1. Topic: "Is it necessary to have your own opinion."
2. Audience: university students.
3. Purpose: to convince that you need to have your own opinion.
4. Kind of eloquence: academic.
5. Presentation type: informational.
6. Introduction type: parable.
7. The semantic type of speech in the main part: reasoning.
8. Type of conclusion: quote.

Completed by: Mirzina S.A.

Hello dear students!

I would like to bring to your attention the topic: "Is it necessary to have your own opinion?" I touched on this topic because it worries me very much. Is it bad or good to have your own opinion? Do not confuse "your own opinion" with "imposed opinion". I often hear from my girlfriend, “what are you difficult person, you can’t be persuaded. ” I don't want to hear that about myself. I am a difficult person, because I do not take someone else's opinion for my own ??? You live, you think, as you want, you have your dreams, plans. Then a person appears (not necessarily a girlfriend) who tries to impose his opinion on you. Why is there a conflict of opinion? For example: what difference does it make how to wash the floor? Wiggle the mop back and forth or left to right? And this is where the expression of "my opinion" begins.

Parable: “A man came to the temple. And then one comes up to him and says: "You are not holding your hands like that!" The second runs up: "You're not standing there!" The third grumbles: "Not dressed like that!" Behind them they are pulling back: "You are baptized incorrectly!" ... In the end, one woman came up and said to him: "You, you know, in general, would have left the church, bought yourself a book about how to behave here, then you would have come in!" A man came out of the church, sat down on a bench and wept bitterly. He hears a voice from the sky: - Why don't they let you in? The man raised his tear-stained face and said: - They won't let you in! - Don't cry, they won't let me go there either ... "

I think that many have their own opinion, but they are not used to bringing it up for discussion, fearing to be misunderstood, ridiculed and watered with "dirt", which is basically what happens ...

"Public opinion rules people."

Blaise Pascal.

A person in his actions often tries to follow the opinion of the majority. As if he is afraid to have his own opinion and argue for it.

Thank you for the attention.

The subject, object and methods of sociology intersect in public opinion. This is a distinctive feature of this discipline: no other science examines the public opinion of the population as deeply, large-scale and comprehensively as sociology.

For the first time the term "public opinion" sounded in 1159 in the speech of the English statesman and writer John Salisbury, and became generally accepted from the end of the 18th century.

Public opinion- This is a specific manifestation of mass consciousness, expressed in value judgments (oral and written) and mass actions (peaceful and non-peaceful). It characterizes the explicit (or hidden) ratio of large social groups(primarily the majority of the people) to those problems that represent the vital interests of people, require urgent solutions and affect the collective conditions of the population. Public opinion can support or condemn government reforms, reflecting the collective will of the people. Thus, public opinion manifests itself first in judgments and then in actions.

In sociology, there are several concepts of public opinion.

1. Monistic concept: public opinion is an internally single entity, the opinion of the majority of the people, which, by virtue of this, has moral and political authority and is true ("the people are always right").

2. Pluralistic concept: public opinion is a set of positions of various social groups with different percentages (one group, or stratum, - 23%, another - 8%, etc.); there is no consensus in public opinion.

3. Synthetic concept: modern researchers are trying to reconcile extreme positions, believing that at first there are several different opinions about one object, then a dominant opinion stands out from among them, which is soon shared by most people. Or otherwise: today public opinion reflects the position of the minority, and tomorrow it grows into the opinion of the majority, or, on the contrary, the position of the majority splits into a whole spectrum of minority opinions (multiple public opinion).

It should be emphasized that public opinion expresses precisely the mass, not public consciousness, and here's why. The relationship between public consciousness, focused on established traditions, moral imperatives, historical features people, and mass consciousness, reflecting the current state of mood, attitudes and preferences, the same as between values ​​of society, not influenced by fashion and the "spite of the day", and value orientations, those. subjective perception and interpretation moral ideals regarding their capabilities, interests and benefits.

Thus, public opinion reflects rather (a) mass consciousness and (b) value orientations. By interviewing people on the street, at work or at home, a sociologist gets an instant picture of public opinion, the current state, momentary moods and attitudes that can change quickly. The study of moral values ​​(as opposed to value orientations) requires deeper methods.

If public opinion has gone beyond the boundaries of the moment, its role increases. Once formed, it can maintain stability for a long time, and sometimes even gain a foothold in customs and traditions. After World War II, smoking became fashionable in the United States. But in 1957, American public opinion changed dramatically: a broad campaign was launched in the media to healthy image life. Today smokers have become the target of universal condemnation. An unhealthy addiction can affect social status and prestige. Smokers are not hired for some jobs. The whole society is struggling with them. Smoking cessation has become a custom yuppie- the intellectual stratum of the middle class, and a ban on smoking in public places is now being introduced by most countries of the world.

