К психологии возможного: антропологический, детерминистский, аксиологический и экзистенциальный контексты

Вестник Санкт-Петербургского университета. Серия 16. Психология. Педагогика. 2022. Т. 12. № 2. С. 111–121.

Leontiev D.

This paper considers the role of the category of the possible in four contexts. In the anthropological
context the idea of the possible is viewed as a specific feature of human psychology,
unlike the minds of other living species. The human being is conceived as a possible, rather

than factual, being, as a possibility of oneself. In the context of the vol. of determinism one’s
orientation toward the possible is treated as a mechanism of motivation and activity regulation,
based on reflective awareness and goal setting. Our consciousness singles out those
specific possibilities from the domain of the possible which possess a definite value, attractiveness
or meaning for us, and due to this they are considered as potential options for action.
Actually, only few are embodied in one’s activity after passing one more selection: they are
accepted as the ought, the goals, for the implementation of which we accept responsibility. In
the axiological aspect, possibilities appear as the good, or value, a component of quality of life
and well-being. Empirical data are presented on the associations between the idea of the existing
possibilities and numerous indicators of subjective and psychological well-being. Finally,
in the existential context, possibilities appear as existential options, consciously chosen and
implemented by the person. An action in the realm of the possible suggests the acceptance
of responsibility, self-reflection and the conscious acceptance of the price. While switching
on the reflective self-awareness, we become aware of the available possibilities, weight up and
reflect on the consequences which the given actions may entail, and on the price we shall have
to pay for these or those choices, accept the risk and the responsibility for the choice. Freedom
appears in this context as conscious opportunity. The realm of the possible is thus the realm of
our responsibility and our freedom.

Keywords: сознание, свобода, детерминизм, целеполагание, ответственность, consciousness, responsibility, freedom, determinism, goal setting, возможное, должное, the possible, the necessary, the ought, potentialities, необходимое, потенции

Publication based on the results of: The role of meaning in success, well-being, and coping with life challenges (2022)