Position In Hierarchy Research Articles

АКТУАЛЬНЫЕ ПРОБЛЕМЫ КВАЛИФИКАЦИИ ДЕЯНИЯ, ПРЕДУСМОТРЕННОГО СТ. 210.1 УК РФ «ЗАНЯТИЕ ВЫСШЕГО ПОЛОЖЕНИЯ В ПРЕСТУПНОЙ ИЕРАРХИИ» (СТАТЬЯ ВТОРАЯ)

The subject of the study is the composition of the crime under Article 210.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. The purpose of the study was to solve the scientific problem of determining the subject and the objective side of the crime under Article 210.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. In the course of the research, the historical-legal, chronological, formally legal method was used. As a result of the study, the subject of the crime, the subjective side of the crime provided for in Article 210.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation «Occupation of the highest position in the criminal hierarchy» was established. Various approaches to this status are considered: 1) as a criminal state («occupation» is a fait accompli) and 2) as a desire for a criminal state («occupation» is a process aimed at achieving a criminal state). A comparative analysis of the «person occupying the highest position in the criminal hier-archy» as a special subject of a crime provided for in Part 4 of Article 210 of the Criminal Code of the Rus-sian Federation and other special subjects of crimes provided for in the Criminal Code of the Russian Fed-eration, as well as a comparative analysis of the subject of a crime provided for in Part 4 of Article 210 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and part 1 of Article 210 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. The competition of the elements of crimes provided for in Part 4 of Article 210 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and Article 210.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation is considered. Various scientific approaches to the correlation of the concepts of «thief in law» and «person occupying the highest position in the criminal hierarchy» within the formal, functional and formal-functional criteria for determining the person occupying the highest position in the criminal hierarchy are analyzed.

State violence and target group adaptation: Maintaining social status in the face of repressions in Soviet Russia

How does state-led repression targeting communities influence the social reproduction of victimized groups? Although several excellent studies have explored the sociopolitical consequences of a broad set of conflict-trauma legacies, notably, communal, religious and kinship drivers of responses to state violence, few researchers have explored the mechanisms of social status preservation under violence. The omission of class and social status from conflict research is puzzling considering that millions of people from Cambodia to China and from Russia to Hungary have suffered from state-led violence that targeted entire social groups and communities – from monks and priests with privileged positions in the social hierarchies, to the aristocracy and bourgeoisie. To generate theory about the mechanisms of social submission, adaptation or resistance in the face of group-based repressions, we explored the effects of Soviet repressions on the survival choices and reproduction of the Tzarist educated strata. For our analysis, we deployed subnational data on repressions and social structure and combined this with novel survey evidence and archival sources. We found that, contrary to conventional wisdom, repressions did not prevent the Imperial educated estates from engaging in habitual status- and identity-enhancing pursuits. Throughout the Soviet period, these groups continued to aspire to higher education and professional achievement. What is more, we show that continuity in pursuits was more common in places with more extensive repressions and a larger ‘stock’ of pre-Revolutionary middle classes. We propose that in-group social bonding and permissive political opportunities facilitated social adaptation. Our findings contribute to conflict and social resilience literature.

The Structure of Chinese Compounds: The Perspective of Predicative Implicitness

This paper examines Chinese nominal compounds with respect to their internal structure, thematic relations, generation process, and constraint mechanism from the perspective of predicate implicitness. Findings reveal that constituent functions in these compounds vary based on their structural positions, closely aligning morphological and syntactic structures. Predicate implicitness necessitates hierarchical adjunction, disallowing cross-layered adjunction. Corresponding relations exist between theta-roles, semantic relations, syntactic, and morphological structures. The study delineates differences between agentive and non-agentive compounds and explores how syntactic structure influences morphological structure. It also delves into theta-roles, argument structure, and linear order, arguing that constituent word order adheres to the Prominence and Locality Principles, dictated by their syntactic hierarchy positions.

