Political elites: concept, signs, functions. Criteria and signs of the political elite

Political science [Answers to examination papers] Fortunatov Vladimir Valentinovich

24. Political elite

You can not live in society and be out of politics. Everyone heard it. But the degree of participation in political life, in the struggle for power and in the exercise of power may be different. In any society there is a group (or a set of groups) that stands out from the rest of society by its influence, privileged position and prestige, directly and systematically participates in decision-making related to the use of state power or influence on it. Such a group (or set of groups) in political science is called an elite.

Translated from French "elite" means "the best, choice, chosen." Elite seeds of various agricultural crops, elite brands of cars, alcoholic beverages, elite hotels, resorts, etc. are known. Various bases are used to classify political elites.

In relation to power the ruling elite is distinguished from the non-ruling (or counter-elite). Thus, in British political practice, the government formed by the party that won the election is replaced by a "shadow cabinet" formed by the opposition party. The English Parliament is a constant arena for a tough political struggle between the ruling elite and the counter-elite.

By level of competence allocate sub-elites: the highest (national), middle (regional), local. Unfortunately, people who move into the elite with higher competence do not always correspond to this level.

By expressed interest political scientists talk about professional, demographic, ethnic, religious and other sub-elites.

According to the results of activities (efficiency) along with the elites, pseudo-elites and anti-elites are known.

It should be noted that in addition to political elites, there are economic, administrative, military, religious, cultural, scientific and other elites.

At the basis of allocation and functioning political elite there is a real, actual monopoly on power, on decision-making regarding the content and distribution of basic values in society.

Table 61. Scientists about the essence of the elite

In politics, as in other spheres, the problems of formation, selection, change and reward of elites are of great importance. Elitism is a set of socio-political concepts that claim that the necessary constituent parts any social structure are the upper, privileged strata, the ruling minority.

Table 62 Functions of the political elite

There are many explanations for the essence of elitism (Table 61). The emergence of the theory of elitism is associated with the name of Nicolo Machiavelli, who distinguished two types of elites: "lions" - supporters of violent measures, and "foxes" who prefer flexible methods of leadership.

At the beginning of the XX century. V. Pareto, G. Mosky, R. Michels argued that in the internal structure of societies of all types there are two classes: a few who rule ("ruling elite", "ruling class", "political class", "establishment"), and many who are ruled ("crowd", "mass", "people").

R. Michels singled out three reasons contributing to oligarchization. The first is a narrow specialization in management, which prevents control over the manager. This specialization, the complexity of management, grows with the expansion of the organization. The second reason is the psychological properties of the mass itself - political indifference, panic fear and craving for strong power, a feeling of gratitude for the leader, etc. All these properties create a craving for strong power and submission to it. The third condition is the charismatic qualities of the leader himself, his ability to impose his will on those under his control. The leader usually imposes his own ideas on the masses, as a rule, the opposite of the ideas of the old leader. The struggle between the new circle of leaders and the old one is usually accompanied by a merger and diffusion of the old and new elites. As soon as the new elite completely replaces the old one, changes usually take place in them that make them look like old tyrants. So, R. Michels deduced the "iron law of the oligarchy."

Political scientists of a later period, such as M. Young and D. Bell, associated the selection of the elite with such features as productivity, qualifications, education, prestige, etc. They developed the theory of the “merit elite” (or “meritocracy”).

In Western political science, the elite is understood as a group that makes political decisions, dominates under any political system and any ideology. The elite is characterized by such qualities as group consciousness, corporate communication, and a common will to act. This is not just a collection of high-ranking officials, but an organic unity bound by a corporate spirit. Access to it is possible only on conditions dictated by the elite itself. The viability of the elite is determined by its adaptability and ability to renew its composition. V. Pareto substantiated the need for "circulation of elites" through slow, prolonged assimilation, the inclusion of new people who accept the "rules of the game" established by the elite. Two main models of selection (recruitment) in the composition of the elites are presented in Table. 63.

