About cultural-psychological sources of neotraditionalism in the East: power and taboo

Abstract

The phenomenon of “neotraditionalism”, widely presented today in the East, is analyzed from the standpoint of cultural-historical psychology. The revival of “archaic” expressions explained the appeal of political elites (conscious or unconscious) to the deep layers of human consciousness, which in traditional society ensure the legitimacy of the “power tradition”. The essence of this power embodied in the social fear, which occurred with the first behavioral norms. In this connection the norm taboos, widely represented in the traditional society, which originally marked the hierarchy, asymmetry prescribing behavior of the upper and lower strata (rulers and ruled) is analyzed. The psycho-physiological mechanism of an interdiction (I. P. Pavlov, Z. Kastro), inevitably generating in mentality the ambivalent feeling which component is the fear reveals. Intentional object of the same feelings were representatives of the higher strata (L. S. Vygotsky). The archetype of imperious behavior is tracked on example political practices of the East where taboos in shape “absurd laws” are much presented in a legal field of the states of region. It also largely determines the behavior of politicians which acts as time in archaic forms. Refs 60.