Elana Kukanova

Mentality of the Russian Provincial City Population Elana Kukanova

The monograph considers the mentality as a set of socio-psychological and spiritual and moral qualities of people: structure, functions, general laws, factors of mentality development of the population of a small provincial Russian city, as well as a certain way of behavior that is generated by the peculiarities of mentality. The paper identifies the features of the mentality of the population, analyzes the main social factors that influence its formation and determine the transformation of mentality. Ultimately, the study aims to identify the impact of the mentality on the behavior of various social groups and segments of the population in small towns in changed conditions. Traditional features of Russian culture and mentality (collectivism, paternalism, religiosity, communitarianism, etc.) are more clearly manifested in the mentality of the population, which determines labor motivation and political preferences, influencing the nature of the population's attitude towards the reforms being implemented. At the same time, a certain inertia of the population's mentality does not allow them to adapt quickly enough to new relationships, which may generate a syndrome of marginalization (informational, status, cultural).