Table 63 Selection (recruitment) of political elites

In modern political science, no one encroaches on the need for the existence of political power in society, which is the main subject of political life, plays important role in the system of political relations.

Political elites perform important features:

? study and analysis of the interests of various social groups;

Subordination of interests of various social communities;

Reflection of interests in political settings and development of political ideology (programs, doctrines, constitutions, laws, etc.);

Creation of a mechanism for the implementation of political ideas;

Appointment of the personnel apparatus of the governing bodies;

Creation and correction of the institutions of the political system;

Promotion of political leaders.

We are talking about different justifications for the role played by political elites in modern society.

The most common in the West is the theory of "democratic domination of elites" (J. Schumpeter, G. Lasswell, P. Bahrakh). The essence of the theory is that the role of elite groups in modern conditions is increasing. The mass cannot determine the power. Weight in best case wheel, but not the motor. In extreme cases, the masses use violence. Equality in this theory is denied. The change of elites is considered as a derivative of the change in the value criteria of society. Some Western political scientists believe that "strategic elites", "ruling elites" consistently, rationally and actively implement the ideals of democracy. Supporters of the "critical theory of the elite" (R. Mills, R. Young, A. Wolf) believe that the seizure of control over the most important areas of life by the "ruling class" is the main reason for the decline of democracy.

Modern political science is extremely concerned about the formation of political elites in the best possible way, were guaranteed against degradation (which happened more than once in world history) and demonstrated high efficiency(Table 64).

Table 64 Political elite

From the book Political Science [Answers to Exam Tickets] author Fortunatov Vladimir Valentinovich

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Criteria of political elite

Definition 1

The political elite is considered as a group of people who, to a greater or lesser extent, have the ability to manage society, while state or municipal power is concentrated in the hands of its representatives, persons occupy leadership positions in society, exercising control over it.

The political elite exists for the following reasons:

The society needs to be managed, and the political elite copes with this task perfectly.
The abilities and capabilities of people are a priori not equal, which is used by representatives of the elite, including the political one. Without this criterion, the existence of power would be impossible.
Representatives of the political elite occupy a high position in society and often among other members of the political elite.
Not all people want power. The majority of the population is politically passive, many do not have active suffrage, which makes its implementation impossible for certain categories of the population.
Society cannot fully exercise control over the activities of the elite, which makes it attractive to certain categories of the population.

It is also possible to single out the criteria for the formation of a political elite, which consists in the following main positions:

the need to form a small and self-sufficient social group;
having a high social status;
access to state information, the availability of a sufficiently significant amount of this information;
the possibility of direct participation in the exercise of power;
leaders have organizational skills and talent.

Signs of the political elite

Signs of the political elite as a special stratum of society can be expressed in the following positions.

The leader determines the political program for the activities of a specific structure, whether it be a state or a specific region, a state or municipal body, and so on.

The formation of a new political project-program occurs due to the generation of new ideas that reflect the interests of society and the state, are aimed at developing a concept for the development of these elements.

The development of a specific political course, the formation of which takes place in practice, taking into account the developing social relations.

Achieving stability and unity of society by strengthening it, reaching consensus on the most important issues, resolving conflict situations or finding their optimal solution.

Representation of the rights and interests of certain categories of the population, assessment of their needs and ideals, values, since on the basis of these criteria many social groups unite into a single entity.

The essence of the elite is that people who have high performance in their activities become representatives of this elite. These are charismatic individuals, and this indicator ranked as one of the most important.

Remark 1

Often leaders have a significant intellectual superiority over other people, which determines their status in a particular body or structure.

The main task of the leader is to represent the interests of the majority, although the interests of the minority are sometimes taken into account. Often leaders occupy high places in society due to their genetic origin, but there are other cases. Leaders influence their social progress through personal achievement and through their position in society. They have authority and are able to lead the masses. Such persons receive quite a lot of prestige and status in society. Leaders who come to the elite count on access to material and non-material benefits of a different nature, characteristic of this category of the elite.

