformation of some traits, especially positive ones (kindness, gentleness, self-esteem, sense of comradeship, sensitivity, love for those suffering, etc.), and an increase in a number of negative ones (cruelty, tendency to self-deprecation, hooliganism, indifference, insolence, lack of average culture, etc.). At the same time, the archetypal, mental paradigm in the character of the Russian people remains, which has developed and continues to live on the basis of its psychology. New times have brought changes to this paradigm, which have affected the state of both “deep” and “superficial” psychology. The possibility of a transition of a number of traits into their opposite remains (for example, the probability of a transition from “humility and long-suffering” to “cruelty of Russian riots”).

Research results by D. Bollinger, S. Puffer, E. Jones, G.W. Soldatova, N.M. Lebedeva indicate an intermediate position of Russia on the scale of individualism-collectivism. The authors note changes in Russian culture, recorded on cultural measurement scales. Currently, there has been a transition of Russian culture from the collectivist pole to the individualist one; Russians in the former Soviet republics are distinguished by less collectivism compared to the titular population. When exposed to collectivist cultures, Russians note individualistic traits, and when exposed to individualistic cultures, collectivist traits. Although Russia has traditionally been classified as a feminine culture (N.A. Berdyaev, V.V. Rozanov), currently the masculinity index is rising. According to S. Puffer and A.I. Naumova 18 (sample - 250 people), in the mid-1990s. In the minds of Russians, an average level of individualism, masculinity and power distance has been identified, and a moderately high level of paternalism and uncertainty avoidance. The younger generation of Russians, who entered production life during the era of perestroika, has high scores on the scale of muscularity and low scores on the scale of paternalism. If earlier N.A. Berdyaev, V.O. Klyuchevsky and G.P. Fedotov noted a large power distance in Russia, but now its indicator is decreasing 19.

At the same time, a trend is becoming more and more clearly visible: while maintaining the mental vector, some new character traits are emerging at the individual level. Or, in the words of I. Ilyin, in Russia there is an “invisible revival in visible decay.”

Socialization. By nature, man is a social being, and therefore social integration is an extremely important factor in his life. Consequently, every person needs to be able to adapt to the surrounding society, otherwise he is doomed to a persistent inability to get along with others, isolation, misanthropy and loneliness. To prevent this from happening, a person from early childhood assimilates accepted behavior patterns and patterns of thinking and through this enters and becomes involved in the world around him. This entry into the world takes place in the form of the individual acquiring the required amount of knowledge, norms, values, and behavioral skills that allow him to be a full member of society. The process of an individual’s assimilation of the norms of social life and culture is usually denoted by the terms “socialization” and “enculturation.” Since both concepts reflect the process of assimilation of the cultural values ​​of a society, they largely coincide with each other in content and are often used as synonyms. This is typical for that group of scientists who adhere to a broad understanding of the term “culture” as any biologically non-inherited activity embodied in the material or spiritual products of culture. However, most scientists who consider culture to be an exclusively human way of existence, distinguishing humans from all other living creatures on our planet, consider it appropriate to distinguish between these terms, noting the qualitative features of each of them. Proponents of this point of view consider socialization as a two-way process, which includes, on the one hand, the individual’s assimilation of social experience by entering into social environment, into the system of social connections, and on the other hand, the active reproduction of this system by the individual in his activities. By receiving information about various aspects of social life in everyday practice, a person is formed as an individual who is socially and culturally adequate to society. Thus, there is a harmonious entry of the individual into the social environment, his assimilation of the system of sociocultural values ​​of society, which allows him to successfully exist as a full-fledged citizen. The simplest cross-cultural studies show that different societies and cultures value different personality traits. The formation and development of personality traits accepted in a particular society occurs, as a rule, through their targeted education, i.e. transfer of norms, rules and types of decent behavior from the older generation to the younger. The culture of each nation has developed its own ways of transmitting social experience. to the younger generation. Ethnologists and sociologists compared the styles of raising children in different cultures and identified two opposite in nature - Japanese and English.

