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D. Tashimkhanova, A. Ismailova

Eurasian national university named after L.N. Gumilyov, Kazakhstan

 

TOLERANCE AS A KEY TO SUCCESSFUL INTERACTION IN THE MULTIETHNIC SOCIETY

 

Contemporary socio-cultural reality of Kazakhstan is multi-ethnic, and in such circumstances, the most urgent problem of ethno-cultural and ethno-linguistic relationship emerges. The state policy of Kazakhstan since the first days of its independence is directed to preservation and strengthening of international peace and stability, harmony and constructive inter-ethnic dialogue. The key to a successful interethnic interaction is the tolerance.

Tolerance is, on the one hand, the moral principle regulating human activity, forming a special type of philosophy, and, on the other hand, a practical tool to effectively solve contradictions and conflicts [1: 32].

In Kazakhstan, the condition for the formation and development in the public mind the culture of tolerance implies constitutional recognition of equal rights and freedoms of all citizens, regardless of nationality, non-discrimination on ethnic or racial grounds. Experience states that «the nations with different national psychology, culture, mentality can get along with each other and establish constructive relations, growing into friendship and spiritual affinity» [2: 5].

Etymologically, the concept of tolerance goes back to the Latin. «Tolerantia», in many cultures, it was treated as tolerance, patience, and semantically implied passive orientation. In the process of formation of the term its semantic content changed. Currently, the majority of researches, reference books associate tolerance with active voluntary and conscious social behavior of the individual. «Tolerance - not passive, unnatural conquest of view, opinions and actions of others; not submissive patience, and an active position of moral and psychological readiness for tolerance in the name of mutual understanding between ethnic groups, social groups, in the name of positive interaction with people of different cultural, ethnic, religious or social environment» [3: 235].

Tolerance - the quality of the moral, it is formed in a specific socio-cultural environment, and its formation is influenced by a number of factors. Formation of tolerance mentality of students is one of the most important directions in the activity of educational institutions. Educational institution takes part in socialization and giving basic education builds the foundation for the basic training of a person, which is inextricably linked with the ideas of intercultural dialogue, inter-ethnic harmony and tolerance.

According to teachers, neglect or a lack of attention to the problems of tolerance formation among young people is fraught with the fact that this may lead to a denial of their moral principles.

We conducted a survey revealed the general tolerance level first-year students of the Eurasian National University named after L.N. Gumilyov. The survey was attended by students of different specialties of the University at the age of 17 to 19 years.

To conduct the survey, we used the express questionnaire «Tolerance Index» developed by a team of psychologists of the Russian center «Gratis» (G.U. Soldatova, O.A. Kravtsova, O.E. Huhlayev, L.A. Shaygerova).

The questionnaire contained 22 statements on which the students had to express their agreement or disagreement on a 6-point scale.

All the statements can be grouped into three blocks: the first block of the statements aimed at the diagnosis of ethnic tolerance / intolerance. This block includes the statements such as: «I am ready to accept as a member of my family a person of any nationality»,  «I want people of different nationalities to be among my friends», «In mixed marriages there are usually more problems than in the ones between people of the same nationality» and others.

The second block includes the statements that reflect the social tolerance / intolerance (the relation of the respondents to the individual social groups and categories of people such as minorities, the mentally ill people, the poor): «It is unpleasant to talk with slovenly people», «Refugees do not need help more than the residents who have problems not less than refugees», «Beggars and tramps are guilty in their problems themselves», «All the mentally ill should be isolated from society» and others.

The third block was connected with the diagnosis of tolerance as personality traits. This block includes the statements such as: «Even if I have my own opinion, I am ready to listen to other points of view», «The man who does not think like me, makes me irritated», «If someone comes to me rude, I say the same», «The dispute can only be one correct point of view» and others.

Collective evaluation of tolerance level was carried out in three levels:

• Low level (threshold) tolerance (determined in the range 22-60 points);

• Average level of tolerance (in the range 61-99 points);

• A high level of tolerance (within 100-132 points).

The survey results showed that the respondents did not express intolerant attitudes toward people around them, as a whole, and in particular to representatives of other nationalities. The level of intolerance was overcome by all, with 6% of the students showed a high level of tolerance, showing brightly expressed traits of a tolerant personality, positively ready to accept others as they are, open to the conflict-free interaction with the people around them, including representatives of other ethnic groups. However, according to psychologists, such indicators may be evidence of the erosion of «tolerance boundaries», such as those associated with the psychological infantilism, trends in connivance, condescension or indifference.

The main part of the students (94%) showed an average level of tolerance. Such individuals are characterized by a combination of both tolerant and intolerant traits. The degree of tolerance depends on the social situation, i.e. in some social situations, they behave tolerantly, and in the others, they may show intolerance [4: 316].

 According to the survey, the majority of students have a fairly high degree of ethnic openness. With the statement «I want people of different nationalities to be among my friends», 82% of the respondents agreed. Willingness to accept as a member of his family a nationality of another person as a whole 60% of respondents showed. The survey data show that ethnic discrimination is manifested in the choice of his inner circle, so that family and marriage relations with representatives of other ethnic groups were not acceptable for 40% of the students.

Clearly, these data cannot claim to be exhaustive, but they reveal the tolerant principles, typical for young people, identify methods of tolerant personality education, to clarify the formation way of a tolerance culture, the mentality of tolerance promoting the preservation of civil peace, stable inter-ethnic, inter-ethnic relations in country.

 

Literature

1. Zolotukhin V.M. Two tolerance concepts. – Kemerovo: Kuzbass. state. techn. university. – 1999. – 63 p.

2. Mazhitov S.F. Interaction and interference national cultures: theory and problems of continuity // Questions of culture  and art of Kazakhstan on the threshold of the ÕÕI century. – Almaty: ChP Alekseev , 1999. – p. 4-7.

3. Buluktayev U.O. The essence and prospects of Kazakhstani model of interethnic tolerance and social harmony // Kazakhstani model of interethnic tolerance and social harmony of  N.A. Nazarbayev: Mater. Of Int. scient.-pract. Conf. – Almaty, 2015. – p. 232 - 238

4. Tashimkhanova D.S., Yavorskaya E.E. Etiquette behavior of students in the initial situations of communicative interaction // Lingvocultural values ​​in a multiethnic society: collective monograph. – Volgograd: Paradigm, 2015. – P. 313-331.