In order for the political elite to be effective, it must meet the following criteria:

a certain level of progress and well-being of the people must be achieved, that is, the activities of representatives must be aimed at solving this problem;
society must be politically stable, otherwise the elite will not be able to gain a foothold in it;
national security must be fully ensured, otherwise the political elite will not be able to develop freely in this state;
the rights and obligations of civil society and the state should be optimally correlated with each other, otherwise there will be a bias, which will negatively affect the development of social relations.

Speaking about elite education, it is understood as the education of children of a narrow circle, which is selected according to the criteria of nobility, wealth and genetic origin. Often, the so-called sign of blood is distinguished, which is dominant in a traditional society. Equally important is the power of wealth, especially industrial society. V information society knowledge is powerful. Despite such a wide range, elite education has a number of disadvantages, since people from ordinary families cannot be realized in this area and, accordingly, we are losing the talents of children whose families cannot enter the elite.

On the other hand, elite education should be of very high quality, since its basis is the development of talents and creativity in children, which should not depend on genetic or other similar factors. In order to absorb all necessary material, and the child must be mentally developed, have a high set of abilities.

Today, special elite and elite schools are being formed, the difference between which is very clearly visible. For example, children, having entered an elite school, are far from always able to “pull” education, due to the fact that education in many such schools is paid, and the parents of many children are not able to pay this money, which is currently required educational institutions. Therefore, such children are forced to move to other schools. Here "elite" is synonymous with prestigious.

1. The leader of the most influential opposition party is part of the ___________ elite:
state-imperious
higher
bureaucratic
counter-
ruling
political

2. From the point of view of ___________, the dominance of the elite is determined by the impossibility of direct participation of the masses in the management processes.
V. Pareto
A. Toynbee
R. Michels
G. Mosky
J. Schumpeter

3. Most general functions political elite:
policymaking
meetings with foreign leaders
fight against corruption
political decision making
creation of mechanisms for the implementation of political goals
protectionism to big oil companies

4. Sources of bureaucratic power:
high social status
corruption
access to the body of the politician
administrative rationing
specialization of officials
popular election

5. _______________, according to ______________, is an inevitable trend in the world of organizations, including political parties.
R. Mills
oligarchy
R. Michels
plutocracy
democracy
V. Lenin
V. Pareto
Ochlocracy

6. Pareto defined elite as...
set of formal and informal leaders
oligarchic group
the class that rules
the set of individuals with the highest performance and achievements

7. Access to the "political class", according to G. Moska, is opened by:
connections in higher circles
origin
military prowess
wealth
genetic factor
favorable turn of events

8. In accordance with the interpretation of G. Moska, the ruling class is ...
people with the highest scores
class that monopolizes power
set of oligarchic groups
set of all politicians and officials

9. Indicate among the following concepts modern theories elite:
situational theories
value theories
teleological concepts
technocratic concepts
concepts of elite pluralism
constituent theory

10. The heads of the largest parliamentary factions belong to the ________________ political elite.
oligarchic
middle
higher
administrative
legislative
ruling

11. Features political elite:
high intelligence
direct participation in political decision-making
implementation of power-political functions in society
mastery of the art of management
leadership position replacement
wealth

12. Which of the following functions is not performed by a political leader...
mobilization of the masses to achieve political goals
communication between the authorities and the masses
political goal setting
passing laws
policy making

13. According to ___________, the renewal of the political class at the expense of the representatives of the lower strata most capable of governing characterizes the ________________ trend of the functioning of the elite.
K. Mannheim
pluralistic
democratic
aristocratic
libertarian
G. Mosky
V. Pareto
R. Michels

14. The denial of the elite as a single privileged relatively cohesive group is characteristic of ...
organizational and managerial interpretations
machiavellian school
technocratic concepts
functional theories

15. According to G. Moska, the _____________ trend in its development can lead to the degeneration of the ruling class.
democratic
authoritarian
autocratic
aristocratic
tyrannical

16. Leadership of I. Stalin can be considered as ...
neutral
traditional
charismatic
rational-legal

17. A small, relatively closed circle of selectors is characteristic of the _____________ system of recruiting elites.
nomenclature
partocratic
selective
meritocratic
entrepreneurial
guild

