Title of the article:

THE STATE AND THE CHURCH AS REGULATORS OF PRO-SOCIAL BEHAVIOR OF RUSSIANS: AN INSTITUTIONAL ANALYSIS

Author(s):

Pavel A. Kislyakov

Elena A. Shmeleva

Sergey Ye. Sergeev

Information about the author/authors

Pavel A. Kislyakov — DSc in Psychology, Associate Professor, Russian State Social University, Wilhelm Pieck St., 4, 129226 Moscow, Russia. ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1238-9183 E-mail: pack.81@mail.ru

Elena A. Shmeleva — DSc in Psychology, Associate Professor, Ivanovo State University, Kooperativnaya St., 24, 155908 Shuya, Ivanovo region, Russia; Ivanovo fire and rescue Academy of the Ministry of emergency situations of Russia, Stroiteley Ave., 33, 153040 Ivanovo; Russian State Social University, Wilhelm Pieck St., 4, 129226 Moscow, Russia. ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4698-5226 E-mail: noc_shmeleva@mail.ru

Sergey E. Sergeev — Post-graduate Student, Russian State Social University, Wilhelm Pieck St., 4, 129226 Moscow, Russia. E-mail: sergeev.sergey1993@mail.ru

Section

Theory and history of culture

Year

2022

Volume

Vol. 63

Pages

pp. 126–142

Received

June 04, 2021

Approved after reviewing

November 30, 2021

Date of publication

March 28, 2022

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37816/2073-9567-2022-63-126-142

Index UDK

008

Index BBK

71(2) + 60.524(2)

Acknowledgements

The study was carried out with financial support of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR) and the EIS under the scientific project 21-011-33053.

Abstract

The issue of understanding socio-cultural challenges and threats to the state, society and the individual requires justification of socially approved, positive value-semantic grounds for maintaining the unity of Russian society. Political philosophy and social evolutionism show that the state and religion may act as institutional regulators of pro-social human behavior. The moral and doctrinal obligations acquired on the basis of religious identity play an important role in the formation of pro-social behavior. Modern research conducted by Western sociologists and social psychologists does not give a clear answer to the issue of the influence of the Christian faith on pro-sociality. Since the second half of 2012, Russia has been developing a new strategy for the development of society, building it on a traditionally conservative basis based on the cultural and Orthodox traditions of charity, mutual assistance and care. Orthodox faith and ecclesiasticism have an impact on the pro-social behavior of Russians. At the same time, our study showed that among Russians there is an ambivalent idea of a pro-socially oriented person in terms of religiosity and traditionalism. The development of ideas and practices of pro-social behavior, voluntary service to the needy finds a significant response in Christianity. The Russian Orthodox Church is rapidly developing both types of various diaconal practices of volunteering and their mass popularization, which indicates a qualitative modification of socio-cultural attitudes in the church and public space: there is a certain shift to institutional trends.

Keywords

prosocial behavior, social norms, institutionalization, Russian society, state, church, orthodoxy, volunteering.

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