Socio-cultural deviations in the regulation of social interactions of young people

Abstract

Social interactions in the youth environment are regulated not only on the basis of generally accepted models, but also on the basis of goals-principles that are formed among young people themselves as a response to changes in social and cultural conditions of life. From the point of view of the institutionally approved norm, these principles are socio-cultural deviations. At the level of consciousness, they are represented in the form of various configurations of meanings-judgments that are realised by different groups of young people in the process of interactions. One of the manifestations of deviation is the regulatory meanings orienting to separation and self-assertion at the expense of others. The data obtained in the course of a nationwide survey conducted by the Centre for Sociology of Youth of ISPR FCTAS RAS in 2021 are analysed. The links between labour, education and interpersonal interactions with sociocultural deviations of young people in social reality are considered. The incorporation of sociocultural deviations into the process of regulating interactions in the youth environment is reflected in young people's justification of the practices of bullying, provocation, evil pranks and disrespect for teachers as acceptable ways of interaction in important spheres of life. Their use is accompanied by the assignment of certain semantic characteristics to labour, communication and education in youth groups. In the course of data analysis, it was found that judgments about bullying and trolling differentiate young people by the meaning of labour "feeling of their usefulness". In addition, the judgement of bullying differentiates youth on the meaning of "forced necessity". The links of respondents' approval of judgements about bullying, trolling and teacher with the meaning of communication "joy, happiness" and "inner need" were revealed. It was also found that judgements about prank and teacher differentiate young people according to the meanings of education "opportunity to make a career" and "development of abilities".