Criminological portrait of the “thief in law” today: Results of the All-Russian penitentiary research

In legal science and law enforcement, there is no certainty about the relationship between the concepts of “thief in law” and “person occupying the highest position in the criminal hierarchy”, which leads to problems and errors when bringing to criminal responsibility under Part 4 of Art. 210 of the Criminal Code and Art. 2101 of the Criminal Code. In order to solve this problem, a study was conducted among the operational staff of institutions of the penitentiary system engaged in countering penitentiary crime in general and organized crime in part icular, professionally possessing knowledge in the field of criminal subculture. As a result of the study, were established: signs of a person who cannot be a “thief in law”; signs of a person who is a “thief in law”; the relationship between the concepts of “thief in law” and “person occupying the highest position in the criminal hierarchy”; the procedure for conferring the title of “thief in law” (the procedure of “coronation”, “baptism”); the procedure for depriving the title of “thief in law”. In addition, the moment of the end of crimes related to the occupation of the highest position in the criminal hierarchy has been determined, the circle of persons included in the number of subjects of crimes provided for in Part 4 of Art. 210 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and Art. 2101 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, the rights and obligations of “thief in law”, their functions and powers in the criminal environment are established.

THE HARMFUL EFFECT OF LEADERS WITH NARCISSISTIC PERSONALITIES IN LEADERSHIP POSITIONS IN COMPANIES

There are organizations and companies that, for whatever reason and even in spite of the very condition of the company's continued operations, are interested in hiring narcissistic managers and leaders, with a destructive or functionally deluded profile (from the SD - Self-deceptive concept), since they are often either immersed in a tangle of mistaken beliefs about management, or are involved in excessively grandiose projects. The aim of this study is to analyze the harmful effect of this type of leader, given that narcissism is closely linked to management staff, a condition that can compromise the company's economic and social results. The problem situation arises when narcissism ceases to be healthy and becomes pathological. The research is justified by the fact that, in this situation, a narcissistic and destructive leader, depending on their position in the organization's hierarchy (low, medium or high), can have serious consequences for the organization, especially if there is no effective monitoring of their actions. As partial results of this approach, we already know that, despite this, organizations have a clear predilection for this profile of leader, due to their ability to take big risks and carry out major undertakings and projects. This research will use a bibliographical review as its method, presenting the thoughts of various authors who are concerned with this issue. The main bibliographic contribution of this literature review, however, rests on the intersection of various authors, with the thinking of Freud (2010).

A Study On The Factors Influencing Purchase Behaviour Of The Customers Towards Silk Sarees In Kancheepuram

Studying the behavior of female consumers has become crucial. Consumers reign as the pivotal force in markets. Kanchipuram Silk boasts a rich historical legacy dating back to the early era of South India under the Pallavas. As a temple city and former capital of various South Indian dynasties, the silk handloom industry has thrived here, supported by royal patronage, elevating weavers to a prominent position in the social hierarchy. Businesses cannot operate without consumers. The rising costs of raw materials, particularly zari, emerge as a significant production hurdle, accompanied by challenges like working capital issues, increased use of counterfeit zari, and low wages. In marketing, the primary concern is the escalating prices of finished goods due to input cost hikes, followed by the influx of silk fabrics containing fake zari, unfair trade practices such as selling non-Kanchipuram products under its brand name, intermediary misconduct, lack of advertising, and the availability of cheaper alternatives. Understanding consumer behavior delves into their purchasing patterns, considering their roles as users, payers, and buyers. People's desires for products and services have dramatically expanded, leading to shifting attitudes and behaviors that can be sensitive to price fluctuations. To establish a study framework, various paradigms of thought that have influenced the discipline of consumer behavior need to be considered.

Navigating New Waters: Sino-UK Diplomacy in the Post-Brexit Era

Brexit, the United Kingdom's historic decision to exit the European Union, initiated a pivotal juncture in international relations. This research navigates the multifaceted aftermath of Brexit, specifically probing its influence on Sino-British diplomatic engagements within the context of evolving global dynamics. By examining history, economics, national security, and international relations through qualitative research, this study elucidates the nuanced repercussions and significant implications, and intends to provide advisory reference for subsequent policy formulation. The research underscores that Brexit's consequences extend beyond economic and political spheres. It shifts the UK's position in the global hierarchy and international relations. Additionally, it explores the possibility of China emerging as an influential player in the UK's post-Brexit era, potentially challenging the traditionally strong UK-US alliance. In conclusion, Brexit's historical significance reverberates across multiple dimensions. It challenges the UK's economic landscape, prompts strategic decisions in national security, and molds its evolving role in international relations. The UK's post-Brexit choices between China and the US carry strategic implications for its global standing. While Brexit's consequences are complex and far-reaching, they represent an ongoing narrative in the evolving landscape of international politics and trade.