18. Criticism of the tough elitism of society from democratic positions was expressed by ____________ within the framework of ______________.
T. Veblen
machiavellian school
G. Moskoy
elite pluralism theories
value theories
B. Bell
R. Millsom
left-liberal concepts

19. The statement that persons with certain character traits become political leaders is fundamental to ...
psychological concept
constituent theory
situational theory
personality trait theories
factor-analytical concept

20. The "ruling elite" is...
representatives of the authorities
the best representatives of society
big businessmen
individuals with the highest IQ
employees in public authorities
the highest privileged stratum, exercising political and power functions

21. From the point of view of ______________, the manipulative method of management, including compromises and demagogy, is inherent in the elite of ____________.
V. Pareto
G. Mosky
R. Michels
lions
mice
fox
snake

22. From the point of view of ____________, the elite serves as the protector of democratic values and the limiter of the ideological irrationalism of the masses.
concepts of elite pluralism
left-liberal theories
elite management theories
value theories
theories of democratic elitism

24. According to the typology of K. Hodgkinston, leaders acting in the interests of the citizens they represent are ...
poet leaders
technology leaders
career leaders
political leaders

25. The most common definition of corruption…
abuse of power for personal gain
bribing an official
bribery on a large scale
kleptomania
malfeasance
criminal offenses of officials

26. The tendency to reproduce already existing type leadership is a property of ___________ elite recruiting system
entrepreneurial
nomenclature
Masonic
caste
aristocratic
hereditary

27. According to _____________, all the ruling classes strive to become _______________, if not by law, then in fact.
V. Pareto
G. Mosky
R. Michels
legitimate
hereditary
rich
dominating
oligarchic

28. Personal relations between the head of state and officials are characteristic of __________________ bureaucracy.
charismatic
corrupt
patrimonial
traditional
rational
class

29. According to V. Pareto, revolutions occur because of ...
elite hedonism
degradation of the higher strata of society
favoritism among the elite strata
wars and natural disasters
impoverishment of the lower classes

30. Members of the political elite:
President of the Russian Federation
university rector
leader of a major political party
the factory director
head of the district administration department
higher executive subject of the Russian Federation

31. The function of a political leader is ...
communicative
organization of political parties
seizure of power
protection of the interests of the higher strata
strengthening democracy
subjugation of the masses

32. Preferential application by the leader of sanctions and threats - characteristic _____________ leadership style.
impulsive
compulsive
threatening
forcing
tyrannical
authoritarian

33. Directly carries out the process of managing and leading the state ____________ political elite.
entrepreneurial
meritocratic
government
ruling
state-imperious

34. ____________ argues that leadership is formed on the basis of matching the leader's image with the expectations of his followers.
trait theory
situational concept
constituent theory
psychological theory

35. According to G. Moska, the main reason for the power of the “ruling class” is ...
internal organization and cohesion
property ownership
monopolization of managerial functions
possession of a repressive apparatus
disdain for the ruled

36. Bureaucracy is ...
occupational disease of officials
dysfunctions in the work of the state apparatus
power of the administrative apparatus
government mechanism
inefficient civil service

37. Career civil servants act in accordance with the principle ...
service to their superiors
subordination to specialists
political neutrality
administrative rationing
inheritance of their positions
making a career

38. Join the economic elite modern Russia includes:
M. Friedman
K. Sobchak
R. Abramovich
S. Glazyev
B. Gryzlov
E. Plushenko

39. Position in chronological order in descending order the main stages in the development of the theory of bureaucracy
1) post-nonclassical theories
2) systematic approach
3) behavioral approach
4) the school of "human relations"
5) "classical school"
6) concepts of W. Wilson and M. Weber

40. "The universal law of history" Pareto called ...
inevitable degradation of the elite
war between elite and counter-elite
elite circulation
rise to power of the proletariat
the presence of a class of managed and managing

