Potseluev S.P., Konstantinov M.S., Podshibyakina T.A. Flickering Concepts

Periódico do Núcleo de Estudos e Pesquisas sobre Gênero e Direito
Centro de Ciências Jurídicas - Universidade Federal da Paraíba

V. 9 - Nº 02 - Ano 2020
ISSN | 2179-7137 | http://periodicos.ufpb.br/ojs2/index.php/ged/index
807
FLICKERING CONCEPTS OF COGNITIVE-IDEOLOGICAL
MATRICES
(Based on a series of sociological studies during 2015–2020)
Sergey P. Potseluev1
Mikhail S. Konstantinov2
Tat'yana A. Podshibyakina3
Abstract: The study specifies the ideological to ideological concepts,

concept of political ideology in terms of especially at the level of individual
its matrix structure, in particular the consciousness. The authors studied the
“flickering concepts” of ideological above-mentioned concepts of flickering
attitudes, which are hard to identify by ideological consciousness in the
means of traditional sociological framework of scientific projects
surveys. Considering the morphological implemented by them during 2015–
approach to the analysis of ideological 2019. The studies aimed to reveal the
consciousness (suggested by Michael ideological attitudes of students of
Freeden), the authors introduce the Rostov-on-Don. The methodology of
concept of cognitive ideological these projects included quantitative and
matrices, which allows us to describe the qualitative analysis: in the course of
process of transition from proto- group interviews, based on the material
1
Doctor of Political Sciences, professor of Department of Theoretical and Applied Political
Science at the Institute of Philosophy and Social & Political Sciences, Southern Federal
University (Russia) (344065 Rostov-on-Don, Dneprovsky lane, 116,
sergeyp.potseluev@yandex.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0002-8562-6541
Researcher ID: S-1782-2016
2
Candidate of Political Sciences, associate professor of Department of Theoretical and Applied
Political Science at the Institute of Philosophy and Social & Political Sciences, Southern Federal
University (Russia) (344065 Rostov-on-Don, Dneprovsky lane, 116,
mikhailskonstantinov@yandex.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0003-2781-789X
Researcher ID: J-9329-2013
3
Candidate of Political Sciences, associate professor of Department of Theoretical and Applied
Political Science at the Institute of Philosophy and Social & Political Sciences, Southern Federal
University (Russia) (344065 Rostov-on-Don, Dneprovsky lane, 116, podshibyakina72@bk.ru,
ORCID: 0000-0002-2689-8387. Researcher ID: C-9195-2019
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of the discourse declared by the young students, Russia, financial crisis,
respondents, relevant “flickering” liberalism.
concepts of ideological attitudes were
revealed and then operationalized in the 1. Introduction
questionnaire, and the results of the There was a riddle that was
survey were later falsified in focus quite popular among children in the
groups. Because of the study, it was 1980s: “There’s a lighthouse on the
possible to first identify the “zero level” shore. It is faded one second, dimmed the
of ideology, at which the minds of young next. Why didn’t the captain of the ship
respondents are potentially open to the see the lighthouse?” Surprisingly, the
influence of diverse and often mutually majority of the respondents could not
exclusive ideological orientations, and solve it. Every time the riddle was asked,
second, to pinpoint the changes that have people had a feeling that some important
occurred in the cognitive ideological details were missed: some started to
matrices of Rostov-on-Don students speculate about the captain’s physical
over the past five years. These changes well-being, others tried to determine his
mean that the basic concepts of left- whereabouts, and still others attempted
liberal ideology are strengthening, and to guess the weather conditions. The
the right-wing “flickering concepts” are solution of this riddle, however, lies in
shifting to the center-left concepts of the fact that the lighthouse was not even
social justice, equality, etc. In general, it emitting light––both verbs used in the
is common for the interviewed students riddle are synonymous and mean the
to display situational ideological absence of light. Strictly speaking, the
attitudes and indifference toward larger conditions of the riddle themselves are
ideological narratives. The results of the incorrect––both verbs describe a
study can be used for comparative situation where the light stops shining.
analysis and to forecast of the This, in turn, means that the lighthouse
ideological attitudes of Russian students. had to emit light for some time, before it
faded. In riddles of this kind, as well as
Keywords: ideology, morphology of in politics, logic is far from playing the
ideologies, attitude, concept, narrative, leading role.
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This insignificant anecdotal psychologists and anthropologists,
evidence was recalled because it including political and social experts
illustrates very well the phenomenon that (Jost, Kay, &Thorisdottir, 2009;
is indicated in the title; namely, it Houghton, 2009). However, the material
describes the flickering proto- with which these scientists work —
ideological concepts that either “fade” or individual, group, and mass
“dim” in mass or group consciousness. consciousness — forces them to take the
For most ideological scholars, these key observable characteristics of the
concepts remain invisible because they object of study as a premise, namely, the
do not “emit light” during the use of inconsistency, heterogeneity, and even
traditional means of studying mass the dissociation of this consciousness.
consciousness — from polls to focus Whereas ideology, as an objective social
groups. These concepts lie in the shadow phenomenon, is characterized by
of the consciousness of the social “me” structural integrity and consistency.
(in the terms of G. Mead (1972)), being Moreover, here, one of the most
pushed out to the periphery of this interesting problems is the explanation
consciousness by those sociocultural of the transition from heterogeneous
norms that the individual “I” (in the consciousness to a systematized
terms of G. Mead) learned in the process ideology and back. If we study ideology
of socialization. The essence of the from the point of view of mass
problem lies in the fact that when psychology, then we face with a problem
answering the questions of a sociologist, that was defined in 1964 by a group of
the respondent represents his own ideas American sociologists led by Philip
about his social “me,” but personal Converse (2006): systematic
decisions are made based on a much ideologization is not characteristic of
larger amount of information, which mass consciousness; mass “belief
includes personal experience, his systems” combine fragments of various
feelings, values, etc. ideologies, which often contradict each
This “I” as the “other” side of other. Perhaps for this reason, modern
“self” that usually eludes sociologists, is social and political psychologists prefer
quite successfully studied by to talk only about the “premises” and
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“foundations” of ideology in mass However, in recent years, it was Freeden
psychology (Jost, Kay, &Thorisdottir, himself who proclaimed a crisis in the
2009) and not about a holistic system of field of the study of ideologies (Freeden,
attitudes and views represented in 2019) linking it with the emergence of
ideological systems. “ideolonoids” –– ideological “ghosts”
Another sphere of social that broke all ties with reality and exist
knowledge –– research in the field of solely for their own sake. Freeden
ideologies (study of ideologies) –– believes that one of the key reasons for
traditionally follows the opposite path the emergence of “ideolonoids” is the
from the point of view of ideology as an destruction of the balance (that is
objective phenomenon that affects mass inherent in classical ideological systems)
consciousness. A certain progress has between intellectual content,
been made in recent years in this area of imagination, and emotions in favor of the
research. Particularly, there was a latter. Large ideological narratives
transition from the idea of ideology as a become too stiff and heavy in a rapidly
kind of frozen conceptual system to a changing reality, requiring an immediate
much more dynamic idea of the flexible response to the emerging problems that
nature of ideological systems, which are heatedly discussed in a boiling media
allows us to consider the shifts in mass space and immediately discarded in
consciousness and their reflection in favor of new ones (Freeden, 2019).
ideologies. Thus, on the basis of the Therefore, we have yet again returned to
historical data about the emergence of the original problem of the relationship
the “new” liberalism, one of the leading between the mosaic mass consciousness
experts in this field, the British political and systematized ideologies.
philosopher Michael Freeden (1978) The purpose of this study is to
showed how the shifts that occurred in clarify this problem by involving the
the mass consciousness reflected on the concept of cognitive ideological
morphological structure of liberal matrices and relying on data from
ideology. The morphological concept of sociological studies on the youth’s
ideology proposed by Freeden partially consciousness in the south of Russia.
