The psychological theory of state and law is a concept based on the idea that the state is formed due to the division of society for psychological reasons: one part of people can subordinate and manage, the other can obey and be led. According to the authors of the theory, the basis of human needs is the need to be in a community, as well as the need for collective interaction. A characteristic feature of the human psyche is consciousness, and in this concept it is revealed as a mechanism that develops self-awareness in an individual, as a result of which it became possible to create a state and law. Thus, the development of man with his psychological characteristics led to the emergence of statehood. This theory became widespread at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries.
The essence and history of the development of the direction
The psychological concept of law shows that the state was not based on material values, as Marxist doctrine claimed. They appeared due to a number of mental qualities, experiences and emotions of people. Lev Petrazhitsky argued that individual social groups cannot exist for a long time without legal experiences. A state can be formed only due to a certain state of mind of different groups of individuals.
The essence of this theory is that the individual has a psychological need to be in an organized society, where his actions are limited by social boundaries. At the same time, he must feel and be active within the framework of collective interaction.
Supporters of the movement believe that society was formed thanks to the psychological development of man.
The researchers compared society to a biological organism in which individual parts are interconnected. There is a psychological connection between individuals that allows them to unite in groups to achieve a common goal. From this statement it can be understood that solidarity becomes the main character trait of a person, but identical individuals do not exist. According to physical qualities, there are strong and weak individuals. Depending on mental qualities, two groups of individuals are distinguished:
- Individuals who imitate authorities. They tend to be submissive to others. When executing orders from management, they become calm, believing that they are acting for the benefit of a just cause.
- People who want to control others. They do not know how to follow orders, they have their own opinions on many things, not recognizing the words of others. Their ability to subjugate those around them to their will will allow them to achieve leadership positions.
This theory arose in the mid-19th century, but it gained great popularity only at the beginning of the 20th century.
Could you do me a little favor?
The “foot-in-the-door” technique (getting a chance at something) allows you to manipulate a person’s consciousness in such a way that he does something very important and difficult for you, first by simply agreeing to fulfill a small request. However, there are those who manage to twist it so that in the end the person does twice as much (double foot-in-the-door).
This process consists of three stages: small, medium and large, rather than immediately moving from small to large. Framing the question this way makes the last task less daunting. And even if you have to spread it out over a week or two, it still pays off in the end.
Basic Concepts
There are several basic concepts of the origin of power and law:
- Theological (or as it is also called - divine, religious). She controlled the consciousness of people in the Middle Ages. The essence of this theory was that everything arises according to the will of God. For this reason, power is considered sacred and unshakable. Its representatives are the executors of divine will on earth.
- Patriarchal. Every person is a collective being striving to create his own family. The state is the highest level when many families are united together under the leadership of one father, elder, leader.
- Negotiable. The state was formed by individuals who wanted to preserve what they had at the moment, not to fight with each other, but for this it was necessary to conclude an agreement, according to which everyone would give up benefits to achieve a common goal.
- Organic. The state is an integral organism, the cells of which are individual people. For the body to function properly, cells must unite and act together.
- Psychological. Based on people who want to obey and individuals who are inclined to control.
- Theory of violence. The state was formed thanks to one group of like-minded people who subjugated other people by force. To govern the state and saturate it, it is also necessary to use violence (extortions, executions).
There are other theories (hydraulic, diffuse, sports, incest), but they have not gained much popularity among researchers and society.
Theological theory
One of the first ideas based on thoughts about divine providence during the formation of the state. Based on a similar idea, people assumed that statehood was given to them by the will of a higher being, regulating law as a divine gift. The church in such states was recognized as dominant over the ordinary authorities; the ruler, at the beginning of his journey in this incarnation, necessarily received the approval of the religious authorities.
The following are considered supporters of theological statehood: F. Aquinas, F. Lebuff, D. Euwe.