The purpose of public opinion as a set of ideas, assessments and judgments common sense, shared by the majority of the population or part of it, consists in the fact that it, firstly, must talk to everyone and everything, secondly, there should be heard by everyone and always. For this, two prerequisites are important: technical and political. Availability technical means communicating the views of the majority to the whole society (radio, television, Internet) is as important as being prepared political regime give people freedom of expression. Only both of these conditions - both technical and political - are able to shape public opinion as social institution.

Methods for shaping public opinion are suggestion, persuasion, imitation. It can be formed both spontaneously and consciously, i.e. as a result of a deliberate impact on the population of government bodies or political parties.

Public opinion channels newspapers, magazines, radio, television, the Internet, oral propaganda, political agitation, communication, rumors, collection of signatures, referrals of citizens to the media, polls and referendums, alternative elections with secret ballot, participation in the activities of legislative and executive bodies of power, peaceful meetings, pickets, rallies, demonstrations, protests, strikes, hunger strikes, road closures, blocking administrative buildings finally, riots.

V modern world the main channel of public opinion are mass media... Between them and public opinion there are asymmetric relationships: while the media have a huge impact on public opinion, public opinion is unable to influence them. The media often serve as the mouthpiece of a particular party or group, print ordered or deliberately implausible materials, seeking to shape public opinion in the direction they need.

The channels of expression of public opinion perform a real function (help to solve a social problem) or are demonstrative in nature (draw attention to the problem). The dissemination of public opinion is subject to the principle of self-compensation: in the event of blocking one channel, information rushes through others, freer or more accessible. There is a redistribution of streams along the remaining channels.

Subjects of public opinion- individuals, groups, parties, organizations, classes, social communities and strata. Individuals act as subjects in those cases when they play the role of conspirators, organizers of mass protests, creators of new ideas, customers of specific newspaper materials, leaders of public opinion, inspirers of social movements. The masses usually play the role of simple agents: recipients, carriers, distributors, agitators. TO opinion leaders ranked the most famous media representatives, members of elected representative bodies, informal leaders of labor collectives, government officials, politicians, economists, cultural figures and businessmen, political strategists, analysts, etc.

The first leaders of the collective will were tribal leaders, who could oppose their point of view to the opinion of other members of the community, were able the best way formulate what the masses wanted, could influence public opinion in the right direction, mobilize its strength and capabilities to solve socially significant problems (for example, educating youth in a patriotic spirit), protect existing traditions and cult values, form a positive background for decision-making in favor of declaring war or accepting peace. In ancient times, these included pharaohs and basileus, priests and archons, kings and nobility, senators and rhetoricians, bankers and entrepreneurs, prominent politicians and scientists, outstanding writers, actors and artists.

Public opinion cannot be thought of as a mere sum of those private opinions that people exchange in a small circle of family or friends. It determines the behavior of individuals, social groups, masses and states because it wears integrative character, those. is a concentrated expression of the collective intelligence, which has the status of the highest authority. This is an important function of public opinion - to act as a plenipotentiary solidarity collective consciousness. In addition, public opinion has cumulative effect: the original idea, as it unfolds, acquires more and more emotional force and multiplies the number of supporters. A small initial impetus is enough, which can be played by a talented leader of public opinion.

There is a deep contradiction by goals, motives, forms of behavior and end results.

Object of public opinion are specific topics on which a common point of view is expressed or can be expressed. The more the object affects the interests of people, the more vividly the general opinion is manifested.

Historians have established that in 1962 NS Khrushchev's decision to remove missiles from Cuba and thus out of the crisis was influenced by the public opinion of the Soviet people. The population of the USSR was very afraid of nuclear war, and the Soviet leader knew that deep down in his soul, society did not support his adventurous plans. Another example: the government of the Perm Territory made a decision to resign under the influence of public opinion in the region after the tragedy in a fire in a nightclub, which killed 156 people on the night of December 5, 2009.

Public attention of Europeans and Americans in the 20th century. chained to themselves such phenomena as the emancipation of women, racism and oppression of minorities. Public opinion, to which the authorities do not listen, most often takes the form of an organized social movement. Example: public condemnation in Russia of the project for the transfer of northern rivers in the late 1980s. A small group of intelligentsia rose up against the monopoly of scientific institutes, entire departments and officials "fed" by them, who receive considerable benefit from the project. After their support by television and the press, a broad social movement arose. The majority's opinion changed, and soon a government decision was made to suspend funding for the project.

Spheres of expression of public opinion- politics, law, morality, religion, science, culture, social life.

In the modern world, public opinion has two fortunes:

• 1) latent(or potential), i.e. unexpressed public opinion, which is formed in a narrow circle of friends and does not go beyond kitchen conversations;
• 2) explicit(or actual, real), i.e. public opinion expressed publicly through the media.