solved the problems discussed here.
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and not merely as a system of verbalized
2. Materials and Methods concepts.
To solve the abovementioned The cognitive ideological
problem, the authors developed the matrix generates ideological meanings in
concept of a cognitive ideological matrix different levels and stages. The level of
(Konstantinov, 2018), which describes a ideologemes should be distinguished
pre-reflexive (and therefore politically from the level of concepts in the matrix.
neutral) environment wherein proto- Depending on these levels, the very idea
elements of political ideologies are of the matrix changes, and so does the
formed from the elements of a person’s initial metaphorical meaning that
sedimented social experience. underlies this concept.
This concept is an attempt to At the level of ideologemes (as
overcome the dilemma that a modern conceptual “free radicals” expressed in a
researcher often faces: he/she must either language but not captured by its concrete
record a respondent’s consistent sign), the cognitive ideological matrix is
commitment to a certain political interpreted by analogy with the concept
ideology or draw a conclusion about the of a matrix in physics –– as a neutral
ideological neutrality of this (cognitive) medium in which isolated
respondent’s consciousness. There is active particles (ideologemes as “proto-
often another option. The respondent’s ideological” concepts) prevent their
consciousness is swarming with various interaction with each other and with the
ideologemes (and is ideologically far environment. However, as the
from sterile in this sense); however, “temperature” of social interactions rises
his/her adherence to a specific ideology (for example, in an acute social crisis),
cannot be determined. If the researcher the cognitive environment surrounding
does not fit the actual ideological ideologemes ceases to be neutral, and
attitudes of the respondents to different another process begins –– the linking of
kinds of “isms,” then he/she needs to ideologemes as proto-ideological
specify the concept of ideology as a concepts with relatively stable
living consciousness of living people, ideological concepts and conceptual
narratives. At this level, the meaning of
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the cognitive ideological matrix is the mentioned “flickering” of concepts
analogous to that of a matrix in foundry as a reaction to the current socio-political
or printing, wherein the constellation of agenda. In the same manner, that
ideological concepts serves as a model meaning is created not by a single word
for the serial production of ideological but by a sentence, ideological meaning is
meanings (at the individual and generated not by a simple set of concepts
collective levels). According to Freeden, but by a conceptual narrative.
“an ideology speciﬁes the meanings of The cognitive ideological
the political concepts it contains by matrix, understood in the unity of both
assembling them in a pattern that links mentioned levels, forms what can be
them together with other speciﬁc called a “symbolic universe” of ideology
concepts” (Freeden, 2003). as “the matrix of all socially objectivized
However, the mentioned and subjectively real meanings” (Berger
analogy with stereotypical production & Luckmann, 1991), and a similar
lines only partially expresses the matrix concept (“a universe of discourse”) was
function of ideological concepts. In the used by G. Mead (1972). The main
morphological approach to ideologies distinguishing feature of this universe is
developed by Freeden, the main self-sufficiency in the generation of
characters are the concepts (conceptual (ideological) meanings. Thus, the
constellations) and the social cognitive ideological matrix is the “zero
environment. However, the sense- level,” in which the ideological
making function of a narrative should be “protoplasm” arises through the
emphasized to explain the conceptual formation of an individual’s
dynamics of ideologies. A cognitive predisposition to one ideology or
understanding of an ideology should another, or, as is often the case, to several
include not only the morphology of ideologies at once. Moreover, unlike
ideologies but also its subconscious level ideology, the matrix is insensitive to
with its spontaneous imagination that contradiction, since the elements of the
generates narratives. A narrative matrix are not subject to reflection. They
provides a constant vibration of the are reflected only in the process of
ideological conceptual structure, namely, formation of proto-ideological elements.
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This is why the proto-elements of specific situations of a difficult life
various ideologies can be stored in an choice –– liminal situations. They are
individual consciousness without “vague” because an individual
causing cognitive dissonance. himself/herself does not reflect them;
This concept and related ones unlike Bakhtin’s “vague ideologemes,”
formed the basis of the two sociological these are rather well formed concepts
studies of student consciousness in that are borrowed or migrated (Potseluev
2014–2015 and 2018–2019 carried out &Konstantinov, 2018) from other
by a scientific team that brought together ideologies. Functionally, the importance
scientists from the Southern Federal of these concepts is that they themselves
University and the Southern Scientific can become crystallization points of the
Center of the Russian Academy of protoideological substrate. In other
Sciences. Both studies aimed to discover words, an individual’s mind contains
the mentioned “zero level” of ideology – already reflected, more or less ordered,
– the moment when it starts to form in a and publicly declared set of ideologized
person’s consciousness, and the ideas of reality but at the same time, non-
consciousness itself is potentially open reflected groups of proto-ideological
to the influence of diverse –– often concepts, representing the influence of
mutually exclusive ideological others ideologies(often in conflict with
orientations. Based on the original the first one), can be formed in the matrix
concept of “vague ideologeme” around several “flickering concepts.” It
(Bakhtin, 2000; Jameson, 2002), the is the properties of the ideological matrix
research team developed the idea of as a cognitively neutral environment that
“flickering concepts” of the cognitive allow all these concepts to coexist
ideological matrix. simultaneously without causing
These are the concepts that are cognitive or social discomfort to an
internalized by an individual during individual.
socialization, but unlike the already It is clear from what has been
reflected ideological concepts, said that it is impossible to “grasp” the
“flickering concepts” manifest flickering concepts by means of
themselves in consciousness only in traditional sociological surveys ––an
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individual will simply declare socially Student Youth was conducted in Rostov-
acceptable ideological attitudes, on-Don universities in the period from
satisfying the expectations that he thinks late April to early June 2015.A total of
his environment presents to him. That is 718 people was questioned (350 young
why a reasonably large-scale case study men and 368 young women; so, the
should be comprehensive and combine standard deviation in the selection was ±
quantitative questionnaire survey 3.7%). The questionnaire contained 41
methods, qualitative methodology of questions, including 8 questions about
group interviews, focus groups, and the respondent’s identity.
narrative analysis. In the course of group The second survey was
interviews, based on the material of the conducted in Rostov universities in the
discourse declared by the respondents, period from the end of September to the
relevant “flickering” concepts were end of November 2019.The
revealed and then operationalized in the questionnaire under the title Russia and
questionnaire; the results of the survey the World –– Today and Tomorrow
were later falsified in focus groups by contained 43 questions, including 6
means of narrative analysis, among other questions about the respondent’s
things, which includes an assessment of identity. 816 respondents were
the plot of the story told by respondent, questioned, 435 of which were young
its structure, and the nature of reasoning men and 381 –– women. The standard
and metaphors. deviation was ±3.4 %.
Accordingly, in the
methodological aspect, the questionnaire 3. Results
survey in both studies was preceded by a Examination of the empirical
series of free group interviews, and the material obtained during the study
quantitative results of the survey were should begin with an analysis of the
corrected and specified on the quality respondent’s ideological representations.
material of the focus groups and Thematic analysis of the group
narrative analysis that completed the interviews that preceded the survey
study. The first survey named The revealed 12 main ideologies familiar to
Ukrainian Crisis through the Eyes of the respondents, while also uncovering
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significant shifts in the right of the
ideological spectrum (see Fig. 1).
Fig. 1. The dynamics of ideological representations of student youth in the south of Russia
As can be seen from Fig. 1, only national patriotism (from 16.9% to

