The phenomenon of hierarchical consciousness: a socio-historical perspective

The authors propose a conceptualization of hierarchical consciousness as a universal socio-historical phenomenon based on descriptions of its sources, manifestation forms, and the nature of participation in social processes. The paper is of a review-theoretical nature, proceeding from the complex methodology of the junction of sociology, cultural and political anthropology, and social psychology. The authors consider the hierarchical consciousness of the subject as one of the fundamental sections of social representations, through which the subject reflects on the hierarchical aspects of the surrounding reality, as well as on his own behavioral strategies. There are competitive and dominant forms of hierarchical consciousness, the genesis and dynamics of which are determined by psychological sources, objective reality, as well as ideological factors. Hierarchical consciousness is realized on the scale of an individual, a social group, a whole society and civilization. The dominant form is more peculiar to the group scale, it is largely dependent on socio-political circumstances, primarily the struggle for more advantageous social positions. Intra-group processes are more likely to have a competitive form, and the nature of the competitiveness varies depending on the group status. On a national and civilizational scale, hierarchical consciousness is influenced by both external circumstances and cultural and historical determination associated with ethnonational values, mentality, historical memory, etc. Such consciousness acts as a factor in social processes and makes adjustments to the practice of implementing social ideas. It played a decisive role in many respects in the collapse of the Soviet socialist project, having carried out its socio-psychological undermining.