Enculturation. In contrast to socialization, which presupposes the integration of a person into society, the concept of “enculturation” implies the acquisition by an individual of the worldview and behavior inherent in his culture, as a result of which his cognitive, emotional and behavioral similarity with representatives of a given culture and difference from representatives of other cultures is formed. The process of enculturation begins from the moment of birth, i.e. from the child’s acquisition of the first behavioral skills and speech development, and continues throughout life. This process includes the formation of such fundamental human skills as, for example, types of communication with other people, forms of control over one’s own behavior and emotions, ways to satisfy needs, and an evaluative attitude towards various phenomena of the surrounding world. The end result of the enculturation process is a person’s cultural competence in the language, values, traditions, and customs of his cultural environment.

Stages of enculturation. The founder of the study of the process of inculturation, the American cultural anthropologist Melville Herskowitz, especially emphasized in his works that the processes of socialization and inculturation take place simultaneously and without entering into culture a person cannot exist as a member of society. At the same time, he identified two stages of inculturation, the unity of which at the group level ensures the normal functioning and development of culture. The fact is that throughout life, every person goes through certain stages, which are usually called stages of the life cycle: childhood, adolescence, maturity and old age. At each stage of the life cycle, the process of enculturation is characterized by its results and achievements. In accordance with these achievements, two main stages of enculturation are usually distinguished - initial (primary), covering the periods of childhood and adolescence, and adult (secondary), covering the other two periods. The primary stage begins with the birth of the child and continues until the end of adolescence. Its main content is education and training. During this period, children assimilate the most important elements of culture and acquire the skills necessary for normal sociocultural life. The process of their inculturation is realized through targeted education and partly their own experience.

For a given period, each culture has special ways of developing in children adequate knowledge and skills for everyday life. Most often this happens through various types of games. Game forms are a universal means of personality enculturation, since they perform several functions at once:

Educational, which consists in the development of such skills as memory, attention, perception of information of various modalities;

Communicative, focused on uniting a disparate community of people into a team and establishing interpersonal emotional contacts;

Entertaining, expressed in creating a favorable atmosphere in the process of communication;

Relaxation, which involves relieving emotional stress caused by stress on the nervous system in various spheres of life;

Developmental, consisting in the harmonious development of a person’s mental and physiological qualities;

Educational, aimed at mastering socially significant norms and principles of behavior in specific life situations.

Small children play alone, not paying attention to other people. They are characterized by solitary independent play. Later, they begin to copy the behavior of adults and other children without interacting with them. This is the so-called parallel game. At the age of about three years, children begin to learn to coordinate their behavior with the behavior of other children, i.e. they play in accordance with their desires, but also take into account the desires of other participants in the game. This is called a combined game. Finally, from the age of four, children are capable of playing together - coordinating their actions and actions with others. Significant place in the process of primary inculturation belongs to the development of labor skills and the formation of a value attitude towards work and the development of learning ability. As a result, the child, based on his early childhood experience, acquires socially obligatory general cultural knowledge and skills. During this period, their acquisition and practical development become leading in the lifestyle and development of one’s personality. We can say that at this time the prerequisites for the transformation of a child into an adult capable of adequate participation in sociocultural life are taking shape.

Socialization as enculturation

The social situations that a child encounters in the process of growing up and which determine the content of socialization can be analyzed as situations of interpersonal interaction itself (as the influence of “other people”) and as situations of influence of society as a whole. The latter is always “more” than the immediate social environment, since it includes, in addition to social relations, social institutions and collective ideas, also culture (or cultures). Researchers' attention to the role of culture in individual development is mainly due to the obvious contrast between the diversity of customs, beliefs, and morals of different peoples. If general psychology is interested in the role of culture in the formation of mental processes, then social psychology is focused on the analysis of cultural factors in social development personality - the formation of social command, the formation of a system of personal values ​​and self-concept.

In the determining significance of culture for a person in his social quality It is easy to verify: it is enough to find yourself in a different cultural environment or simply encounter another culture, and the norms of social behavior that seemed obvious (from standards for the size of interpersonal distance in communication to norms of mutual assistance, relationships of dominance/subordination, methods of resolving conflict situations) will cease to be so.