41. ____________ laid the foundations of the _____________ direction, which considers the elite as a group of managers who perform certain social duties
V. Pareto
R. Michels
G. Mosca
M. Weber
aristocratic
functional
managerial

42. A small number of institutional filters are characteristic of ___________ elite recruitment systems.
guild
democratic
entrepreneurial
pluralistic
nomenclature

43. In accordance with the typology of M. Hermann, leaders who have the ability to convince other people and inspire them with their ideas are called ...
merchants
servants
firefighters
standard-bearers

44. The most accurate and reliable method determining the composition of the ruling elite ...
status
precise
reputational
institutional

45. __________ is the founder of the ___________ direction in elitology, since he focused on individual qualities elite representatives
G. Mosca
D. Burnham
V. Pareto
R. Mills
structural and functional
partocratic
personal
aristocratic

Political elite- a set of persons with political influence and a privileged position in society.

Usually the political elite is the head of state, the prime minister and ministers, heads of the chambers of parliament, parliamentary factions, leaders of parties and social and political movements, regional leaders, as well as major administrative officials (administrative elite). In addition, they also distinguish economic elite(owners of large banks, corporations, holdings), military (generals), informational (media owners, chief editors of national television channels, newspapers and magazines), scientific (great scientists, academicians), spiritual (higher church hierarchs, famous writers and human rights activists). These groups can have a significant impact on the policy of the state, and in some cases, merge with the political elite. For example, the fusion of the economic elite with the political one leads to the formation of oligarchic rule, the fusion of the military and political elite leads to the transition of the state to militaristic positions, the fusion of the political elite and the spiritual and religious elite leads to the manifestation of elements of theocracy.

Elite formation systems

Two elite formation systems:

§ open, where privileged positions are available to all social groups, there is high competition for positions, and those who have the necessary leadership qualities reach the top;

§ closed, where the selection of candidates for the elite is carried out by a narrow circle of leaders and is complicated by a number of formal requirements (origin, party membership, length of service, etc.); such a system is characteristic of non-democratic societies.

The Italian scientist Vilfredo Pareto (1848-1923) singled out counter-elite - a group of people with exceptional leadership qualities, to whom closeness social system does not allow to take leadership positions. If the ruling elite weakens, the counter-elite carries out revolutionary transformations and eventually turns into the ruling elite itself. All political history, according to Pareto, is a process of changing elites.

In an open and stable society, a person who has necessary qualities able to independently reach the highest positions of the political hierarchy. The main "social lifts" in this process are active civil service and party activities.

Signs and characteristics of the political elite

The main features of the political elite are the possession of power and the monopolization of the right to make decisions.

If we take into account that societies of all types are usually divided into two “strata” in their internal structure: the minority that rules and the majority that is ruled, then the minority that rules is called the political elite. Moreover, the rule of this minority is different structural constancy: when changing (changing) the personal composition of the elite, its power relations in its essence have always been and remain unchanged. It is known that in the course of history tribal leaders, slave owners, monarchs, boyars and nobles, people's commissars and party secretaries, parliamentarians and ministers, etc., were replaced, but the relations of domination and subordination between the elite and the masses have always been preserved and are still preserved, for there has never been a people that would govern itself, and there never will be. And any government, even the most democratic, is in fact oligarchic, i.e. the rule of the few over the many.

Attention should also be paid to such a characteristic of the elite as its internal differentiation. The elite is divided into the ruling one, i.e. directly possessing state power, and non-ruling, oppositional. The latter is covered by the concept "counter-elite".

There is also such a thing as "sub-elite". They designate various subspecies of the ruling elite. In addition to the actual political elite (the highest political and state functionaries), this category includes “captains of industry” (heads of large corporations), “lords of war” (the highest army and police hierarchy), holders of “spiritual power” (priests, intellectuals, writers, etc.). .), "leaders of the masses" (leaders of parties and trade unions), etc.

Types of political elites

Theories of the environment

The main position of environmental theories is that leadership is a function of the environment, i.e. certain time, place and circumstances, including cultural ones. This theory completely ignored the individual differences of people, attributing them to the requirements of the environment. So, according to E.S. Bogardus, the type of leadership in a group depends on the nature of the group and the problems that it has to solve.

