The method of assessment of representation in the mass consciousness of the basic characteristics of cultural types by M. Mead

In the context of post-non-classical psychology comparative social and psychological characteristics of type of cultural values in models by J. Thousand and M. Mead was performed; general and special characteristics of the data of typological models were allocated. In particular, it is shown that in the basis of the typology by J. Thousand, based on the theory of F. Kluckhohn and F. Strodbeck, there are features of cultural value orientations in relation to the time, nature, human nature, other people and activities and in the basis of the M. Mead's classification - there are a specific character and inter-generational relations associated with these characteristics. The article presents the main directions of the study of cultural perception of an ethnic community, involving the allocation of some relatively universal cultural characteristics and maximum formalization that allows to find out from the respondents whether there is such a feature in the culture of an ethnic community to which they belong. As an example of such a universalistic approach the diagnostic technique of cultural value orientations by L. Pochebut was examined. This technique was developed based on the theory of F. Kluckhohn and F. Strodbeck and was designed to determine the key trends of formation and becoming of the studied culture. The authors suggested his original «Method of assessment of representations of the basic cultural characteristics», developed on the basis of the typological model by M. Mead using similar methodological approach. The article present the following common characteristics of the perception of culture that can refer it to prefigurative, cofigurative or postfigurative types: age conformism; locus of control in planning the future; respect for the traditions; dynamism of culture and society; inter-generational relationships within the family. The authors present the results of the approbation of the proposed method and the evaluation of its construct validity with the use of the L. Pochebut's test, the modified method of R. Inglehart, allowing us to set the reference to the value types, focusing on the values of adaptation, socialization and indi-vidualization, as well as methods of diagnostics the temporal perspective of an individual (Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory - ZTPI; test «Semantic time differential»). The presence of consistency in the descriptions of their ethnic culture with the use of our proposed method and techniques of similar diagnostic methods is statistically confirmed. On the basis of the obtained results the conclusion is made about the correctness of the proposed "Method for the assessment of representations of the basic cultural characteristics" in the social and psychological and cross-cultural studies. The Appendix contains the full text of the test and the key for its processing.

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