Cadet Ladies

The article is devoted to the phenomenon of women in the Constitutional Democratic Party from its very foundation up to the preparation of the organization for the elections to the Constituent Assembly in 1917. The author seeks to reconstruct a socio-cultural portrait of “cadet ladies”, to find out the factors that could have influenced their entry into the party and to characterize their activities in the organization. Special attention is paid to the position in the party hierarchy that women could occupy, as well as to the opportunities for advancement in it. Cadet ladies were mainly responsible for maintaining the organizationʹs welfare, housekeeping, logistics, events and charitable institutions, but at the same time were actively involved in key decision-making, although they did not have the same political rights as men. Moreover, women gained the right to vote after the February Revolution, the number of Cadet ladies in key party positions increased dramatically, which confirms their importance to constitutional democrats. Characteristic features of the socio-cultural portrait of the women of the Peopleʹs Freedom Party are also highlighted. Cadet ladies grew up in post-reform Russia, when social and economic changes in the country and society had a huge impact on the process of womenʹs emancipation. The opportunity to receive a quality education, acquire a profession and work, to choose a spouse out of mutual respect and similarity of views — all these served as factors for acquiring the subjectivity that later allowed the cadet ladies to become the political phenomenon discussed in this article.

Disadvantaged group members are prouder of their group when using the language of the dominant group compared to their native language.

In ethnically and linguistically diverse societies, disadvantaged groups often face pressures to acquire and speak the advantaged group's language to achieve social inclusion and economic mobility. This work investigates how using the advantaged group's language affects disadvantaged group members' in-group pride and collective self-esteem, relative to using their native language. Across six experimental studies involving Palestinian citizens of Israel (total N = 1,348), we test two competing hypotheses: Disadvantaged group members may experience greater in-group pride when using a) their native language, due to its emotional significance (the nativity hypothesis), or b) the language of the advantaged group, due to activation of habituated compensatory responses to dominance relations (the identity enhancement hypothesis). We found that respondents reported significantly higher in-group pride when responding to a Hebrew survey when compared to performing the same activity in Arabic (Studies 1a and 1b), regardless of whether the researchers administering the survey were identified as Jewish or Arab (Studies 2a and 2b). Study 3 replicated this effect while employing the "bogus pipeline" technique, suggesting the pride expression was authentic, not merely driven by social desirability. Finally, Study 4 (pre-registered) examined additional measures of positive regard for the in-group, finding that participants described their group more positively in an attribute selection task, and reported greater collective self-esteem, when surveyed in Hebrew, rather than in Arabic. Taken together, these findings suggest that language use influences disadvantaged group members' perceptions and feelings concerning their group when those languages are associated with relative position in an intergroup hierarchy.

FEELING VALUED IN OLD AGE: A QUALITATIVE EXPLORATION OF THE SOCIAL STATUS IN LATER LIFE

Abstract Subjective social status describes a person’s self-assessed position in a social hierarchy and is an important determinant for mental and physical health. One’s perceived position is dynamically changing across the life-span. Individuals attempt to achieve and preserve status in their social environment. Negative age stereotypes are fueled by and contribute to the attribution of lower social status to older adults. However, little research relates to how status changes and potential status losses are subjectively perceived in older adulthood. In the present study, we used semi-structured interviews to qualitatively identify factors contributing to older adults’ experienced and anticipated status developments. In addition, resources and strategies that are used to maintain relative social status in old age were openly explored. Our sample of 14 East German citizens (mean age = 73.85, range: 67–81 years) reported a highly differentiated understanding of status that included not only socioeconomic factors but also social participation. Experienced changes in status were connected to societal upheavals and retirement. Autonomy and health were reported as important prerequisites for relative status-level preservation. Furthermore, new personal freedoms after retirement entailed empowering opportunities via engagement and other leisure activities for many respondents. Findings implicate that status development in old age may diverge from societal and loss-oriented status expectations if structural support for individual social participation is enabled. In our discussion, we reflect on suitable methodology for studying the construct of social status in old age.