Founders
Each theory has founders and followers:
- theological - Thomas Aquinas, Aurelius Augustine, Jacques Maritain, Mercier;
- patriarchal - Aristotle, Confucius, R. Filmer;
- negotiable - Charles-Louis Montesquieu, John Locke, Hugo Grotsky, A. N. Radishchev;
- organic - Herbert Spencer, Worms, Preuss;
- psychological - L. I. Petrazhitsky, G. Tard, Z. Freud;
- theory of violence - Shan Yang, Karl Kautsky, Ludwig Gumplowicz.
Other researchers also participated in the development of the theory, but they made little contribution to the development of the direction.
Goal template
When we are looking for a way out of a difficult situation, for example, trying to cross a busy street, first of all we must identify the main source of danger for ourselves.
The Goal Pattern is a guide for finding similar arrays of stimulated complexes. And video games can help you with this. Despite the fact that many people talk about the dangers of playing a lot of video games, there are actually some positive aspects to them. For example, they are an ideal trainer for searching for and identifying hazards and scanning difficult situations. And the more action-oriented the game, the more impetus you get to train your attention.
And then I immediately remembered how the neurologist of my friend’s child said: “But he better play this more often!” after she saw one of the games on the wii. “It develops fine motor skills and intelligence well!” — the advanced aunty doctor added in parting. And that was 5 years ago 
Advantages and disadvantages of the direction
To understand how relevant the teachings of Petrazycki and Tarde are, it is necessary to understand the pros and cons of the psychological theory of the origin of the state. The merits of this teaching include its fairness. It is common for any person to show a sense of dominance, desire to communicate, and subordination of others. These features influenced education and the development of the state. The main disadvantage of this theory is that it does not take into account other factors in the formation of a political system. These include social, political and economic development.
The psychological qualities of any person are formed under the influence of numerous factors that must be taken into account in order to explain the process of state formation. Psychological theory presents a description of only one factor, which is useless without the others.
Head in the clouds
The term "mind-wandering" wasn't particularly well known until 2013, but recent research has shown that you can actually get some benefits for your thinking (and your teacher at school would have told you that you were counting crows). We tend to think that this is bad for our daily work, but research has shown that you can better cope with your tasks and plan for the future if you occasionally let your mind wander. Perhaps it is there that an unexpected insight may come to you, because your consciousness is completely free and perceives what was previously either not noticed or suppressed.
Criticism
Firstly, pointing out the role of psychological qualities in the process of state formation, representatives of psychological theory from the standpoint of the development of psychological science of that time could not give us a detailed doctrine of the role of the psyche in the formation of a state. Calling all the psychological qualities of people “impulses,” “emotions,” and “experiences,” they saw no difference between them. Meanwhile, the human psyche is divided into emotional, volitional, and mental spheres. In relationships between people, it is volitional qualities that are very important. On their basis, psychological subordination between people and a social “pyramid” are established, a type of which is the state. Strong willpower makes people natural leaders. It is precisely such people, as a rule, who become at the “helm” of a tribe, a union of tribes, and then the state.
Secondly, speaking about psychological qualities, supporters of psychological theory emphasize that the desire for solidarity is inherent in people almost from birth. But what do we actually see? Since the beginning of their existence on earth, people have been constantly at war with each other, and war in ancient times was the rule, not the exception.
Of course, under the influence of the threat of destruction or diminishment of their vital interests, people are able to unite. But in this case, solidarity is also inherent in animals. For example, hyena dogs not only interact during the hunt, but also take care of the victims: they post guards around them and bring food from afar. We find the behavior of hyena dogs very attractive. But do all even modern people always do the same? The problem of burying the remains of soldiers who died during the Great Patriotic War has not yet been resolved. Excavations show that among the examined skeletons of human ancestors who lived millions, hundreds of thousands and even tens of thousands of years ago, there are no traces of successfully healed injuries in which a person loses the ability to walk. This means that people who received such trauma did not survive, since our ancestors probably abandoned the wounded to their fate.
Thirdly, while welcoming the desire of the authors of psychological theory to moderate economic determinism, one cannot help but note that they go to the other extreme: they attach decisive importance to psychological factors in the process of state formation, that is, they essentially make the same mistake. Of course, psychological factors do not have a decisive influence on this process, but discounting them is an even more serious mistake than underestimating them.