V.E. Hawking suggested that leadership is a group function that is transferred to the leader only when the group is willing to follow the program put forward by him. H.S. Person advanced two theories:

1. each situation determines both the qualities of a leader and the leader himself;

2. the qualities of the individual, which are determined by the situation as leadership qualities, are the result of previous leadership situations.

At one time, J. Schneider was surprised to find that the number of military leaders in England was directly proportional to the number of military conflicts in which the country participated. This was the most striking illustration of the validity of environmental theories. To assess its essence, we use the statement of A.J. Murphy: The situation calls for a leader, who should be the tool to solve the problem.

1. 35. Bulk Behavior(English - collective behavior) is a somewhat vague term of social and political psychology, which refers to various forms crowd behavior, rumor circulation, sometimes also fashion, collective manias, social movements and other "mass phenomena". In order to roughly outline the subject field covered by this concept, we single out the following features: involvement of a large number of people, simultaneity, irrationality(weakening of conscious control), as well as weak structure, i.e., the blurring of the positional-role structure characteristic of the normative forms of group behavior. Original studies of mass phenomena were carried out by V. M. Bekhterev ( collective reflexology)

The merit of Bekhterev as one of the founders of the national

social psychology is to develop the doctrine of the collective. Team

viewed as a whole,<собирательная личность>, which has

its individuality, depending on the characteristics of its constituent persons.
Bekhterev sets the task of highlighting the general laws underlying the action

the integrity of the team. Manifestations of a collective personality ... obey

the same regularity that opens with a strictly objective ref-

lexological study of manifestations individual. Moreover, the most

the forms of this regularity turn out to be common both for a separate

personality, and for the collective personality ... The indicated initial method

methodological premise leads Bekhterev to the conclusion about the need,

examining social life, trace the same reflexes<в форме

social movements and the same development that takes place in

activities of the individual.

36 .
Mikhailovsky the critic was always supplemented by Mikhailovsky the creator in the field of sociology and psychology. Mikhailovsky's theory, "Heroes and Crowds", a beautifully begun, but, unfortunately, remaining unfinished treatise. Heroes and the crowd in general is one of the first treatises in terms of time and still very important in meaning in the field of collective psychology, to which, like to individual psychology, he was equally attracted, moreover, by both life and literary interests, and not just an abstract one. sociological theory.
Mikhailovsky's interest in psychology was associated with the development of the views of populism, and therefore the focus of his attention was on the problems of mass psychology. “He justifies the need to single out this area as a special branch of science, since none of the existing social sciences is engaged in the study of mass movements as such. “Collective, mass psychology is just beginning to be developed,” Mikhailovsky wrote, “and history itself can expect huge services".
The task of this work by Mikhailovsky is to study the mechanics of the relationship between the crowd and the person whom it recognizes as great, and not to find a measure of greatness. Therefore, a notorious villain, a fool, a nonentity, a half-wit - for this work are just as important within the limits of the task as a universal genius or an angel in the flesh, if a crowd followed them, if it sincerely, and not out of external motives, obeyed, if she imitated them and prayed, I repeat once again that this does not depend on the goals and considerations of the heroes, no matter how valuable and useful these goals are in themselves.

37. Politics- the area of relationships and various activities between social communities of people in the implementation of common interests through a variety of means, the main of which is political power.

The specificity of politics is as follows: it fixes the relations between large masses of people, whose interests are integrated into a single, universal whole. Politics reduces the individual, collective expression of wills into an integrative whole, systemic quality, which is most clearly expressed precisely in the political field of human life and activity. The moment of connection between the individual, the particular and the universal is always present in politics. Moreover, the orientation towards the universal, the general is the prerogative of politics. Since the main institution that organizes, regulates and controls the reduction of the individual to the universal, in the implementation of the interests of specific subjects, is the state, the content of the political in one way or another, directly or indirectly goes to the state.

