Youth political leaders in contemporary Russia: biographical and psychological characteristics

Abstract

The article represents political and psychological analysis of contemporary Russian youth political leadership based on the results of an empirical study of the biographical and psychological characteristics of more than 100 young politicians. The research methodology is based on political and psychological approach that combines the analysis of biographical data and their interpretation within the concept of the "fundamental psychological triad" (a combination of affective, cognitive and behavioral factors). The empirical basis of the study is presented by in-depth interviews with youth political leaders, their answers to open-ended questions, and data obtained using the “incomplete sentences” technique. The results obtained allow us to conclude that the biographical and political-psychological characteristics of the youth leaders of modern Russia are highly normative and that there is a special category in the structure of the Russian political class, the role and potential of which can significantly increase in the near future.