five statistically significant changes 2.9%), and monarchism (from 7.9% to
occurred in the ideological self- 2.1%). The number of supporters of
representations of respondents in the these ideologies had decreased from
2015–2019 period, four of which three to six times! A slight decrease in
characterize a shift of the reflecting the percentage of declarative liberals can
youth consciousness towards liberal also be noted (from 28.4% to 20.3%). It
ideology. First, the number of declarative could be assumed that some of the
supporters of the following ideologies liberals have shifted towards the left
has significantly decreased: ideological spectrum, but the changes in
conservatism (from 23.0% to 7.5%), the positions of the left ideologies’
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supporters do not exceed the statistical 3. Denial of ideological
error. Therefore, it is more reasonable to preferences in self-evaluation, but
attribute the decrease in the percentage presence of signs of a certain ideology in
of liberals to a greater prevalence of the narrative (11.4%)
ecologists and feminists in 2019, since 4. Judging by the narrative, the
these positions were not included in the author’s self-identification conflicts with
2015 survey. Consequently, at the time, the stated ideology (21.4%)
when answering the question, their These findings prompt the need
supporters were forced to choose a to uncover the reasons behind the
liberal position closest to their beliefs. In ideological shifts noted above.
other words, the position of the liberals Historically, in studies on ideologies,
has not actually changed. group ideological positions tended to be
A narrative analysis of the associated with the financial factors.
respondents’ texts allows us to make Accordingly, shifts in ideological
certain conclusions regarding their positions may be associated with
ideological self-representations. As part changes in respondents’ financial
of the study, 70 Rostov-on-Don students situation. To determine whether this is
were asked to write an essay on the topic true, the authors of the presented studies
of History of Russia: Past, Present, and asked the respondents to describe their
Future after disclosing their political financial situation. Unfortunately, the
views and ideological preferences. The questions in the questionnaires of 2015
results can be grouped into the following and 2019 were not identical. In 2015,
categories based on the correlation respondents were asked to choose the
between ideological self-identification social category that most accurately
and identified preferences: described their position. However, in
1. The respondent’s idea about 2019, the respondents were required to
the history of Russia as a whole assess their financial situation.
corresponds to the stated ideological Nevertheless, the substance of these
orientation (52.9%) questions is similar, allowing
2. Some deviations are comparison of the answers provided in
observed (14.3%) 2015 and 2019 (see Table 1).
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Table 1.
Which social category do you attribute yourself to? (2015)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2015 2019
How would you describe your financial situation today? (2019)
Wealthy people: enough money to satisfy all needs, including luxury goods 5,3 -
Very well - 3,8
Sufficiently rich people: enough money for food, accommodation,
63,1 -
clothing, education, leisure, durable goods
Well - 15,9
Adequate - 48,9
Poor people: enough money for food, accommodation, basic goods 23,5 -
Unfavorable - 19,9
Struggling people: not enough money for food 1,3 -
Very unfavorable - 4,8
Not sure 6,8 0,0
Table 1. Assessment of one’s own financial situation
(Percentage of the total number of respondents)
As can be seen from the results At the same time, obvious