Mapping the effects of functional and structural network reorganization on the tau‐cognition relationship in Alzheimer’s disease

AbstractBackgroundTau pathology can spread through connectivity‐based networks, with certain regions (or epicenters) accumulating more tau than others. Such spatial vulnerabilities may be due to their unique apical position in the cortical hierarchy, which can be elucidated through ‘gradients of connectivity’ (Margulies 2016 PNAS). Prior work showed that the primary gradient of functional connectivity unveils a uni‐to‐transmodal topography of the healthy neocortex which highly correlates with a cognitive gradient of perception‐to‐abstraction. Here, we hypothesized that the gradients of functional/structural connectivity interact with tau to affect cognitive functions in Alzheimer’s disease (AD).MethodWe included 213 participants from TRIAD (103 CN Aß‐, 103 CN Aß+, and 75 CI Aß+) with diffusion‐weighted MRI, resting‐state functional MRI, 18F‐MK6240 tau‐PET, and an extensive cognitive battery. We performed non‐linear dimensionality reduction on the individual functional and structural connectomes, and extracted the first components (‘gradients’) ‐explaining most variance (G1FC and G1SC). First, we compared G1FC_or_SC between diagnostic groups. Second, we investigated the interaction effect of G1FC_or_SC*tauSUVR on cognition (across 9 cognitive domains). Last, we investigated whether the tau‐cognition relationship changed in a topography‐specific manner along the cortical hierarchy, within (equally‐sized) gradient‐derived meta‐ROIs along G1FC_or_SC. Results were compared to Braak‐derived regional associations. Analyses were adjusted for age, sex, APOE, education, and multiple comparisons.ResultWe observed reduced segregation of functional networks in AD compared to controls, with unimodal (lower‐order cognitive) and transmodal (higher‐order cognitive) regions moving closer on G1FC. This may indicate loss of network specialization in AD. Participants who had both higher tau and G1FC alterations had more cognitive impairment (Fig.1A; shown for MMSE/language). This interaction‐effect was less pronounced with G1SC (Fig.1B). Last, tau correlated with cognition in a topography‐specific progressive manner (i.e., along the transmodal‐unimodal G1FC axis and anterior‐posterior G1SC axis) (Fig.1C). Notably, tau correlated with delayed memory progressively along the posterior‐anterior G1SC axis (R2 = 0.93 in all and R2 = 0.95 in A+) and BraakI‐VI axis (R2 = 0.77 in all and R2 = 0.28 in A+).ConclusionOur work supports the contribution of connectome‐driven tau distribution on cognitive impairment in AD. Connectome gradients may provide a spatial framework to study tau spreading along the major axes of brain organization underlying specific cognitive domains.

Microcultures

The text is an experience report that describes the author's personal perceptions on the topic of microcultures. The author observes how dominant subcultures (white, heterosexual, non-disabled people, among other more socially valued attributes), benefit from a different position in the cultural hierarchy, which seems to cause a certain imbalance in the world. The author observed how her cultural identity developed in a multifaceted way. And that her diverse experiences, combined with her values, languages, customs and traditions, will certainly help her as a therapist, as well as her future clients.