Public opinion can be spontaneous or well planned, voluntary or coercive.

Public opinion was forced and planned during the years of Soviet power, when, for example, the Academy of Sciences of the USSR was required to condemn Academician A.D. Sakharov, and labor collectives it was proposed to support the next initiative of the CPSU. On the eve of voting on general meeting explanatory work was carried out with scientists or workers on the part of the party committee, after which there was no need to fear for the collective opinion of the collective.

There are the following stages of public opinion formation.

• 1. Inception: the emergence of a wide interest among people in a specific problem, for example, conscription, and an active search for information.
• 2. Formation: in the course of exchanging views on a problem that interests people, they have a sense of community and, possibly, acquaintance with each other; active work is underway to find and rally like-minded people; the dominant assessments are revealed, around which the main forces are concentrated.
• 3. Functioning: the dominant opinion is legitimized and is able to act as a partner (adversary) of the authorities and control bodies, which are responsible for exacerbating the problem (in our case, with the army command).
• 4. Recession: decrease in mass interest in the problem. This happens for a number of reasons:
  • - the problem has become irrelevant;
  • - the solution to the problem is impossible;
  • - the problem is resolved;
  • - a new problem has appeared, which has become the focus of attention.

For dynamics of public opinion linear dependence is least characteristic. Most often, two of its forms appear: spasmodic and pendulum. Both of them are explained by the innate ability of public opinion to be sensitive to current events and change its sign (from plus to minus and vice versa) in a short period of time.

So, in the estimates of the army in the early 1990s. negative tones prevailed, and in the early 2000s - positive ones. During this period, the role of the army in our society has increased, and the government has begun to pay more attention to it.

How specific social institution public opinion has certain functions. There are the following function public opinion as a social institution: evaluative, regulatory, advisory, control, protective, directive. As a social institution, public opinion consolidates the human community, puts things in order by demonstrating to each individual what generally accepted views are, how other citizens think, how to reach agreement with them, how to cooperate and achieve common goals. As a result, we can assert that public opinion carries not only an informational component, but also a value load. It shows the entire population what the hierarchy of values, ideals, assessments, moral principles v modern society where and what most people are striving for. Public opinion can encourage and punish under threat of isolation, i.e. coerce people into common normative behavior and value unity. It serves as a mechanism for social integration through intragroup consensus opinion.

The historical meaning of the existence of public opinion as a social institution is the organization and maintenance of a dialogue between the authorities and society. The authorities should be aware of everything that their subjects think about, how they perceive, evaluate and are ready to support government reforms, how citizens trust the basic institutions of society; polls should capture inadequate forms of reaction to the activities of the state, etc.

Thus, in a democratic society, a special mechanism for responding to socially significant problems by expressing judgments on them by interested strata of the population has developed and stably functions.

Public opinion acts as the institution of direct democracy, especially when the people are not satisfied with the activities of representative institutions. The population strives to express their opinion directly, in the form of a rally, thus exercising pressure on the bodies of representative power. The masses who have taken to the streets exert direct pressure on the authorities, creating critical or crisis situations. Exposing materials published in the media can serve as a basis for the rotation of management personnel and the dismissal of persons violating the law.

American sociology classic Hadley Cantril (1906-1969) articulated laws governing public opinion :

• 1. People's opinion is sensitive to important issues.
• 2. Unusual events can temporarily swing public opinion from one extreme to the other.
• 3. The opinion is more influenced by events than words, if they are not interpreted as events.
• 4. Statements and actions are meaningful until a final opinion is formed or people wait for confirmation from a reliable source.
• 5. Public opinion is not able to foresee the crisis, it can only react to it.
• 6. In a crisis situation, people listen only to the opinion of their leader.
• 7. If there is personal interest, then it is difficult to change the opinion.
• 8. The important characteristics of an opinion are focus, intensity, breadth and depth.
• 9. Collective opinion, as well as personal, is always emotionally colored.
• 10. Public opinion cannot be awakened if people do not feel that their vital interests are being affected.
• 11. People are more receptive and easier to form an opinion in relation to goals than to methods of achieving them.
• 12. Opinion does not stabilize until perspective is visible.
• 13. When an opinion is held by a small majority or when it is not structured, its acceptance is influenced by the action taken.
• 14. Protest opinion is weaker when people feel they are participating in responsible decision-making.
• 15. The higher the level of education of citizens, the more often public opinion is characterized by sobriety and common sense.

Other experts supplement the list with new provisions, in particular the following:

• - the events themselves have the greatest influence on people's opinion;
• - the usual reaction of public opinion is the demand to do something;
• - it is impossible to assess the correctness of any opinion, personal or public.

As an object of sociological study, public opinion is characterized by directionality, intensity, stability, prevalence and reliability.