reported in Table 1, respondents’ changes have occurred in the structure of
financial situation has not changed “flickering concepts” of cognitive
substantially over the past five years. It ideological matrices, in which the
is still worth noting that the number of structures of the “ripening” left-liberal
respondents who rate their financial ideology are becoming more defined.
situation unfavorably has slightly Coincidently, the right-wing “flickering
decreased, whereas a smaller percentage concepts” of chauvinism, racism,
of respondents deemed their financial sexism, etc., are shifting to the left of the
situation to be very unfavorable in 2019. ideological spectrum and their meanings
However, as these changes barely exceed are (re-) decontesting (Freeden 2003) in
the statistical error of ± 3.4%, the context of the concepts of social
ideological shifts cannot be attributed to justice, equality, etc. Hence, this very
financial factors. shift in the structure of “flickering
concepts” explains the changes in
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ideological self-representations much Crimea to Russia in 2014 was perceived
better than financial losses and gains. by the Russians as an opportunity to
It appears that the increased rediscover the meaning of the country’s
flickering intensity of the far-right political existence, as a kind of
concepts recorded in 2015 (Potseluev, compensation for the disorder and
Konstantinov & Lukichev, et. al., 2016) humiliation of the 1990s. However, a
as well as the shift to the “left” revealed significant percentage of Russian youth
in 2019 have occurred while the was disappointed in these ideas because
respondents’ financial situation of the ensuing economic woes and
remained virtually unchanged. political isolation of Russia.
Therefore, the factors that influenced the Predictably, the diagram
intensity of the flickering of concepts are reflecting the dynamics of respondents’
associated either with intra-ideological views on the imperial past and the future
processes, or with fleeting changes in of Russia shows a sharp
social consciousness as a whole under “Europeanization” of students’
the short-term influence of propaganda. perceptions of Russia’s place in the
It cannot be denied that the joining of international context (see Fig. 2).
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Fig. 2. Dynamics of respondents’ perceptions of Russia’s place in the world politics
Particularly noteworthy is a who supported the viewpoint that Russia