TACTICS OF OVERCOMING COUNTERACTION TO THE INVESTIGATION OF OCCUPYING THE HIGHEST POSITION IN THE CRIMINAL HIERARCHY

The issues of tactics of overcoming counteraction to the investigation of the occupation of the highest position in the criminal hierarchy are considered. Based on the generalization of investigative and judicial practice, typical ways of countering the investigation of this crime are identified. The article defines that for the purpose of such counteraction, interested persons use message encryption, as well as falsification, destruction, modification of material objects and documents. Witnesses are forced to refuse to testify. In general, such methods are reduced to masking information about the functions performed by the suspect and about other signs of his status position in the criminal hierarchy. Organizational and administrative, regulatory, judicial, punitive functions are masked by friendly advice, rules of the hostel, criticism of violators, resolution of domestic conflicts, etc. The disposal of the thieves’ cash register is disguised as the organization of the mutual assistance cash register. The status signs of this crime are expressed in the occupation of the highest position in the criminal hierarchy, according to the traditions and rules of the criminal subculture. It is shown that a typical way of distorting status signs is to represent a thieves’ ritual as a playful form of behavior. Tactical techniques that contribute to obtaining reliable data on the signs of a suspect occupying a higher position in the criminal hierarchy are aimed at verifying the reliability of sources of evidentiary information. The article suggests effective tactical operations, such as the appointment of forensic examinations, interrogation, and other investigative actions, in combination with operational search measures of a search and verification nature.

JUDICIAL CRIMINOLOGICAL EXAMINATION: EXPERTISE ASPECT

The article is devoted to the forensic criminological examination of the occupation of the highest position in the criminal hierarchy. The analysis of the current literature was carried out and the main approaches to the establishment of criminal leadership were established. The proper legal and expert ways of solving this problem are singled out. The legal approach is based on the improvement of the technology of qualification and proof. To do this, informal comments are formed on this article, recommendations for conducting operational-search measures, for improving qualifications and evidence, optimizing the activities of the public prosecutor, etc. The expert approach involves the formation of a new direction in the use of special knowledge — forensic criminological examination. At the same time, the legal method serves as a source of information for the expert method when conducting a forensic criminological examination. The expert method in forensic criminological examination involves the establishment of two types of links: functional — between the object of examination (person) and its activities, leading to a change in the state of the object. The second type of links — substantive — between the object of expertise (person) and its properties and qualities. At the same time, the expert problem of classification is solved — attributing the object of expertise (person) to a certain taxon. This taxon is set by the classifier, which is the criminal hierarchy.

Дихотомия «элита–массы» в идеологии системной оппозиции современной России

The purpose of the article is to identify the features of the social opposition between the population and the systemic opposition based on the analysis of the ideology of the latter. The methodological basis of the work is the concept that a certain social position corresponds to certain points of view and a type of thinking (total ideology). As a result of the study, it was concluded that despite the oppositional nature of thinking, the attitude towards the population and the habitus of the counter-elite correspond to high-status positions in the social hierarchy. Apparently, they have occupied the niche of professional opposition politicians, which makes it possible to extract all the benefits they need. The established social and political order suits them and they are not going to change it, and they do not intend to wage a life-and-death struggle for the positions currently occupied by the ruling elite. The circle of social contacts is unlikely to go beyond the elite and near-elite strata. Accordingly, they do not represent or protect the real interests of any other social groups, except for their own. For the parties of the systemic opposition, the population is exclusively an object of influence, it is denied subjectivity. The political struggle for the most part remains out of sight of the masses, which is carried out exclusively for the status positions of the ruling elite. The systemic opposition is deeply conservative despite its “left” or “right” slogans. Their seizure of power, if such a thing is possible at all, will not lead to significant social transformations.

Planlı Davranış Kuramı Bağlamında Mutfak Çalışanlarının Coğrafi İşaretli Gıda Ürünlerini Kullanma Niyeti

The purpose of this study is to determine the intentions of kitchen staff working in hotels to use geographical indication (GI) food products and the factors affecting their intentions within the scope of the Theory of Planned Behavior. Within the research framework, the relationship between staff’s familiarity with GI food products and their intention to use these products has been examined. The study was conducted in 4 and 5-star hotels located in Istanbul. Data were collected from a total of 423 participants by questionnaire technique by interviewing the kitchen staff of the food and beverage departments of these enterprises. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics, regression analysis and difference tests. As a result of the research, it was determined that the most important factor affecting the intention to use these products among the participants was familiarity with the products. It was observed that individuals with knowledge of GI food products and those who have previously worked with these products exhibit a notably positive attitude towards using them. In addition, it has been determined that the reason for the negative attitudes of the decision-making managers in the enterprises where the participants work towards the use of GI food products is the high purchasing costs and seasonality of the products. Finally, it was observed that the positive attitude towards GI food products increased from the lower to the higher positions in the kitchen hierarchy, and this was due to the knowledge of recognizing and using the product correctly gained with professional experience.