• Direction public opinion indicates his predisposition and is expressed in the answers "yes - no - I find it difficult to say" to the questionnaire questions.
• Intensity shows how seriously people take their opinions, and is measured by a scale of values ​​"completely disagree - rather agree than disagree - find it difficult to say - rather disagree than agree - completely disagree."
• Sustainability shows how long the respondents are willing to adhere to the expressed opinion. It is determined by at least two observations at different points in time.
• Prevalence characterizes the share of the population adhering to this opinion, is determined by the percentage distribution of the respondents' answers.
• Credibility- an indicator of the authenticity of the information received by the sociologist. It is determined by special methodological techniques.

Sociology studies public opinion very widely. This is its main subject: questionnaires and interviews are aimed primarily at him, therefore sociology is often equated with the study of public opinion. It is investigated in two ways: either they interview typical citizens and then generalize statistical data, or they interview not typical, but the most active subjects. Today sociologists and political scientists are interested in the entire spectrum of public opinion, including finding out the opinion of people on the eve of elections and immediately after them. Public opinion is studied when they want to know the rating of a political leader and / or a particular party. A public opinion poll is conducted on any socially significant events in the life of the country.

Sociology of public opinion- This is a branch area that studies the laws of the emergence and functioning of public opinion, its structure and composition.

A sociological survey of public opinion in our country began a long time ago. In 1960 under the newspaper "Komsomolskaya Pravda" the Institute of Public Opinion began to work under the direction of BA Grushin. During the first two years of its existence, the Institute conducted eight all-Union polls using various sampling models and methods of collecting information. In 1964, a group was created at the Central Committee of the Komsomol sociological research under the leadership of V.G. Vasiliev, after which there are research structures at more than 40 regional, regional and republican committees of the Komsomol. Polls of different groups about leisure activities, preferred ways of spending free time, and life plans are becoming widespread. On the initiative of V.E.Shlyapentokh, polls of readers of central newspapers are conducted on a nationwide (random) sample. When examining the readers of Literaturnaya Gazeta, 80,000 questionnaires were sent out by mail, and about 5,000 were received back by mail. The Institute for Concrete Social Research in 1967 began fundamental research"Public opinion" in Taganrog, which continued with some interruptions until the beginning of this century. In the early 1980s. the Center for the Study of Public Opinion was established at the Institute of Sociological Research of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR. A serious step towards transparency in public opinion polls was a Soviet-French study carried out in 1987 (V.A.Mansurov). For the first time, the citizens of the USSR answered questions about Academician Sakharov, about the attitude to the war in Afghanistan, to anti-alcohol policy, expressed opinions about the changes that began in the country at the initiative of Mikhail Gorbachev and received the name "perestroika". Within the framework of research project"Peace Barometer" (V. S. Korobeinikov) passed several public opinion polls jointly with foreign colleagues. Subsequently, this pan-European project from the Russian side was headed by E. Bashkirova.

In December 1987, the All-Union Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM), headed by T.I. Zaslavskaya, was created under the USSR Ministry of Labor and the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions. BA Grushin and Yu. A. Levada (later director of VTsIOM) became her deputies. Several networks of interviewers were formed on the basis of regional survey structures and regional and regional party schools associated with the Academy of Social Sciences under the Central Committee of the CPSU. The previously established network of interviewers continues to operate today. The Central Statistical Office (CSB) under the Council of Ministers of the USSR had its own network, which often conducted surveys in conjunction with the ISI of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Interviews were periodically conducted by republican and regional committees for radio and television broadcasting. Their methodological center is sociological service All-Union television. Similarly, the USSR Ministry of Higher Education created a network of interviewers to survey students. In the first half of the 1990s. many new survey centers have emerged, including the Public Opinion Foundation (A. A. Oslon, E. S. Petrenko), the Vox Populi Public Opinion Research Service of Professor B. A. Grushin, and others. carried out in monitoring mode. The topics of the polls conducted by the metropolitan and regional services are becoming wider: from everyday consumption of goods and services to attitudes towards the authorities, political and electoral orientations. What the barometer shows // Novoye Vremya. 1987. No. 47.

For details see: Mansurov V.L., Petrenko E.S. Study of public opinion in Russia and the USSR // Sociology in Russia; ed. V. A. Yadova. M., 1998.S. 569-586.

Direction " Human and society"is included in the list of topics for the final essay for the 2017/18 academic year.

Below will be presented examples and Additional materials to develop the theme of man and society in the final essay.

Essay on the topic: Man and Society

Man and society - this is how one of the themes of the final composition sounds. The topic is vast, multifaceted and deep.

