THE MENTAL STRUCTURE OF UKRAINIANS ETHNIC PICTURE OF THE WORLD (UNDER THE EXAMPLE OF STUDENTS FROM SOUTHERN PART OF UKRAINE)
The article proves the mental structure of ethnic picture of the world which includes ethnic constants, values dominants and ethnic identity. The ethnic picture of the world is regarded as a holistic vision of the world that is typical for certain nation. The research of the semantic filling of ethnic picture of the world is held by visual associative experiment. In processing the results we used the method of categorical synthesis the essence of which consists in: a) the initial singling of the most flexible categories which in various aspects and perspectives characterize the psycho- cultural phenomenon; b) the categorical «frame» or matrix building; c) conducting the synthesis semantic interpretation of the relevant categories. The obtained data form the basis of categorical matrix of Ukrainians ethnic picture of the world, the components of which are the national house, the spiritual culture and the historical destiny of the nation. The analysis of the categories of the picture of the world allowed to allocate the category «the facts of national pride». Actualization the respondents picture of the world promotes the activation of national consciousness, and therefore can serve as a consolidating factor. The applied aspect of proposed mental structure of picture of the world is the possibility to apply it into the research the psychological characteristics of ethnic and cultural models of different ethnicities picture of the world. The prospects of further research we see in necessity to develop the instruments to research the modern processes of picture of the world transformation.