Recentering the human in the continuums of in/mobility and in/security: Perceptions from two emblematic borders

This paper argues for a need to decenter the state and (re)center the human when exploring mobilities within international relations scholarship. To make this argument we bring together feminist and critical security studies, as well as multidisciplinary insights, to address the encounter between the person on the move and the enforcement of national sovereignty. This allows us to highlight the continuums of in/security and im/mobility entwined in this encounter. In so doing, we challenge the discipline’s understanding of security that is often conceptualized from the perspective of state security only, despite critiques of such understandings that emanate from and build on different critical approaches. Furthermore, feminist international relations scholarship and feminist security studies in particular have stressed the necessity to examine security and violence as continuums that traverse across sites ranging from the corporeal and intimate to the global and transnational, and which span over time. Combined with mobility studies that focus on migrant trajectories across countries, regions, and continents with periods of chosen or unwanted immobility in between, this body of scholarship helps us understand how border enforcement impacts diversely positioned persons’ lives. Such an exercise is also useful for making visible the intended and unintended consequences of policymaking that is based on state interests only, and one that refuses to acknowledge the human beings who are caught up in these consequences. Methodologically, the paper draws on long-term ethnographic research conducted at the Mexican side of the Mexico-US border and in Morocco. We have brought together insights from our respective research projects to address border externalization and its impact in two different parts of the world, enacted by two different states (the US) and supranational entities (the EU) on their neighbors to the South, likely to be economically and politically less powerful but supposedly similarly sovereign states. The paper is organized as follows: we begin the first section by discussing the key notion of state sovereignty which is enacted at the border and demonstrate how borders of certain states extend far beyond their demarcated territories. This process, conceptualized as externalization of migration management and border control, can be perceived as contradicting the sovereignty of those states subjected to these externalization practices. We then move on to the notion of security and ask the question of whose security is at stake. Here we demonstrate how the enforcement of state security jeopardizes the safety and security of those people on the move who are located in less privileged positions in the global hierarchies of mobility. In the second section, we discuss how the perspectives outlined in the previous section manifest in our two research sites. This section focuses on the continuums of mobility and immobility and those of security and insecurity, and proposes how we could begin addressing the diversely positioned human as a manifold yet full subject. We argue that International Relations scholarship usually ignores the human altogether or, at best, acknowledges the human in high-level politics drawing on the model based on the theory on rational actorness. Moreover, the analysis of insights gained at our research sites sheds light on the ways in which mobility is unevenly distributed, and how the enactment of mobility is gendered and racialized in complex ways. We conclude the paper by reflecting what these concerns might mean for international relations scholarship at the conjuncture of human im/mobility and security, and for contributing towards mobility justice.

Management of COVID-19 healthcare waste based on the circular economy hierarchy: A critical review.

The overall objective of this work was to conduct a critical literature review on the application of the circular economy (CE) hierarchy for the management of COVID-19 healthcare waste (HCW). To describe the problem created by COVID-19 HCW, first, the subsystems of the overall management system, including generation, segregation, classification, storage, collection, transport, treatment and disposal, were reviewed and briefly described. Then, the CE hierarchy using the 10R typology was adapted to the management of COVID-19 HCW and included the strategies Refuse, Reduce, Resell/Reuse, Repair, Reprocess, Refurbish, Remanufacture, Repurpose, Recycle and Recover (energy). Disposal was added as a sink of residues from the CE strategies. Using the detailed 10R CE hierarchy for COVID-19 HCW management is the novelty of this review. It was concluded that R-strategy selection depends on its position in the CE hierarchy and medical item criticality and value. Indicative HCW components, which can be managed by each R-strategy, were compiled, but creating value by recovering infectious downgraded materials contaminated with body fluids and tissues is not currently possible. Therefore, after applying the circular solutions, the end of pipe treatment and disposal would be necessary to close material cycles at the end of their life cycles. Addressing the risks, knowledge gaps and policy recommendations of this article may help to combat COVID-19 and future pandemics without creating environmental crises.