Man, individual, personality - in this sequence it is customary to build the "path" that people go through in the process of socialization. The last term is familiar to us from the lessons of social science. It means the process of embedding a person into society. This is a lifelong journey. That's right: throughout life we ​​interact with society, change under its influence, change it with our ideas, thoughts and deeds.

Society - a complex system the interaction of his individuals with all their interests, needs and worldview. Man is unthinkable without society, just as society is without man.

Society generates intelligence, meaning and will. It is truly legitimate, it concentrates the essence of human existence: everything in which a person differs from a biological being and that reveals his rational and spiritual nature. Society forms a human personality, its system of socially significant characteristics of a person as a member of society.

Among decent and well-mannered people, everyone tries to be no worse. Likewise, in a bad society the value of honesty is lost for a person, vicious instincts emerge, and impartial actions are allowed. The disadvantaged environment does not condemn this, and sometimes encourages negativity and anger.

A person might not have discovered these negative traits if it wasn't for bad society and environment.

An example of arguments and reasoning on the topic of man and society from a work of art:

A similar situation was described by Panas Mirny in his novel "Do the oxen howl when the nursery is full?" When the main character novel - Chipka became friends with dubious personalities - Lushnya, Motney and the Rat, then all the good and kind that was in him before disappeared somewhere.

The hero of the novel became cynical and vicious, began to steal, and later moved on to robbery.

The author delicately depicts an epic picture of the moral fall of man. Drunkenness in the house of the hero of the novel is accompanied by insults to his mother. But this does not bother Chipka in any way, he himself begins to scold his own mother. All this turned into a shame, which later became fatal for Chipka. He soon came to murder. Nothing human remained in him, since he followed unworthy people in life.

Without a doubt, society affects a person, his character and personality as a whole.

However, it depends only on the person himself - to heed the kind, light and creative or to get bogged down in the abyss of immorality, anger and lawlessness.

An example of an essay in the thematic area "Man and Society" on the example of Dostoevsky's work "Crime and Punishment"

Throughout the history of mankind, people were interested in the problems of the relationship between man and society. The inclination to unite efforts and joint life is in our blood. This trait was passed down to us not even from monkeys, but from animals in general. Let's remember such concepts as "flock", "herd", "pride", "school", "swarm", "herd" - all these words mean a form of coexistence different types animals, fish and birds.

Of course, human society much more complex than animal communities. This is not surprising - after all, it consists of the most intelligent and developed representatives of the living world.

Many thinkers, philosophers and scientists have sought or tried to create such an ideal society where the potential of each of its members would be revealed and where each person would be respected and appreciated.

The course of history has clearly demonstrated that idealistic thoughts do not get along well with reality. Man has never created an ideal society. At the same time, the best social system in terms of equality and justice, according to scientists, are city-states in Ancient Greece. Since then, no really qualitative progress has been achieved.

Yet I believe that everyone reasonable person must try to contribute to the improvement of society. There are several ways to do this.

The first is the path of writers-educators, which consists in a systematic change in the worldview of readers, in the transformation of the existing system of values. This is exactly how Daniel Defoe acted for the good of society, demonstrating with his work "Robinson Crusoe" that even an individual human person is capable of doing a lot; Jonathan Swift, who with his novel "Gulliver's Travels" clearly showed social injustice and offered options for salvation, etc.

The second way of changing society by a person is radical, aggressive, revolutionary. It is used in a situation where a way out is inevitable, when the contradictions between society and the individual have escalated to the point that they can no longer be resolved through negotiations. Examples of such situations are the bourgeois revolutions in England, France, and the Russian Empire.

I believe that the second path in literature was most vividly shown by F.M. Dostoevsky in his novel "Crime and Punishment". The student Raskolnikov, battered by life, decides to kill the old woman-pawnbroker, who acts for him as a vivid personification of the social injustice that took place in St. Petersburg in the 19th century. Taking from the rich and giving to the poor is the goal of his plan. By the way, similar were the slogans of the Bolsheviks, who also sought to improve people's lives, so that the one who “was nobody” would become “everything”. True, the Bolsheviks forgot that it is impossible to just endow a person with abilities and talent. Undoubtedly, the desire to make life fairer is noble. But is it at such a price?

The hero of Dostoevsky's novel had another opportunity. He could continue to study, start giving private lessons, a normal future was open to him. However, this path required effort and effort. It is much easier to kill and rob an old woman, and then do good deeds. Fortunately for Raskolnikov, he is prudent enough to doubt the "correctness" of his choice. (the crime led him to hard labor, but then an epiphany comes).

The confrontation between the personality of Raskolnikov and the society of St. Petersburg in the middle of the 19th century ended in defeat for the individual in defeat. A personality that stands out against the background of society, in principle, is always difficult in life. And the problem is often not even in the society itself, but in the crowd that enslaves the individual, leveling his individuality.

Society tends to acquire animal features, turning into a flock, then into a herd.

