Abstract: The article is devoted to the description of the child’s mental processes after birth. It is well known that such intensive attention towards a child’s emotional experience is typical for the English school of psychoanalysis. Many researchers who studied the psychic dynamics of a newborn empathized the importance of emotional states experienced by the newborn right after he or she had been born. Such emotional states are neither sentimental nor optimistic. Today everyone knows that a child takes his or her birth as death. Otto Rank used to write about it and modern transpersonalists conduct many detailed studies on the matter. The death threat does not leave a child when he or she is finally born. It is caused by the baby leaving the mother’s body and unconsciously wanting to return to where he or she had the almost absolute comfort. It is impossible for a child to return to the mother’s womb and the parent care cannot substitute for the previous comfortable existence. The author of the present article describes the three scenarios that can define the further development of the child. The author of the article uses the methods of phenomenological interpretation of mythology as well as particular techniques allowing to describe the mental world of the child from the point of view of later mental formations. Therefore, the author traces possible disclosures of the child’s mind and interprets their goals and meanings. The novelty of the present research is that the mental development of the child is being viewed in terms of life and death. The author analyzes the difficult dialectics of the confrontation of life and death instincts in the newborn’s mind and stresses out the contribution of the English psychoanalytical school.

Keywords: psychoanalysis, mental development, life, death, instinct, pre-Oedipus complex, Narcissism, psychosis, paranoid complex, sexuality.

Abstract: Frederick Burrhus Skinner had been the most famous psychologist for quite a long time in the USA. However, researchers mostly focused on the influence of his ideas on professional psychology. It is only lately that philosophers, ethicists and historians have started to take interest in Skinner’s ideas. Skinner searched for the physiological basis of human behavior and therefore, in fact, reduced the scope of psychology. Quite frequently Skinner took even his own psychological interpretation of human behavior as farfetched or excessive. He tried to explain the exterior forms of human behavior by using the method of observing human’s and animal’s actions. Skinner was both respected and criticized by his contemporaries. However, his hour has struck. Today Skinner’s ideas are quite popular because the tendency towards physiological explanation of mental and emotional processes is growing in the academic community. The author of the present article uses the historical method to show the great influence of Skinner on the academic community at the very beginning of Skinner’s creating his teaching. The author of the article also uses the comparative method to define whether behavioral ideas are close to the attempts of modern researchers to reduce the psychological component of human behavior. The novelty and practical importance of the research is that the researcher is trying to study how Skinner’s ideas developed in the previous century and have been transformed this century. The author shows that today researchers criticize the concepts of human freedom and dignity again. According to Skinner and many modern researchers, human freedom and dignity have no actual content or meaning.

Keywords: psychology, Behaviorism, freedom, dignity, behavior, psyche (mind), science, Neo-Behaviorism, world view, personality.

Abstract: The author of the article makes an attempt to describe the probable model of ethnic extremism from the point of view of the socio-synergetic approach. The author of the present research article had different reasons to study ethnic extremism from the point of view of the socio-synergetic approach. The first group of her reasons includes the processes that are going on in the society and government now. The second group of reasons is caused by the multiplicity of characteristics, types and forms of this phenomenon. In particular, synergetic methods apply to studying systems (phenomena) consisting of a great number of elements (forms or characteristics), components and subsystems. To describe the synergetic model of ethnic extremism, the author of the article analyzes social images describing this phenomenon. Research methods used by the author include: association method, content analysis and semantic differential followed by the creation of mental maps. The scientific importance of the research is the description of the probable model of ethic extremism made by the researcher based on the socio-synergetic approach. Conclusions: the model offered by the author allows to describe the essential characteristics of the aforesaid phenomenon, in particular, intolerance, terror, dogmatism and nihilism as the factor structure of ethnic extremism. The contents of these factors reflect only subjective concepts of ethnic extremism and of course, these concepts can only partly model the phenomenon. The author makes an assumption that this model allows to describe ethnic extremism by the means of particular features typical for socio-synergetic systems.

Keywords: socio-synergetic model, ethnic extremism, social images, intolerance, terror, dogmatism, nihilism, semantic differential, factors.

Abstract: Cognitive picture of the world can be disproved by new observations and researches showing that the world is much richer than what is perceived by a subject. However, it does not mean at all that a subject has limited cognitive abilities or unreliable perception system. In other words, man does not create the world. He creates only representations of the world based on his experience and perception system. Cognitive representations allow to forecast future events and cognitive (mental) maps guide us in our surroundings. This is what makes them significant and valued. Methodological schemes and models provide the easiest access to gaining knowledge about the reality. They serve as the intellectual tool that allows to combine isolated elements. These schemes represent a particular vision of the world typical for this or that stage of history. The author also carries out the analysis of the genesis and development of the scientific picture of the world based on the common sense. According to the author, man does not create the world. He creates only representations of the world based on his experience and perception system. Cognitive representations allow to forecast future events and cognitive (mental) maps guide us in our surroundings. This is what makes them significant and valued.