New Phase of the U.S. Struggle Against the Serbian Orthodox Church

The article evaluates the study by Vasily Shchipkov, “Systemic Pressure of the United States on the Russian Orthodox Church in the Ideological and Geopolitical Confrontation”. Next, it considers the history of the Serbian Orthodox Church from 1990 till present from the point of view of its involvement in political and geopolitical processes. Specifi cally, the Serbian Orthodox Church acted as a subject of political infl uence from the United States and European countries. The article specifi es fi ve periods that diff ered in the vector of the Western policy towards the Serbian Church: 1 — the period of socialism (before the fall of the Berlin Wall), 2 — the period of the rule of Slobodan Milošević (1990–2000), 3 — the period of the Western infl uencer network creation (from October 5, 2000 till 2010), 4 — the period of strengthening of the Western ideology in the Serbian Orthodox Church (from 2010 till 2017), 5 — the period of geopolitical pressure of the West on the Serbian Orthodox Church (from 2017 till present). While analyzing each historical period, the author of the article comes to the conclusion that until 2017, the major pressure vector on the Serbian Church was the ideological one, which allowed to form and institutionalize the liberal, modern- ist, inclusive, anational theology as an infl uential alternative to tradi- tional conservative national theology. Supporters of the liberal, pro- Western worldview started to hold many key positions in the church hierarchy. Starting from 2017, this allowed the West to proceed with direct lobbying its political agenda within the Serbian Church through its infl uencers. In the current situation, the West is interested in at tracting the Serbian Church to its side in the geopolitical confronta- tion with Russia and the Russian Orthodox Church. As a result, the Serbian Church found itself in a challenging situation: the failure to comply with the demands of the West might lead to the rejection of foreign dioceses in favour of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, while the compliance with the demands of the West will consolidate its role as an anti-Orthodox policy tool and might also lead to the internal schism.

AVERSIVE PERSONALITY TRAITS AND INDIVIDUALISTIC SOCIAL RANK STYLES AS PREDICTORS OF A POSITIVE ATTITUDE TOWARDS CONSPICUOUS CONSUMPTION

The prognostic and mediational influences of basic and aversive personality traits, and social rank styles on individuals’ attitudes towards conspicuous consumption (ATCC, an indirect measure of the actual behaviour) were examined via path analysis[1]. The model (n=400, mean age=22.3) emphasised the direct and indirect effects of Extraversion, and the indirect effects of Neuroticism and Agreeableness which were sequentially mediated by all Dark Triad traits, and by two individualistic social rank styles: Dominant Leadership and Ruthless Self‑advancement. Dark Triad traits occupied the central position in the model connecting basic personality traits with social rank styles, and ultimately with ATCC. Machiavellianism was the only Dark Triad trait directly linked with ATCC, Dominant Leadership, and Ruthless Self-advancement. Narcissism exerted the main mediating effect on Dominant Leadership, while Machiavellianism and Psychopathy mediated the negative influence of Extraversion and Agreeableness on Ruthless Self-advancement. Both Dominant Leadership and Ruthless Self-advancement were directly predictive of ATCC. As two basic prosocial personality traits (Conscientiousness and Openness) and one prosocial rank strategy (Coalition Building) did not enter the model, we conclude that, from the present perspective, positive ATCC is linked to uncooperative and self-centred mindsets striving for superior positions in the social hierarchy. [1] The path analysis model upholds the dark side of affinity for conspicuous consumption. The model connects the personal traits domain with the personal strategies domain. Social rank styles are differentiated by basic and aversive personality traits. Each social rank style has a specific trajectory predictive of ATCC.[1] The path analysis model upholds the dark side of affinity for conspicuous consumption. The model connects the personal traits domain with the personal strategies domain. Social rank styles are differentiated by basic and aversive personality traits. Each social rank style has a specific trajectory predictive of ATCC.