As a pack, society overcomes adversity, confronts enemies, conquers power and wealth.

Becoming a herd or a crowd, a society loses its individuality, identity and freedom. Sometimes, without even realizing it.

Man and society are inseparable components of being. They were, are and will be changing and transforming for a very long time in search of an optimal model of existence.

List of topics for the final essay in the direction of "Man and Society":

• Man for society or society for man?
• Do you agree with the opinion of L.N. Tolstoy: "Man is unthinkable outside of society"?
• What books do you think are capable of influencing society?
• Public opinion rules people. Blaise Pascal
• You shouldn't be guided by public opinion. This is not a lighthouse, but wandering lights. André Maurois
• "The level of mass depends on the consciousness of the units." (F. Kafka)
• Nature creates man, but develops and forms his society. Vissarion Belinsky
• People with character are the conscience of society. Ralph Emerson
• Can a person remain civilized outside of society?
• Is one person capable of changing society? Or is one not a warrior in the field?

List of basic literature for the direction of the final essay "Man and Society":

E. Zamyatin "We"

M. Bulgakov "The Master and Margarita"

F. M. Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment"

1. The role of Sophia in the appearance of rumors.
2. Distributors of public opinion.
3. The destructive nature of public opinion.
4. Business card of a person.

Public opinion is not formed by the wisest, but by the most talkative.
V. Begansky

Public opinion plays a huge role in people's lives. After all, we form an idea of ​​a particular person because those around him think about him. Only on close acquaintance do we either reject any assumptions, or agree with them. Moreover, such a consistent attitude towards a person has evolved at all times.

AS Griboyedov wrote about public opinion in his comedy Woe from Wit. In it, Sophia calls Chatsky crazy. As a result, not even a couple of minutes pass for the whole society to agree with the remark with great pleasure. And the most dangerous thing in such dissemination of information about a person is that practically no one ever argues with such judgments. Everyone takes them on faith and begins to distribute them in a similar way. Public opinion, created by the skillful or unwitting hand of one person, forms a certain barrier for another.

Of course, one cannot say that public opinion has only negative significance. But, as a rule, when they refer to such a judgment, they thereby try to confirm the unflattering characteristics of a person. It is not for nothing that Molchalin, who is sure that in his "summer should not dare to have his own judgment," says that " gossips worse than a pistol. " He, in comparison with Chatsky, adopts the laws of the society in which he lives. Molchalin understands that it is precisely this that can become a solid foundation not only for his career, but also for personal happiness. Therefore, when a Famus society gathers, he tries to please those who can give a positive characteristic to his person. For example, Khlestova. Molchalin stroked and praised her dog. She liked this treatment so much that she called Molchalin "friend" and thanked him.

Chatsky also knows how public opinion develops about a person: "The fools believed, they pass it on to others, / The old women instantly sound the alarm - / And here is the public opinion." But he is the only one who can resist him. However, Alexander Andreevich does not take into account the fact that his opinion is completely uninteresting to this society. On the contrary, Famusov considers him dangerous person... The culprit of the rumor of insanity herself speaks inappropriately about him - Sophia: "Not a man, a snake!"

Alexander Andreevich Chatsky is new in this society, despite the fact that he was in it three years ago. During this time, a lot has changed, but only for the main character himself. The society that surrounds it now lives according to the old laws that suit them quite well: “For example, we have been doing it from time immemorial, / What honor is there for father and son: / Be bad, but if you have enough / There are two thousand family souls, - / The one and the groom. " Sofia does not accept this state of affairs. She wants to arrange her personal life in her own way. But on this path, she is hindered not only by her father, who predicts Skalozub as her suitors, but also by Chatsky, at whom she is offended: "The desire to wander attacked him, / Ah, if someone loves whom, / Why should we look for the mind and travel so far?"

The image of Sophia is important here not only because she spread the rumor, but also because she was the source of the wrong public opinion. The idea of ​​other heroes about Chatsky is formed at the moment of their communication. But each of them keeps these conversations and impressions with himself. And only Sophia brings them to the Famus society, which immediately condemns young man.

G. N.
How was he found on his return?

S o f and I
He is not quite all there.

G. N.
Have you lost your mind?

S o f and I (after a pause)
Not really ...

G. N.
However, there are signs?

S o f and I (looks at him intently)
It seems to me.

From this dialogue, we can conclude that the girl did not want to announce Chatsky's madness. When she said “He's out of his mind,” she most likely meant that, with his views, Aleksandr Andreevich does not at all fit into the society into which he fell. However, in the process of dialogue, the image of the protagonist takes on completely different outlines. As a result, two people create a certain opinion about a person, which then spreads in the society itself. Therefore, Chatsky began to be perceived in such a circle as crazy.

