Theoretical and methodological foundations to study collective intuition as a mechanism to predict events in public life: the subject-and-behavioral approach

Abstract

The aim of the article is to clarify theoretical and methodological principles to research (within psychology) the essence and nature of collective intuition as a mechanism to predict events in public life from the perspective of the subject-and-behavioral approach.

The relevance of such research is explained, first by the fact that collective intuition has not yet become in focus of researchers’ attention that it actually deserves and requires. The most probable reason for such disregard is the problematic nature of intuition, as well as the additional complexity of such an understanding because of its collective character.

Methodology. The psychological nature of collective intuition is considered from two angles, where the positions of C.-G. Jung’s doctrine on collective unconscious are supplemented by the position on concretization of its psychic contents by an individual’s potential ability to be essentially, and actually subjectively behavioral way of being. The problem of «collective playing out social practices» (E. Durkheim) as a process and result of individual intuition interaction which is not equal to their arithmetic sum is also considered in the article.

The study resulted in clarifying the definition of the «event» concept, in particular, there were considered cases of its unlawful restriction by the past. The study suggests supplementing the concept of action with such criteria as subjectivity and behavior in their relationship. The criterion model of forecasting the events of public life basing on representations about their subjective, object, behavior and criminal nature has been offered. The article substantiates the provision saying that due to unreality of predicting and considering all the factors that may affect the formation of events of public life in future, the process of its forecasting should be based on both rational and irrational approaches and appropriate mechanisms, in particular, the mechanism of collective intuition.

Conclusions. The author has formulated five theoretical and methodological provisions, which can be taken into account in further researching the possibilities of applying collective intuition to forecasting events in public life.