significant decrease in the respondents’ regains the role of a world power sharply
perceptions of the imperial nature of Russian decreased from 25.1% to 10.5%.The data
civilization from 43.0% to 24.2% (judging by shows that the concepts of empire, sovereignty,
the clauses 1 and 3 of the diagram), and the and greatness in foreign policy, which burned
decrease in its Eurasian nature from 16.6% to in the student consciousness with the light of a
7.6%. At the same time, the number of students “supernova” in 2015, gave way to some other
who agreed with the need to integrate Russia concepts.
into European civilization increased from As can be seen from the diagram
5.8% to 15.7% and included an increase in its shown in Figure 3, it is the skew towards
status as a regional power from 2.8% to foreign policy that causes the most irritation
16.7%.However, the number of respondents among the respondents.
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820
Fig. 3. Respondents’ attitude toward Russian foreign policy
The same goes for the concept of what events in Russia in the near
of the Russian world. In 2015, when future could lead to protests, more than a
asked what a Russian world is, the quarter of respondents hypothesized that
respondents answered fairly confident the protests could be caused by the
and only 31.5% were not sure. However, intervention of the Russian government
in 2019, only 36.3% of respondents in political processes of other countries
supported the idea of the Russian world at the expense of domestic economy.
in one form or another, others were either Finally, a shift in the youth’s
completely indifferent (47.2%), or had value system is evident in relation to
hostile opinions about this ideology popular political slogans (see Table 2).
(14.7%). And in response to the question
Table 2.
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Strongly Tend to Strongly I don’t
Not sure
Slogans agree agree disagree care
2015 2019 2015 2019 2015 2019 2015 2019 2015 2019
Personal freedom and human
74,0 75,5 15,5 16,3 1,5 0,7 1,9 1,6 7,1 5,9
rights are inviolable!
“Our hearts demand changes!”* - 50,7 - 25,2 - 4,0 - 6,7 - 13,4
All the troubles in Russia are