In the "age of obedience" Alexander Andreevich could not come to terms with the fact that people humiliate themselves in order to achieve ranks and favor. Having been absent for three years in order to gain additional knowledge, he cannot understand those who condemn reading books. Chatsky also does not accept Repetilov's pretentious statements about secret societies, noting: “... are you making a noise? But only?"

Such a society is not capable of accepting into its circle a person to whom even a beloved girl gives such an unflattering characteristic: "... I am ready to pour out bile on everyone." However, one should not forget that Sofia, at least to some extent, does not agree with the laws of Famus society, but does not enter into a direct dispute with him. Thus, Chatsky remains alone in this environment. And it is not he as a person who comes to the fore, but the opinion of him, drawn up by society. So why does society so easily perceive and give negative characteristics to a young, intelligent and sane person?

The author of the comedy gives the most complete answer to this question when guests begin to come to Famusov. Each of them represents a certain voice in the public opinion of a certain circle of people in which they move. Platon Mikhailovich falls under the heel of his wife. He accepts for himself the laws of the world where he is, despite the fact that earlier "only morning - foot in the stirrup." Khlestova has a good reputation, so it is she who tries to please Molchalin so that public opinion is in his favor. Zagoretsky is such a recognized “master of service”. Only in such a society, any opinion about a person begins to spread rather quickly. At the same time, the idea of ​​him is absolutely not verified in any way and is not disputed even by those who know Chatsky well (Sofia, Platon Mikhailovich).

None of them think about the fact that such a negative attitude is ruining a young man. He alone cannot cope with the halo created by his beloved person. Therefore, Chatsky chooses a different path for himself - to leave. He utters not a single eloquent monologue, but remains unheard.

You glorified me insane with your whole chorus.

You are right: he will come out of the fire unharmed,

Who will have time to stay with you for the day,
Breathe the air alone
And in him the reason will survive.

Chatsky leaves the stage, but in his place remains a stronger opponent - public opinion. Famusov does not forget about him, and he will have to be in this environment for a long time. Therefore, it is very important for the hero what opinion about him will develop in society, despite the fact that it may be just one person: “Ah! My God! What will Princess Marya Apeksev-na begin to say! "

On the example of one work, we saw what a destructive effect public opinion can have on a person's life. Especially if he absolutely does not want to obey his laws. Therefore, the opinion becomes peculiar business card person. It should tell about the person beforehand what others should know about before the meeting. Someone strives to create a good halo for themselves in order to freely move up the career ladder in the future. And someone does not care at all. But do not forget that no matter how you treat such a concept as "public opinion", it is. And it is impossible not to take it into account if you are in society. But what kind of opinion about you to form depends entirely on you.

It is clear that each time dictates its own laws for constructing such a characteristic. However, do not forget that there are different people, and each person can form his own opinion, and we only need to choose the right one and listen to what they think of us. Perhaps this will help to some extent understand what other people see in us and change their perception of us.

Use this term became relatively recently, and the phenomenon itself was observed in all historical eras... Plato, Aristotle and Democritus spoke about him, and G. Hegel described public opinion in detail. In the 20th century, its sociological concept was formed and today scientists different countries explore its essence, roles and functions.

What is public opinion?

There is no exact definition of this concept. V general outline they can be called a set of judgments that are developed and shared by a wide range of people. The phenomenon of public opinion was observed even among primitive peoples and helped regulate the life of the tribes. Discussions about the interpretation of this concept continue, but every year it becomes more and more “democratic”, reflecting the processes taking place in society. It became a manifestation of political behavior and a method of influencing politics.

Public opinion in sociology

We are talking about public consciousness, which explicitly or covertly expresses its attitude to events, incidents and facts public life, reflecting the position of the entire team on issues of interest to everyone. Public opinion as a social phenomenon has a number of functions:

1. Social control... Public opinion can facilitate or slow down the implementation of government decisions.
2. Expressive... By expressing a certain position, public opinion can control public authorities and evaluate their activities.
3. The advisory... As a result of the conducted polls of the population, it is possible to resolve this or that problem, to force the representatives of the political elite to make a more balanced decision.
4. The directive... Expression of the will of the people during referendums.

Public opinion in psychology

The opinion of society as a litmus test reflects reality and evaluates it. This is a kind of cut of the spiritual life of people, because expressing their opinion, they approve or condemn something or someone. The formation of public opinion leads to the development of a unified assessment and the corresponding behavior in a given situation. Society is made up of a wide variety of groups and structures. In families, production teams, sports organizations, an internal opinion is formed, which is essentially public.

It is very difficult to resist him, because any person becomes defenseless, surrounded by hostile judgments. As practice shows, 10% of like-minded people are enough for the rest of the people to join them. Public opinion plays a huge role in people's lives: it provides information about the world around us, helps to adapt to the peculiarities of a particular society and affects information flows.

