Life Strategy in Religious Context: Philosophical and Psychological Analysis of the Subjectivity Problem

The purpose of the article is a comprehensive interdisciplinary analysis of the genesis of the meaningful content of the term “life strategy.” This concept is considered from the point of view of the history of philosophy, psychology, and the philosophy and psychology of religion. According to the authors, life strategy is not just a psychological phenomenon but a complex phenomenon in which philosophical concepts of freedom, subjectivity, and determinism are combined with psychological mechanisms of self-regulation and goal-setting and, in the case of a believer, are transformed under the influence of religious views on the role of higher forces in human life. The authors of the article are to overcome the contradiction (which was identified by S.L. Rubinstein) between recognizing the transformative power of religious practices and limiting a person’s genuine creative activity to a religious worldview. To accomplish this task, the historical and philosophical foundations of the concept of life strategy were first identified through an analysis of the works of H. Wolf, V. Wundt, and V. Dilthey, as well as empirical research by S. Bühler. Second, the influence of dialectical Hegelian philosophy and neo-Kantianism on the development of psychological concepts of subjectivity and free will in the twentieth century was examined. Third, the theory of S.L. Rubinstein, who introduced the concepts of the “subject of life” and the “external through internal,” was considered in relation to the concept of life strategy. Fourth, the concept of life strategy developed by K.A. Abulkhanova-Slavskaya was reviewed, including its typology, structure, and criteria for effectiveness. Finally, the authors focused on describing the religious dimension of life strategy by analyzing the functions of religion as outlined by K. Pargament, who also developed a typology of believers’ attitudes regarding God’s involvement in resolving life problems.