caused by Judeo-Masonic 8,1 15,4 10,6 15,6 40,9 28,3 9,9 13,1 30,5 27,6
conspiracy
Stop feeding other nations! 10,9 38,5 23,3 23,0 30,2 13,8 15,0 7,7 20,6 16,9
Free the Internet!* - 58,1 - 21,2 - 3,3 - 6,1 - 11,3
Let us save nature for our

- 76,2 - 11,8 - 1,0 - 3,4 - 7,6
children!*
Russia is only for Russians! 8,2 11,4 25,6 11,6 45,1 50,1 10,2 12,5 10,9 14,3
Down with the oligarchs! (“Eat

pineapples and chew fois gras,
20,5 25,6 37,6 17,8 9,1 17,6 18,0 12,0 14,9 27,0
your last day is coming, accursed
bourgeois!” in 2019 survey)
For the Slavic brotherhood!

(“Slavs of the world, unite!” in 35,4 22,2 24,2 19,9 6,7 20,0 12,1 15,2 21,6 22,8
2019 survey)
*these slogans were not included in 2015 survey.

Table 3. Respondents’ attitude toward significant political slogans
(In percentage of the total number of respondents)
From the data given in Table 3, it can However, if in 2015 student consciousness
be seen that the students’ attitude towards seemed to be heterogeneous and torn because
liberal slogans of personal freedom and human it combined contradictory attitudes and values
rights has not changed over the past five years. (Potseluev et. al., 2016); in 2019 we observe
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822
solidification of left-liberal values in the concepts in the next cycle of their flickering.
cognitive ideological matrix. This can be seen Considering the fact that the slogan “Stop
in the decrease in the relevance of the far-right feeding other nations!” is more about social
and far-left attitudes that contradict liberalism, justice than about the resentment against other
with a shift of the entire structure to the center nations and races (the latter is refuted by the
and somewhat to the left. However, at the same clear antipathy to the slogan “Russia is only for
time, the well-known form of chauvinism –– Russians!”), the far-left crystallization of the
“welfare chauvinism” (Andersen&Bjørklund, conceptual frame of this flickering concept is
1990) –– had retained its significance. In entirely possible. Nevertheless, now, these
particular, this form of patriotism is manifested concepts are in the shadow of student
in a sharp increase in support of the slogan consciousness, increasingly giving way to
“Stop feeding other nations!”–– from 34.2% in liberal concepts.
2015 to 61.5% in 2019 (in summation of The strengthening of the reflected
strongly agree and tend to agree responses). liberal ideology is also indicated by the
Furthermore, there is no escaping the fact that increasing relevance of the ideas of the legal
the slogan “All the troubles in Russia are order and legal justice. As can be seen from the
caused by Judeo-Masonic conspiracy” became diagram in Figure 4, the maxim “One should
more tolerable (an increase of 12.6%). defend one’s interests by means permitted by
Therefore, it should be recognized law” has significantly strengthened in student
that the cognitive ideological matrix in student consciousness over the last five years, while in
consciousness remains open to the influence of 2015 respondents’ emphasized peaceful
far-right ideas, and the frustrations generated means. In addition, even though the number of
by the “chilling” of the political regime might respondents that are willing to take up arms in
very well strengthen these negative values and 2019 has not changed at all, the shift in
attitudes. However, it is impossible to predict emphasis from just peaceful means to legal
the direction of crystallization of these means is significant by itself.
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Fig. 4. Students’ preferences in means to achieve political goals
4. Discussion financial situation; therefore, we do not

