Transformational processes of the development of the human potential of the south of Russia in the conditions of post-Soviet conflict and geopolitical changes

The article reveals transformation processes that affect the quality of human capital in the post-Soviet period. The significance of the theoretical concepts of “conflict”, "regional conflict” and “essence of the political” through the immanent characteristics presented by the classic of political thought K. Schmitt is noted. The importance of analyzing the territorial development and the state of human potential for the characterization of the social structure, radically changing in the post-Soviet period in Russia and its individual regions, is emphasized. The article describes the main types of functionality of reference groups in accordance with the concept of R. Merton and describes various models of social behavior according to the criterion of social responsibility and asocial orientation. The data of the expert survey conducted by the authors in certain subjects of the Southern Federal District in 2018 are given on the problems of assessing the level of responsibility in work and the possibilities of disseminating radical ideas under the influence of external and internal factors on the ability of a regional community to reproduce their own cultural patterns. It emphasizes the role of ethical thinking in the context of the need to improve the modern society, experiencing crisis internal and external influences and tests of globalization. Special attention is paid to the level of support for the status of Crimea among young people living in the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.