Философия/2.Социальная философия

К.ф.н. Корниенко А. Н.

Сумский национальный университет, Украина

DRIVING FORCES OF PUBLIC OPINION

History of the phenomenon of public opinion clearly shows that the fundamental factors that accelerate the dynamics of public opinion are the needs of the masses because they contain a necessity that is felt by people in certain conditions of life and development. The resulting mass ratio needs in reality differ from each other by attitude that it is aimed at conferring that can compensate for a deficiency in certain elements of their life.

Striving to meet the immediate needs encourages people to exercise activity for certain mental and emotional and sensory processes. They can be expressed through the mindset, evaluations, opinions, volitional impulses, through their interaction, interpenetration and mergers. As a result, there is a holistic spiritual and practical formation of public opinion. In it, as if in a mirror, the content and nature of the need are reflected, that led it to life, the level of its importance for people, perseverance and desire to achieve satisfaction.

Recognized and actualized massive needs as objective are the driving force in the emergence and formation of public opinion that acts as a cause and motivations of different social and psychological processes inherent in the nature and mechanism of opinion formation.

However, it is important to emphasize that the intensity of the flow of social and psychological processes, and along with them - the formation and expression of mass value judgments is directly dependent on the presence or absence (partial or complete) real opportunities to meet the needs of mass-date. As history says, and if there is free use of such opportunities one can see dynamics of public opinion, that is, in the mode of best assistance is sanctified by positive and even sublime clearly emotionally sensitive public mood. Otherwise, there is a contradiction between the massive demand that has proved itself and real opportunities (or lack of fullness) of it satisfaction. It can cause the subject's emotional stress, feelings of anxiety and resentment - that leads to increased responsiveness and adverse of public opinion. With the removal of the same conflict by meeting the needs actualized when the subject of public opinion as we can say merges with its object, that is assigned with the content of this need, the reactivity of opinion that emerged gradually fades away and it is fraying. This is understandable, because in life it disappears, and hence in the public mind, a sense of a battery, which led to its appearance. "Need ...- wrote Hegel – is the contradiction that is felt and occurs inside the living entity, and becomes the activity of denial that is still a naked subjectivity. Satisfaction restores peace between subject and object as an objective, standing on the other side, while conflict continues to exist (the need), it is removed in this uniformity due to its connection with the subjective "[1, 393].

However, not every time the origin and formation of public opinion is due to the action of a powerful driving force that acts as updated by the mass consciousness of the need (as existing contradictions). While some needs are only still appearing and composed, and others have developed because of various reasons (a real opportunity for regular satisfaction) in a state of relative "calm", the function of the driving forces of the origin and formation of public opinion takes the interests of people and social communities.

Appearing with the needs and keeping them in a close relationship, interests express a specific attitude to the reality of objects that represent for them a great life significance and emotional appeal. Compared with the needs they serve as a direct impulse of public opinion origin and formation. Primarily as the need is focused on the subject of pleasure and interest is directed at those social relations, institutions, which depend on the distribution of objects, values, benefits, providing needs.

As the driving force of the dynamics of public opinion different kinds of interests primarily are manifested themselves through stable, emotionally rich, genuine people's attention to various facts and events, phenomena and processes, through their active desire to express it in their judgments and assessments, emotional and volitional acts, actions. And those events or phenomena of reality, causing the interest of not only individuals, but the majority of the population, that is. generate massive interest quickly get to the center of public attention and gather around a lot of different opinions, evaluations and emotions.

If the content and direction of diverging interests are stratified and opinions that they express, and thus becoming the basis for a consensus process can be quite lengthy, not complete. In the latter case not a monistic and internally coherent view of a community is formed but a pluralistic, diverse opinion as a collection of different positions on this issue appears . A formation of general ideas that can stimulate unity deeds and actions of people acts as a result of convergence, mergers of common interests regarding their content, depth of understanding and emotional and sensory experience. A wide range of existing interests of people, their gradual and very fast further development and deepening in modern conditions – is an important factor in the ability of public opinion to control a variety of facts, phenomena and processes of reality, and when changing situations of a society quickly switch their attention from one object to another.

Thus, the opinions and estimates of public opinion are based on the needs and interests of the masses. However, the nature, orientation, style and emotional public opinion are influenced by great value orientation. As a combination of mental and sensible sides, they may lead public opinion to an appropriate facility, determine a direction to it and to social information about it. This attitude can be positive or negative and neutral.

