Sociological techniques for researching the mentality of socially vulnerable population groups

The paper shows the relevance of the study resulting from lack of a unified interpretation of the term “mentality”, multiple approaches to its definition, underdeveloped methodological techniques and, in particular, lack of methodological approaches to analyzing the mentality of socially vulnerable population groups. Attention is drawn to the incomplete examination of mentality of certain social groups, the differences in the “nature” of mentality of which is one of the reasons of social stratification leading to exclusion. The paper structures the approaches to the definition of “mentality”, among them are: historical, philosophical, psychological, ethnographic, socio-cultural, socio-economic, and interdisciplinary. It also reveals both specific and common features characteristic of the term “mentality” in most definitions and reflecting its essence: way of thinking (mindset), view of life, system of values, a regulator of normative attitude to the world, behavioral pattern, belonging to a particular community on social or national grounds...