Any culture implicitly carries within itself a normative image of a person that exists at the level of individual and social consciousness. It is this normative canon of a person in a culture that determines the features of socialization: whether its various institutions will support the activity or passivity of a growing person, his desire for individual success or focus on collective achievements, internal or external locus of control, plurality or structural composure of the self-concept.

Thus, if we single out the task as the leading task of socialization intergenerational transmission of culture, i.e. the task of “transmission by inheritance”, from generation to generation, of all the characteristics characteristic of a particular culture, then socialization can be understood as the process of a person’s entry into the culture of his people, and the term itself is replaced by the term inculturation.

The concept of enculturation was introduced into scientific use by the American cultural anthropologist M. Herskowitz. The process of enculturation begins from the moment of birth - with the child acquiring his first skills and mastering speech, and ends, one might say, with death. For the most part, it is carried out not in specialized institutions of socialization, but under the guidance of elders through personal experience, i.e. learning occurs without special training. The end result of the enculturation process is a person who is competent in the culture: in language, rituals, values, etc.

The main mechanism of cultural transmission at the group level is cultural transmission. There are usually three types:

Vertical transmission, during which cultural values, skills, beliefs, etc. transmitted from parents to children;

Horizontal transmission, when from birth to adulthood a child masters social experience and cultural traditions in communication with peers;

“indirect” transmission, in which the individual is trained in specialized institutions of socialization (schools, universities), as well as in practice - from the people around him.

Socialization as internalization

The process of socialization can be considered from the point of view of the content that is inherent in the social influence on the individual, and, consequently, the mechanisms for transmitting social experience: in this case, socialization acts as internalization. In the socio-psychological literature devoted to the problem of socialization, one can find two interpretations of the concept of internalization: in a broad sense it is understood as a synonym for socialization, in a narrow sense - as its particular variability, as a set of motivational and cognitive processes through which external social requirements become internal requirements personality.

This approach is the most saturated with empirical research. Almost any study within the framework of socialization issues in one way or another refers to content social experience acquired by the individual. In this case, as a rule, we are talking about two main characteristics of this process:

Assimilation of behavior patterns;

Assimilation of social meanings: symbols, values ​​and attitudes.

In studies devoted to the processes of internalization of behavioral (in particular, role) models, it is noted:

1. Internalization of roles depends on the degree of objective and subjective significance of the model itself (for example, the status of a significant other whose behavior serves as a model).

2. The success of an individual’s internalization of behavior patterns depends on the degree of consistency of the expectations of his social environment. In studies that address the study of personal dispositions (values, attitudes, structures of self-awareness), acting as a result of internalization social requirements, we can also highlight certain general provisions:

1 An indicator that allows us to talk about the assimilation of social requirements at the level of personal dispositions is the actual behavior of the individual.

2 The main factor in the success of the internalization process is the degree of awareness of the influences being internalized.

Different theoretical orientations emphasize different mechanisms of internalization. Neo-behaviorist theories of social learning emphasize the role of observable behavior; psychoanalytic socio-psychological theories focus on the mechanism of rationalization.

As a consumer of culture, a person uses cultural universals in his social practice, in interaction with other people. He uses the languages ​​and symbols of communication, knowledge, and ethical standards that are given to him as a ready-made toolkit, methods of personal self-identification and social self-realization in a given society.

The concepts “person” and “personality” refer to the same object and are often used as synonyms. In fact, there is a fundamental semantic difference between them. Man as a generic concept indicates belonging to to the human race as the highest stage of development of living nature with all the characteristics characteristic only of this species (articulate speech, consciousness, need and ability for practical activity). A person is considered in the totality of his biological, social and cultural characteristics.

Obviously, a person in a primitive society cannot be considered a personality, since he is not a bearer of individual consciousness and is not able to reflexively distinguish himself from the collective, as well as from the natural environment. It is also impossible to consider a young child as a person, since he has only just begun to assimilate sociocultural norms, patterns, and values. Along with this, the concept of personality cannot be identified with the “Mowgli” children who were “raised” by animals, as well as with individuals who are unwilling or unable to adapt in the space of society.