Keywords: cognitive representation, picture of the world, common sense, perception, genetic epistemology, hermeneutics, social epistemology, scientific picture of the world, philosophy of education, methodology of knowledge.

Abstract: The present article is devoted to the inter-disciplinary topic that relates to psychology, philosophical anthropology, biomedical ethics and partly philosophy of medicine and social psychology. First of all, the author of the article appeals to the fundamental concept in philosophy — ‘human nature’. The author interprets this concept from the point of view of classical philosophy and positive human studies of the twentieth century. At the same time, the author also addresses the current socio-cultural situation where human identity becomes a problem due to the ‘medicalization’ of culture, development of biotechnologies and the spread of dangerous addictions. The author touches upon the practices of cosmetic (or plastic) surgery and psychological and philosophical aspects thereto. In the course of critical analysis of the aforesaid practices the researcher uses ontological, ethic, social and philosophical arguments. Within the framework of the present research bioethics is viewed as an interdisciplinary research methodology. In addition, the author uses dialectical and phenomenological methods of research as well as analysis and interpretation of literary sources. The scientific novelty and importance of the present research article is the critical analysis of cosmetic surgery and associated addictions as a widely spread disease of modern human. So far Russian psychological and philosophical researches haven’t paid enough attention to this topic while the aforesaid practices and addictions can actually have negative anthropological consequences. Based on the analysis of foreign sources on the matter, the author describes possible ways to criticize cosmetic (plastic) surgery and proves the efficiency of social and ethic argumentation on this matter.

Keywords: human nature, identity, dependence, self-concept, essence, cosmetic surgery, biomedical technologies, medical ethics, impersonation, enhancing technologies.

Abstract: The subject matter of research is the phenomenon of non-communicability of public communications in modern culture as a consequence of the lack of true spirituality therein. The society of the 20th century first perceived and valued the phenomenon of public communications only as the effect of scientific and technological development. Mass media has given us an opportunity to manage the news flow. From this point of view, mass media effectiveness and psychology of perception are becoming the most important issues. Little by little this topic is becoming surrounded by new psychological and ‘socio-dynamic’ models of cultural information processes. However, it is also becoming apparent that being the main source of formation of world views and values, mad media blocks the access to true spirituality and cultural traditions. The author of the present research article uses the method of historical comparison of the old and current traditions associated with the phenomenon of public communications. The author also provides the phenomenological analysis of philosophical sources. The novelty and scientific importance of research is that the author describes the process of public communications in terms of spirituality. Moreover, the author focuses of challenges or ‘tortures’ of the communication process. The author also analyzes the ideas and theories introduced by famous modern philosophers and cultural researchers and describes paradoxes of public communications that eventually lead to the absurd and non-communicability.

Keywords: philosophy, public communications, spirituality, information, culture, scientism, techniques, popular culture, anonymity, myths.

Abstract: The article is devoted to the definition of intentionality offered by John Searle as the corner stone of his philosophy. The main idea of Searle’s theory of intentionality is that intentionality should be defined in terms of natural science just like consciousness. According to the philosopher, scientific definition of intentionality would allow to solve a great number of important philosophical issues. Our mind has different forms of intentionality, perception and intentional action being the basic forms and linguistic acts deriving from these basic forms. Since the research analysis is oriented at solving a particular issue, i.e. the main purpose of research is to study intentionality as a feature of brain, in particular, to provide a definition of intentionality from the point of view of the representative of English analytical philosophy John Searle. For this purpose, the author of the article used the method of historical reenactment. This method is based on the analysis of philosophical concepts that are directly related to the topic. John Searle’s approach to intentionality involves the definition of consciousness as a natural biological phenomenon. However, unlike other phenomena of the kind, consciousness is the subjective phenomenon that, at the same time, can influence physiological processes. In his theory of intentionality John Searle admitted that he was both an internalist, realist and follower of Gottlob Frege. John Searle believed the subjective qualitative aspect to be the most fundamental in the concept of mentality and used the term ‘intentionality’ for describing the subclasses of mental states that are typically object-oriented.

Keywords: Searle, intentionality, feature of brain, intentional content, mental states, illocutionary force, orientation, correspondence, execution conditions, mental representation, possible world.

