Public consciousness and its structure isreflection of the existing reality in the ideas, characters, thoughts of people. It has certain characteristics and develops according to its own laws. This is a complex structure that can be divided into vertical and horizontal views. Let's try to consider this issue in more detail.
Общественное сознание и его структура в vertical perspective is divided into two main categories: epistemological and sociological. The first option considers how social consciousness affects being. In the epistemological approach, the theoretical and everyday levels of consciousness are distinguished. In the first case, certain systems of ideas, laws, and attitudes are studied. Everyday level of consciousness involves the consideration of true or false knowledge associated with the daily activities of man. This may be prejudice, superstition, delusion.
With a sociological approach the main differencebetween the levels of social consciousness is a method of communication and expression of the interests of various social groups and individual classes. Here you can also distinguish two categories: ideology and social psychology. Ideology is a purposefully formed self-consciousness of individual classes. Social psychology studies the thoughts, traditions, feelings and moods of certain social groups. It is formed more spontaneously than ideology.
Public consciousness and its structure can bealso viewed in a horizontal perspective. Here you can select many of its forms. Economic consciousness involves the relationships and activities of people in the process of production work and consumption. This level is closely related to the daily life of a person.
Политическое сознание может рассматриваться с point of view of social psychology, as well as ideology. In the first case, it involves the feelings and ideas of people about power and the state. The second implies systematic political views, theories.
Legal public consciousness and its structure are the ideas and views of people relating to existing legal norms. It arises with the advent of the state and social classes.
Religious consciousness is the idea of peoplesupernatural. There is a doubling of existing reality. For a religious person, there is both a real and a different world.
Moral consciousness is an aggregate.certain principles that determine behavior in society. It was formed in primitive society. Moral consciousness is maintained, mainly with the help of public opinion and habits. It is considered the basis for the interaction of man and society.
Aesthetic consciousness is the perception of people of a perfect and imperfect reality. It is expressed mainly through art.
Scientific consciousness is an objective knowledge of various aspects of reality. It can relate to almost any social and natural phenomena.
We considered the main forms of consciousness.However, modern scientists single out another - philosophical consciousness. Its mission is to highlight patterns in nature and society, and on their basis to draw certain conclusions. Philosophical consciousness is a kind of "frame" of spiritual culture. This discipline is studying almost all aspects of being.
In conclusion, it can be noted that social and individual consciousness have many differences between themselves, but they are in constant interaction.