Personality is a person who represents the unity of body and spirit, a unity in which the leading role is played by the spirit: the essence of a person is contained in the spirit, and not in the body. But the human spirit, spirituality is a purely social phenomenon. Accordingly, the concept of “personality” reflects the essence of man as a social being.

Concepts "enculturation" And "socialization" denote different sides the process of personality formation in the conditions of the sociocultural environment. If the process of socialization is expressed in the interaction of individuals with each other, in human behavior, then the process of enculturation occurs in a system of such sociocultural elements as value and semantic guidelines, language, a system of collective knowledge, mentality, cultural picture of the world, social ideals, ethical norms.

Enculturation- this is the process and result of an individual’s introduction to culture, this is a long-term gradual development a person of skills, norms, behavior patterns characteristic of a certain type of culture, for a certain historical period. In the process of enculturation, a person submits to stereotypes and procedures adopted in the group. These procedures are recorded primarily in language. The process of inculturation is associated with the more subtle sphere and matter of human existence. It occurs in a system of such sociocultural elements as value and semantic guidelines, language, a system of collective knowledge, mentality, cultural picture of the world, social ideals, and ethical norms. That. enculturation is the process of a person mastering the inherent nature of a given ethnic culture worldview and behavior, as a result of which his cognitive, emotional and behavioral similarity with members of a given culture and difference from representatives of other cultures is formed. The most important thing in the process of inculturation is the acquisition of knowledge.

This process is carried out through upbringing in childhood, while receiving education, during communication with family members, friends, colleagues, and when understanding the content of works of literature and art.

Socialization- it's long and hard way formation of personality, gradual assimilation of the requirements of society: a certain system of norms, values, attitudes of behavior necessary for successful interaction with members of a given society. Specific groups, in which the individual is introduced to systems of norms and values, are called institutions of socialization or agents of socialization. Socialization agents perform the functions of training and control. The agents of primary socialization for a child are parents, relatives, and friends. Agents of secondary socialization are leaders and official representatives of the state and its bodies.

In the process of socialization, the individual is gradually involved in the life of society, introduced to history and traditions, and transferred to him the basic forms of sociocultural experience. The role of primary socialization is especially great at the early stage of personality development. In childhood, in the process of socialization, a person becomes familiar with the norms and values ​​of culture, the technology of activity, and the ethics of interaction with other people. In the process of socialization, the child develops speech and consciousness, assimilates social experience, social roles, etc. Children deprived of childhood human communication, turn out to be unable to become people in in every sense words.

There are various explanations for the socialization process. The French sociologist G. Tarde believed that the basis of socialization is the principle of simple imitation. J. Smelser was convinced that socialization means that people acquire social experience, as well as a person’s awareness of the values ​​that are necessary for him to fulfill social roles: it gives a person the opportunity to interact with other people and contributes to the transfer of experience from generation to generation.

In the process of socialization, as a rule, there are two main phases: social adaptation, i.e. the individual’s adaptation to socio-economic conditions, role functions and social statuses, norms and interiorization, meaning the inclusion of social norms in the inner world of a person. Interiorization, which begins with the formation of feelings of guilt and shame and ends with the formation of feelings of duty, honor and conscience, is a process of socialization, humanization of a person. As a result of this process, the individual of the species Homo sapiens that is born becomes a person, i.e. man as a social being.

It is incorrect to identify socialization with education, which is a purposeful system of psychological and pedagogical influences in order to form in a person certain qualities and forms of behavior that correspond to a certain model. In this case, the child can play a passive role. In the process of socialization, the child’s role is certainly active: he chooses something and rejects something. Socialization, in the broad sense of the word, means the process of integration into human society, the acquisition by a person of the social experience necessary to fulfill social roles.

IN real life the processes of socialization and enculturation are closely interrelated and occur simultaneously. They do not end after reaching adulthood: the development of the cultural and social adequacy of the individual continues throughout life.

In every society and culture, a certain process of socialization of the individual is gradually formed, depending on the historically specific structure of society and the type of culture. Socialization has its own characteristics in primitive communal, ancient, feudal, capitalist and socialist societies. Traditional, industrial and post-industrial society. Socialization processes differ in Eastern, European, African cultures, etc. For example, in traditional society in fact, there are no specialized institutions of socialization.

