The Phenomenon of Individual Mentality in the Context of Culturological Tradition
The article analyzes of the concept of “mentality” in the context of cultural studies. It discloses the nature and content of mentality, which embodies the underlying reasons of world perception, world outlook and human behavior, its role in human life and society. At the same time mentality is considered as a multidimensional and multifunctional phenomenon, which is the subject of study of a number of adjacent socio- humanitarian disciplines. The article also pays special attention to the study of the concepts of “culture” and its derivation “cultural approach”. The author proves the interconnection and interdependence of individual mentality and culture through the phenomenon of dialogicity of culture. The author defines dialogicity as a kind of cultural and historical code of understanding a human being and the world adequate to the contemporary socio-cultural situation, as a universal way of the existence of culture and a man in the culture. The article states the proposition on dynamism and mobility of mentality and, consequently, the possibility of targeting him through the institutions of culture and, above all, education. The culturological approach to the study of mentality determines on the one hand the leading role of culture, traditions, lifestyle, religion of this cultural-historical era, and on the other the necessity of transmission from generation to generation, and fixing in each subsequent of them historically established spiritual, philosophical and cultural values of society. The model developed by the author, leads to the enrichment of individual mental qualities of a personality with human values, and if necessary, correction of the vital guidelines that determine the most likely human behavior and actions.