Abstract: The authors of the present article analyze whether it is possible to use the activity approach as one of the methods in researches of the phenomenon of distance education as the part of research area ‘Topical issues of distance education’. In order to create a complete and successive image of the aforesaid social phenomenon, it is necessary to apply not only methods from general and individual science, but also universal methods of philosophical analysis because we are talking about a complex social and technical object where the ‘Human Machine’ system plays a key role. The researchers use the activity approach as the element of the many-level concept of methodological knowledge that is usually related to the philosophical research methods. The activity approach allows to describe the structure of distance education and understand its special features. It is the activity approach that demonstrates distance education as a new social phenomenon, activity, special form of social relations and special social institution. This, in its turn, underlines how important it is for a researcher to take into account the complexity of all levels and elements of the phenomenon of distance education. Subject matter, terms, research methodology, nomology and praxiology of the science that studies topical issues of distance education must be formed on the basis of information- technological and social-humanitarian spheres of research where the activity approach must perform the integrating methodological function as the basic method of philosophical research.

Keywords: distant education, computer quasi-subject, tutor, eContent, information society, information interaction, activity approach, information educational environment, info environment, information activity.

Abstract: The present research article is devoted to the life and creative work by a famous Russian poet and writer of the XXth century Valery Bryusov. The author of the research article describes Valery Bryusov’s views in terms of the literary movement followed by the writer. This movement is often referred to as Modernism, Decadence or Symbolism. Bryusov’s contemporaries and fellows acknowledged him as the founder of Russian symbolism. By analyzing commemorations of Bryusov’s contemporaries, documentaries from the poet’s archive and his prose, the author of the present research article views factors that contributed to the formation of Bryusov’s literary activities, his personality and world view. The author also studies the influence of social, psychological and mystic tendencies on the poet’s creative work. The author of the research article offers rather new views on the paradox of Valery Bryusov’s personality. From this point of view, the author tries to trace back the shift in Bryusov’s poetic views, his uncontrolled passion for culture, his escape from the past and search for new paths. The author concludes that Valery Bryusov had a very acute feeling of the historical moment and had a very clear vision of the past and the future of Russia.

Keywords: knowledge, myth, Bryusov, reality, symbolism, symbolism, perception of the world, artistic and psychological creativity, personality, culture, fiction.

Abstract: The purpose of the present research is to describe the key components (cognition, activity, motives, personal readiness) of psychological readiness for professional identification of school students in special social situations of development, in particular, teenagers with deviant behavior, teenagers deprived of parental care and genius teenagers. For this purpose the author offers his own psychological technology that is based on the principles of methodological approaches usually used in human sciences (systems, activity, dynamic and human-centered approaches). This technology is the key element of the author’s model of psychological preparation of students in special social situations for professional identification. Based on the analysis of methodological approaches to human studies and the problem of professional identification, the author of the article concludes that the guiding principles of these approaches are concentrated in the term ‘social situation of development’ offered by Lev Vygotsky. Therefore, the author of the present article uses the social situation of development as the methodological basis for developing an effective technology of psychological preparation for professional identification. The author describes psychological techniques aimed at formation of the key components of psychological readiness for professional identity as defined by the author. These key components include cognition, activity, motivates and personal readiness. The author also proves the efficiency of psychological techniques in psychological preparation of school students for professional identification in acute or problematic social situations of development. Results of researches on psychological preparation of school students for their professional identification carried out at secondary schools in the Republic of Mari El demonstrate a statistically significant positive dynamics of the main components of their psychological readiness for professional identification.

Keywords: psychology, professional identification, social situation of development, psychological readiness, methodological approach, model, technology, method, formation, efficiency.

Abstract: The subject of the present article is the religious and mystic insights of Chizhevsky and Ciolkowski in terms of the idea of cosmic consciousness based on Bokk and the concept of cosmic game. The author of the present research article describes the ‘heretical’ ideas of Kaluga cosmists and provides particular arguments to prove the hypothesis that the two great friends had cosmic consciousness. In order to prove that Ciolkowski and Chizhevsky had cosmic consciousness, the author analyzes the phenomenology of this phenomenon and personal qualities and creative work Konstantin Ciolkowski and Alexander Chizhevsky. If we admit that the founders of the cosmic natural science had the highest form of consciousness, we may see their religious and mystic views in a different light as well as view them in terms of the concept of cosmic game and make a hypothesis that Ciolkowski and Chizhevsky were prophets of those times. In her research the author used the following methods: analysis of literature, comparison, analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, generalization. The novelty and scientific importance of the article is that the author tries to define the non-verbal source of religious and mystic aspects in Ciolkowski’s and Chizhevsky’s writings. The main conclusions made by the author are the following. In the course of her research, the author concludes that the hypothesis about Ciolkowski and Chizhevsky having the cosmic consciousness have a high probability to be true. Many religious and mystic ideas introduced by Kaluga cosmists were based on a certain state of mind and can be interpreted in terms of the concept of cosmic game. The author also believes that Ciolkowski and Chizhevsky could have been the messengers of cosmic evolution.

Keywords: religion, mysticism, esoterics, cosmic consciousness, cosmic game, cosmic evolution, cosmism, Ciolkowski, Chizhevsky, Bokk.