Public opinion and mass consciousness

This social institution develops patterns of behavior, directing people's actions in the usual direction. Often, a person who has his own opinion sacrifices it for the sake of the opinion of the majority. The relationship of concepts such as mass behavior and public opinion was described by E. Noelle-Neumann, opening the so-called "spiral of silence". According to this concept, people with a position that contradicts social attitudes "become silent." They do not express their point of view, fearing to remain in the minority.

This universal regulator is present in all spheres of human life - economic, spiritual, political. It is rather informal than a social institution, since it regulates the behavior of subjects in society through a system of informal norms. To quantify public opinion, all kinds of polls, questionnaires, etc. are used. At the moment, this is an invariable attribute of any democratic society.

How is public opinion formed?

His education takes place under the influence of a variety of factors - rumors and gossip, opinions, beliefs, judgments, delusions. At the same time, it is very important that the subject of discussion is important for a large number people and provided for ambiguity of interpretation and various assessments. Those wishing to know how public opinion is created should answer that it is equally important to have the necessary level of competence to discuss a problem. It is worth noting the influence of the Internet on public opinion, the state, the media, personal experience of people.

Methods of manipulating public opinion

Such methods are designed to suppress the will of citizens and direct their opinions and motives in the right direction. public opinion provides:

1. Suggestion.
2. Transfer to common system a particular case.
3. Operating with rumors, speculation, unverified information.
4. Using a method called "corpses needed." This is an emotional zombie using the theme of sex, violence, murder, etc.
5. Manipulating public opinion involves choosing the lesser of two evils.
6. Silence of one information and propaganda of another.
7. Fragmentation is the division of information into separate parts.
8. The "Goebbels" method, in which a lie is passed off as the truth, constantly repeating it.
9. Hoax.
10. Astroturfing. Artificial control of public opinion with the help of specially hired people.

The role of propaganda in shaping public opinion

Politics is impossible without propaganda, because it forms a system of political beliefs and directs the actions of people, developing the necessary guidelines in their minds. The process of forming public opinion is aimed at uniting theoretical and everyday political consciousness and integrating the necessary ideas about politics. As a result, a person makes his choice instinctively, “automatically”. Such an impact is qualified as negative if it distorts moral criteria and norms, causes psychological tension, and disorients groups of people.

The influence of the media on public opinion

The main method of influencing people by the media is stereotyping. It provides for the creation of illusory stereotypes - illusions, myths, standards of behavior, which are designed to evoke the desired reaction in a person in the form of sympathy, love, hate, etc. train people to unconditionally accept everything that is said on television, radio, etc. The myths are based on, and any ideology is based on them.

The influence of public opinion on a person

The opinion of the society educates its "morally clean" members. Public opinion and rumors form and instill certain norms of social relations. A person learns to be responsible for his words and actions in front of society. Asking how public opinion affects a person, it is worth noting that it educates and re-educates, forms customs and attitudes, traditions, habits. But at the same time it affects people negatively, "pressing" them, forcing them to live with an eye on what people say.

Fear of public opinion

Each person is afraid of the opinion of society, is afraid of criticism, which undermines his initiative, suppresses the desire to move forward, develop and grow. The fear of public opinion is very difficult to suppress, because a person cannot live outside of society. Due to the lack of ideas, dreams and aspirations, life becomes gray and dull, and for some individuals, the consequences can be fatal, especially if the parents lived with an eye on the opinions of people and raised the child in the same spirit. Fear of criticism makes a person lack of initiative, weak character, shy and unbalanced.

Dependence on public opinion

There are no people completely free from the opinions of others. Self-sufficient individuals are defeated by him to a lesser extent, but people with an abundance of complexes and low self-esteem suffer more than others. For those interested in who most of all depends on public opinion, one can answer that these are people who are modest, weak-willed, fixated on themselves. Most likely, in childhood, their parents did not praise them at all, but constantly humiliated and belittled their dignity. The fear of public opinion is higher than truth, goals, career, love.

How to stop depending on public opinion?

It's not easy, but everything is real when there is a desire. For those who are interested in how to get rid of public opinion, you just need to understand that each person is unique and not like anyone else. And most people overestimate their interest in their person too much. In fact, people don't pay attention to someone that often. No one wants to look funny, cruel, stupid or unprofessional in the eyes of others, but the one who does nothing is not mistaken.

Society will find something to criticize any person for, but if criticism is turned to good, then you can become freer. Criticism helps, provides an opportunity to improve oneself. She teaches to listen and hear, forgive, get rid of wrong stereotypes. Every person is imperfect and has the right to make mistakes, you just need to give yourself the opportunity to make mistakes, but not reproach yourself for this, but use the experience gained to further advance towards your goal.