Associated with the processes of enculturation and socialization is the concept cultural identity , which means the feeling and awareness of representatives of a particular ethnic group, nation, social group belonging to a particular culture, understanding its unity and integrity, as well as its originality in comparison with other cultures.

By acquiring cultural self-identity, a person assimilates and integrates into his inner world cultural values, norms, stereotypes, and patterns of the society to which he belongs. This is clearly manifested in the corresponding line of behavior, in relations with other members of society, in interaction with the outside world, in the characteristics of language and thinking. At the same time, the socio-psychological attitudes and worldview of representatives of Western and eastern types cultures will differ significantly.

Plunging into the world of another culture, a person in the face of serious cultural differences can experience, as the American scientist F. Boass put it, “ culture shock" In this situation, the individual’s belonging to “his” society, its history and culture becomes clearly expressed.

In the process of socialization and inculturation, a cultural picture of the world is formed in the mind of the individual. The cultural picture of the world includes extra-scientific knowledge, primary intuition, national archetype, ways of perceiving space and time. It contains a selective assessment of significant material and spiritual values, their importance, significance, and positivity. A person, existing in the space of a certain culture, assimilates ethnic, national, social norms, patterns, values, preferences, which are reflected in his worldview.

The cultural picture of the world, assimilated by the individual as a member of society, determines the system of his ideas about himself and dictates a line of behavior that is adequate to these ideas. The cultural picture of the world is created gradually under the influence of everyday life, unreflected everyday life. But at the same time, it is the system of rational knowledge, reflection, consistent, abstract logical constructions, clear and obvious content of artifacts that make the picture of the world clear and complete. The knowledge system expresses the structure of the human world in accordance with the principle of the relationship of things, their functions with practical activities. From these positions we can distinguish religious picture world, aesthetic picture of the world, ethical, legal, scientific, etc.

A personality formed as a result of socialization and enculturation can not only selectively assimilate sociocultural experience, but is also capable of acting as a destroyer of outdated cultural elements that clearly inhibit the cultural-historical process.

Already in childhood, a unique structure is formed in the human psyche, which subsequently determines his leading activity and the type of life relationships. Underestimation of the role of culture in the formation of personality today poses a great threat to all humanity tomorrow. A disdainful attitude towards the cultural heritage of the past or denial of the need for the existence of something new in culture can be brought up by the family, the media, or official state ideology. Deformations in the relationship between the “old” and the “new” can lead to ugly development of the individual, the state, and culture. This finds expression in uncivilized decisions related to scientific and technological progress, environmental disaster, with interstate, interethnic relations, upbringing and education, respect for the rights and personal freedoms of the individual.

Recently, people, through their lifestyle, are increasingly distancing themselves from culture and society, directing their activities towards social protest and an alternative lifestyle. So, the formation of personality is the result of the cultural evolution of the individual. The values ​​of culture constantly influence the personality, developing it. Culture creates a person as if by order and under the supervision of society.

The concepts of socialization and enculturation are very close in content. However, it is better not to mix them.

Socialization denotes teaching a person to live in modern society. Whatever country he goes to temporarily or moves permanently, he must have a basic understanding of the social structure and stratification of society, the distribution of people by class, ways of making money and the distribution of roles in the family, the basics of a market economy and the political structure of the state, civil rights and so on

Enculturation means teaching a person the traditions and norms of behavior in a particular culture. Culture in different countries is more specific than social structure. It is more difficult to adapt to it, fully engage and get used to it. An adult emigrant who leaves Russia for America quickly assimilates the social laws of life, but it is much more difficult for him to assimilate foreign cultural norms and customs. A Russian physicist, programmer or engineer, having high qualifications recognized abroad, in a short time acquires the rights and responsibilities corresponding to his new position.

Thus, adaptation to the social order of life in a foreign country occurs faster than inculturation - adaptation to foreign values, traditions and customs.

Adaptation occurs during both socialization and enculturation. In the first case, the individual adapts to social conditions of life, in the second - to cultural ones. With socialization, adaptation is easy and fast, with inculturation it is difficult and slow.