The most valuable orientations are based on ideas that help people understand their needs and interests, give more or less clear assessment of the various objects of reality. Since the valuable orientation are related with needs not directly but through valuable insight, they differ in some distance from most needs. This leads to a relatively free subordination of values in the structure of mass consciousness, and after that to the fact that as the basic values are embodied in any object of public opinion it can be not only material, economic, but also a variety of spiritual and ideological political phenomenon.

We should, however, admit that public opinion would not have been so prompt in their responses to a variety of facts, events and processes, if it came to life every time only under the direct influence of the needs, interests or values. No, this is not a review of their role as the main driving forces behind the emergence and formation of reactions and the state of public opinion. It is only that for more efficient performance of this role, the nature of social psychology of the masses, provided by two active assistants that can significantly reduce the formation of public opinion, that is the time to develop its own estimated-value treatment to certain events and facts. These are the social attitudes and stereotypes.

Being in close contact with values, they are made in the case where there is a valuable picture of an object, such as any phenomenon is transferred by analogy to all similar phenomena, resulting in relation to the latter and forming a certain setting. Mostly it is often a reaction to certain aspects of the phenomenon, but it happens that to a holistic and its manifestation.

Units Intervention into the formation of public opinion threatens in such a way that trigger almost the first response to a particular topical phenomenon, event, they "stack" formation of mass-estimated value judgments dynamics in a channel that meets their content. In other words, because of its nature, social attitudes are ahead of program development and manifestation of public opinion. They determine the susceptibility of the subject of public opinion to perceive different objects, and after that, and to express to them.

To explain the fact why based on the generated installation, public opinion is rather confident and focused in everyday life in a great variety of facts and events, one should bear in mind the phenomena and processes of reality. This response is an estimation of its impact that is consistent with the maintenance of the installation. You can watch both positive and negative sides of its value. First thing is evident in the case where the content of this setup does not prevent or even help shape public opinion in line with the new perception qualities of the object and hold on them to a balanced, socially significant position. Otherwise in the opposite case, public opinion becomes a kind of "victim" who trusted the old plant, which already meets neither the moment nor the spirit of the time, nor the needs of social development.

To evaluate the mechanism of influence of plants on the formation of public opinion it is important to bear in mind that "work" is not alone but together, showing each separately, one of the many parties, relationships, features phenomenon, eventually combined stereotype - the image of the phenomenon as a whole. Installation and stereotype are similar, homogeneous socio-psychological entities, but the stereotype of a broader context. They relate to each other as a species and generic term. Installing captures transmits partial and general stereotype.

Symbolically, at first the concept of "stereotype" was introduced in science in the book "Public Opinion" by American psychologist W. Lippmann. He used the term social stereotype, defining it as orderly, schematic, culture deterministic "world image" in the human head [2].

As history of public opinion shows, it is often the object of the same type, very similar in content and structure facts, events, phenomena. This leads to the fact that the attitude towards them from mass is characterized by a certain uniformity and stability, according to the facts, events, phenomena that are the subject of public opinion, are reacted many times, and even more often, the stereotype is formed and approved by its attitude to them . In such cases, the expression of public opinion can be seen as the result of mass attribution of previously issued ratings to the object of reality, which released at the moment. It is thanks to the vitality of stereotypes that are firmly rooted in the minds to the objects of reality, thus an instant reaction of public opinion can be sometimes watched , which is not preceded by a collision of individual, group thought, heated debate, long maturation of general point of view.

The inherent stereotype heightened emotionality increases evaluation character judgments of public opinion. In the mass consciousness a rich content of social memory stereotype come through life. Focused in a concise, concentrated form of diverse experiences of the assessment of past events, phenomena and processes at one time have resulted in an unambiguous reaction of public opinion to an external object.

Noticing a sequence in influencing the reaction of mass estimates to the main driving forces of social and psychological factors it can be concluded that the birth and formation of the system of public opinion are carried out by a kind of chain, needs - interests - the valuable orientation - installation - stereotypes. It is in this sequence (explicitly or implicitly, in expanded or minimized way) declares itself in the dynamics of public opinion connected by life, social practice of considered chain formations. Links of the chain made in communications and interaction with each other, form a kind of code of reaction or the current state of public opinion. To decrypt the content of this code – is to come to the same motives that triggered the dynamics and the revitalization of this opinion, it is better to see and understand its distinctive features and characteristics, present possible ways of its development and manifestations not only in the present but in the future.

Literature:

1. Hegel. Encyclopedia philosophskih nauk. - M., "Mysl", 1974.-452 s.

2. W. Lippman. Obschestvennoe mnenie - M: Institut Fonda "Obschestvennoe mnenie", 2004. - 384 s.