Paternalistic orientations of russian students: political and psychological analysis

Abstract

According to Russian researchers, paternalism is one of the "core" dominants of the Russian political culture and is its archetypal part, which, to some extent, still determines political thinking and behaviour of Russians. Meanwhile, in Russian political science the ideas about the essence of paternalism are simplified and do not take into account the fact that it is determined by specific needs, ideas, ideals and expectations that have political and cultural specifics. This work is aimed at a partial solution of this problem and contains the results of a political and psychological definition and an empirical study of the paternalistic orientations of Russian youth. The obtained data allow us to detect the actualized state of the paternalistic orientations of young Russians, expressed in high expectations from the state. The analysis of visual data also revealed an ambiguous, but mostly negative assessment of the state as a counterparty to Russian youth. Young people perceive the state as a stronger and older "person" who does not satisfy their request for protection, love and care. As a result, the mood of "disappointed paternalism", a desacralized image of the state and, to a lesser extent, the president are fixed in the mentality of young Russians. The state's performance of the functions of a "father" can become a promising tool for establishing effective and constructive interaction between state institutions and young Russians.