When a person is asked: “Who are you? “, then from the point of view of socialization he must answer: “I am a professor, scientist, engineer, head of the family.” But from the point of view of inculturation, he is obliged to name his nationality: “I am Russian.”

At the individual level, the process of enculturation is expressed in everyday communication with others like oneself - relatives, friends, acquaintances or strangers from the same culture, from whom the child consciously and unconsciously learns how to behave in various life situations, how to evaluate events, meet guests, and react. to certain signs of attention and signals.

Enculturation or learning of a culture occurs in several ways. It can occur directly, when parents teach a child to thank for a gift, or indirectly, when the same child observes how people behave in similar situations. Thus, direct expression and indirect observation ("peeping") are two important ways of enculturation. A person changes his behavior both when he is told what he should do and when he observes how others behave in similar situations. People often say one thing and do another. In these situations, the individual loses orientation and the process of enculturation becomes difficult.

Even the simplest procedure that we perform many times every day, namely eating, from the point of view of cultural studies is a set of certain postures and gestures endowed with different meanings and meanings in different cultures. The behavior of a savage while eating is one thing, the behavior of a civilized person is quite another. The latter is taught everything, including sign language. A civilized person is taught how to satisfy his natural needs in accordance with the norms of a particular culture. In other words, culture teaches us what, when and how to eat.

Socialization- growing into society, becoming a social person. The ultimate process of socialization is personality.

You can be very socialized and completely uncultured. “New Russians” are an example of excellent adaptation to the social reality that changed in the 90s, people who know how to find a way out of any situation, who know all the moves and exits in this life. This is the result of superior socialization. However, for the most part, “new Russians” are completely uninculturated people. They don’t care about universal human values ​​and Christian commandments, including “thou shalt not kill,” about etiquette, etc.

In old age, the process of accumulation of cultural norms reaches its climax. It is most difficult for an elderly emigrant to adapt to the norms of a foreign culture, since it is most difficult for him to free himself from the burden of previous cultural habits.

What happens to socialization? Does it undergo age-related changes and how? It is known that the ability to adapt declines with age. Old people find it increasingly difficult to adapt to rapidly changing social conditions.

The norms of socialism and capitalism can remain social, that is, rules that help to maneuver in the external environment, but do not necessarily penetrate the soul.

Many of those who sympathized with the Bolsheviks before the revolution were merchants and wealthy people, and this indicates that they had a good understanding of capitalism as a system of only social norms. The very fact of sympathy for the Bolsheviks says something else: capitalist norms did not penetrate their worldview and did not become the main values ​​of life. In other words, capitalism as a system of cultural norms remained alien to them.

So, the processes of socialization and enculturation can go in one direction, or they can develop in opposite directions. Their phases may coincide, but may differ significantly. These are two diverging streams of life.

When both processes coincide, that is, they go in the same direction, we can build a single continuum of “socialization - enculturation.”

The continuum shows how cultural and social potential increases or decreases among different types of people. Feral people are human cubs raised among wolves or other animals. Returning to society, they are unable to adapt to it and soon die. They have minimal potential for enculturation and socialization. Children raised in orphanages and boarding schools have average levels of inculturation and socialization. Having become adults and leaving the institution, they find themselves ill-equipped for a full life in a large society. They do not have much of what children in ordinary families receive. Intelligent people have the highest potential. The elite of society, as a rule, consists of them. These are socially active and culturally accomplished people.

Socialization, according to St. Petersburg culturologist E.V. Sokolov, is associated with the assimilation of a certain obligatory cultural minimum. We are talking about mastering basic social roles, norms, language, and national character traits. On the contrary, the term “inculturation” implies a broader phenomenon, namely the familiarization of the individual with the entire cultural heritage of humanity. This means not only to one’s own national culture, but also to the culture of other peoples. We are talking about mastering foreign languages, developing a broad outlook, and knowledge of world history. So, inculturation means “the acquisition of a broad humanitarian culture.” This concept also includes vocational training, since the acquisition of professional knowledge is not a necessary requirement for socialization.