Over the past few years, observe a sharp increase in the
Russian sociologists have recorded a importance of the concepts of social
general increase in protest moods, justice and equality. Furthermore, a
primarily among young people certain tilt to the left is explained by the
(Monitoring of Changes, 2019; Protest respondents’ concerns about the socio-
Activity, 2019; Protest Potential, 2019; economic situation in the country (46.7%
Galanina, 2019; Vnukova, 2015; noted that the country is experiencing an
Lukichev, 2018). However, the data economic crisis, and another 7.8%
presented above indicate that expect it in the near future). In contrast,
ideologically significant grounds for the ideological foundations for the
protest activity are, on the contrary, potential activity of right-wing radicals
losing their significance. Students do not among students are diminishing–– the
feel a significant deterioration in their concepts of chauvinism, anti-Semitism,
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racism, and sexism are losing the
intensity of their flickering. 5. Conclusion
No less important are the data The goal of the conducted
obtained by Russian sociologists on a sociological research was practical
steady increase in emigrational moods testing and correction of the author’s
among young people aged 18–24 years concept of cognitive-ideological
(from 22% in 2014 to 53% in September matrices based on the obtained empirical
of 2019) (Goncharov& Volkov, 2019). material. In general, the heuristic
However, here we do not observe potential of this concept was confirmed–
changes in student consciousness either. –it not only explains the specifics of the
In general, in 2019, respondents impact of ideology on individual and
were most concerned about the domestic group consciousness but also describes
issues, with socio-economic issues the crystallization processes of logically
considered the most important, followed ordered ideological concepts from
by quality of life issues with particular conflicting accounts of individual
regards to environmental issues (27.3% experience. Accordingly, this concept
consider the environmental disasters allows one to explain the empirically
caused by the climate change as the main observed ideological contradictions in
threats to Russia, second only to the individual consciousness by
threat of a new world war (28.3%)). distinguishing between two levels of the
Most respondents think the economic cognitive matrix––pre-reflective (the
crisis is caused by inefficient level of “vague” ideologues) and already
government and poor quality of reflected (the level of ideological
administration (28.7%), including a high concepts). One of the most important
level of corruption and crime (38.4%). categories of the above-mentioned
Despite this, students are only concerned concept is the “flickering concepts.” The
about internal migration to large cities, empirical material obtained from the
with the most respondents (41.4%) study made it possible to explicate these
relating to emigration situationally, and flickering concepts from student
have no such desire to leave Russia. consciousness and identify factors that
affect the intensity of their flickering.
V. 9 - Nº 02 - Ano 2020
825
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Potseluev S.P., Konstantinov M.S., Podshibyakina T.A. Flickering Concepts

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Periódico do Núcleo de Estudos e Pesquisas sobre Gênero e Direito

Centro de Ciências Jurídicas - Universidade Federal da Paraíba

Abstract: The study specifies the ideological to ideological concepts,

As can be seen from Fig. 1, only national patriotism (from 16.9% to

Which social category do you attribute yourself to? (2015)

As can be seen from the results At the same time, obvious

Fig. 2. Dynamics of respondents’ perceptions of Russia’s place in the world politics

Particularly noteworthy is a who supported the viewpoint that Russia

Fig. 3. Respondents’ attitude toward Russian foreign policy

“Our hearts demand changes!”* - 50,7 - 25,2 - 4,0 - 6,7 - 13,4

All the troubles in Russia are

Free the Internet!* - 58,1 - 21,2 - 3,3 - 6,1 - 11,3

Let us save nature for our

Down with the oligarchs! (“Eat

For the Slavic brotherhood!

*these slogans were not included in 2015 survey.

Fig. 4. Students’ preferences in means to achieve political goals

4. Discussion financial situation; therefore, we do not

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