Transformation of mentality in the context of modernization tasks

Abstract

The cultural organization of the Kazakh society is being modernized under the influence of the era of market dominance, liberalization, democratization, globalization. Modern Kazakhstan is undergoing systemic transformations, which since gaining independence appear as a permanent process that has covered all areas of life: socio-economic structure, stratification structure, moral and spiritual sphere. During the period of sovereignization, the mentality changes dynamically, representing a fusion of het- erogeneous aspirations, mutually exclusive preferences, and multidirectional behavioral strategies. All of them are determined by the processes of searching for new identities, including ideological ones. Its structure is the values that form the goals and ideals of life. The purpose of the work is to show the value matrix of the Kazakh mentality, to highlight the priority aspirations of mass consciousness in it, to measure the value preferences of various cohorts of the population, to identify problems and areas of risk of its development. The main means of achievement is the theoretical reconstruction of sociological measurements, which is based on the empirical basis of research conducted by the authors at the Insti- tute of Philosophy, Political Science and Religious Studies of the KN MES RK. The scientific significance of the work is associated with the identification of a new object of study (the newest Kazakh mentality), its factorial and deterministic analysis. The practical relevance coincides with the tasks of modernization of society, the implementation of the concept of New Kazakhstan, set before the scientific community. The article summarizes the results of the study of the worldview orientations of Kazakhstanis: the contour model of the value matrix of the mentality of Kazakhstanis is reconstructed based on a mass survey in 2021. The structure of values is analyzed in the context of priority and peripheral ideological aspirations and in projection on society, age, ethnic, socio-professional statuses. The authors, based on their own research, formulate conceptual conclusions, and offer specific scientific and practical recommendations that allow solving the tasks of modernization. The research results expand the subject area of domestic socio-humanitarianism, create the basis for comparative country studies, become criteria for measuring indicators of changes in connection with the tasks of transformation of Kazakh society.

Key words: mentality, modernization, new Kazakhstan, socialization, value matrix.