Politics is always imperious in nature, because it is impossible to achieve the set goals without coercion, volitional efforts and influences of subjects to achieve the general interests of people. The imperious nature is expressed in political-state and political-non-state political relations, which are very complex and contradictory, vertically and horizontally organized, etc. In these respects, people, social communities do not create material and spiritual values, but the activity of political subjects is no less significant because they control the socio-political and other processes of society and the state. Politics is also a means of identifying and resolving conflicts, a decision-making activity. Management of public affairs, a special kind of communication between people, social communities.

38. Political elite- a set of persons with political influence and a privileged position in society.

In everyday language, the concept of "elite" has the character of a positive assessment, denoting something better, selective, chosen. But in social science, this concept is devoid of evaluative meaning and simply denotes the highest strata in the social hierarchy. Persons who belong to the elite do not necessarily have the best human qualities (more often the opposite happens), and a person can get a high place in the social hierarchy not only due to exceptional talents, but also to take it by inheritance or due to random circumstances.

Signs and characteristics of the political elite

The main features of the political elite are the possession of power and the monopolization of the right to make decisions.

Attention should also be paid to such a characteristic of the elite as its internal differentiation. The elite is divided into the ruling one, i.e. directly possessing state power, and non-ruling, opposition. The latter is covered by the concept "counter-elite".

39.
One can speak of power as a psychological phenomenon in the sense that both those who exercise power and those who obey power have certain, socially formed preferences. This leads to:

a) these persons, to a greater or lesser extent, want to occupy a position in society that will secure them power or allow them to maintain the greatest possible autonomy in relation to power, or, finally, subject them to someone else's power;

b) they are more or less adapted to the place in the hierarchy of power that they occupy, and as a result, better or worse perform the functions arising from the political role assigned to them (with or without their participation) by society.

When studying the psychological aspect of power, a number of questions inevitably arise.
First, what mental predispositions lead some people to seek power while others avoid it? What social and personal conditions form these predispositions?
According to some theoretical concepts, it is generally accepted that all people tend to strive for power, material wealth, prestige and education. Unequal access to them is taken as the basis for differences, based on the fact that each of the values is the object of almost universal aspirations. Power, unlike other values, excites both strong positive sensations, expressed in a passionate desire for it, and no less strong disgust, expressed in denial and avoidance of any functions of its implementation.
The psychological characteristic of power is the classification of psychotypes depending on the attitude to power, it is necessary to produce for two reasons:

1) by position: either seek or avoid power:

2) participation in the exercise of power.
Psychological interpretations of power attempt to reveal the subjective

motivation of this behavior, the origins of power, rooted in the minds of people.

One of the most prominent areas of this kind is psychoanalysis. Various

psychoanalysts differ in explaining the causes of psychological submission.

Some (S. Moskovisi, B. Edelman) see them in a kind of hypnotic

suggestion that exists in the relationship between the leader and the crowd, while others

(J. Lacan) - in the special susceptibility of the human subconscious to symbols,

expressed in language. In general, the psychological approach helps to identify

mechanisms of motivation of power as a relationship: command - subordination.

The modern Ukrainian elite includes the highest and middle echelons of administrative power, the legislative body, the leaders of political parties and organizations, the most prominent representatives of business, culture and the church. The initial inconsistency of the conditions for the formation and development of the Ukrainian elite gave rise to conflicting opinions about its origin and directions of transformation. The most common of these are the following. Firstly, the Ukrainian state, despite its acquired independence, did not have a political elite at all. Secondly, Ukraine inherited from the USSR a powerful party and economic nomenklatura, which, thanks to a change in slogans, recruited former political dissidents into its ranks, adopted their national ideology and managed in August 1991 to maintain their ranks and positions and, as a result, power and property.

Strictly speaking, the formation of the elite in modern Ukraine occurs through the penetration of a new national-democratic one. The low intellectual and cultural level of the Ukrainian nomenklatura (Fedorov, 20), the lack of the necessary professionalism and competence in governing the state quickly nullified the potential for social and political maneuvering and at the same time increased the alienation of political power from the majority of the population.

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