No 4 (2012)

The article presents the analytical reconstruction of the Russian official’s social type. The work is implemented within the transpersonal approach paradigm and uses the conceptual resources of N. Luhmann’s theory of social autopoiesis and M. Weber’s theory of bureaucracy. The article shows that this approach can give a sufficient approximation of the psychological and behavioral features of the official’s social type, including such an intrinsic feature of its professional ethos as bureaucratic formalism.

The agricultural co-operation development project is carried out in Belgorod region which is known for its agro-holdings. The interviews with the leaders of two co-operatives have shown that they are still a far cry from its classic ideal. To a great extent, they are closer to being mediators between the agricultural producers and consumers of their produce. The local authorities have built for them a well-protected market niche, characterized not so much by competition, but rather by administrative bargaining. Nevertheless, we know from the history of co-operation that the first steps were often made similarly.

On the basis of sociological research the article examines various forms of social activity of students in a poly-ethnic region, including their participation in the protest movement. The author notes that the students mainly choose legal forms of protecting their interests. Among the young people, the level of tolerance as regards the representatives of other cultures, is quite high, which in many respects results from the centuries-old experience of inter-ethnic coexistence, accumulated in the regional community.

The article identifies the methodological peculiarities and the results of the Sociology laboratory (PFUR) “measurement” of stable stereotypes in the mass youth consciousness regarding those neighbor countries which are the closest to our country in the geopolitical context. Understanding and recognizing the arbitrariness and schematic nature of the applied instruments and the resulting content constructions, the authors, nevertheless, believe that the suggested “measurement” model may become a perfect basis in developing and implementing projects on a larger scale in terms of the questionnaire volume and sample stratification structure, the projects being aimed at the study of social representations and image-country comparisons, including other socio-cultural contexts.

Phenomenological sociology, due to its specific approach to the study of society, has become the theoretical and methodological basis for analyzing a number of social phenomena, conventionally termed as “subjective”. To these phenomena we refer adaptation — a complex social-psychological process, involving the individual’s immersion into a new socio-cultural milieu and, consequently, initiating ambiguous shifts in personal development. The article describes the results of the research carried out in April, 2012 and focused on adaptation processes characteristic for PFUR students, with the analysis relying on the depth interview method within the framework of this theoretical paradigm.

In this article the author examines the full stage-by-stage algorithm of implementing his research based on the focus-group method and including the whole cycle — from receiving the request for research to presenting the final report. Special attention is given both to carrying out the works and procedures, and to preparing the records essential in fulfilling a practical research project.