The cognitive ideal of the attitude towards the other in S. L. Frank’s concept of spirituality: Theoretical and methodological foundations. Part 1

Relevance: Socio-psychological studies of spirituality are a priority amidst the current liminal stage of social development. Such studies are crucial for identifying the core foundations of social psychology at the level of spiritual characteristics responsible for the psychocultural health of various social groups. Purpose: to present the foundations of a socio-psychological approach to the empirical study of the cognitive aspect of spirituality. Results: the article presents a brief overview of the historical development of the theory of cognition as an independent branch of science. It also considers the category of truth as the goal of a cognitive activity, along with the content of the concepts of “cognitive attitude” and “cognitive ideal.” It is noted that the purpose of human cognitive activity is to comprehend truth or to gain knowledge about the object of interest as an intermediate result of the truth-seeking process. The subject of cognitive activity is the subject of social interaction. Participants in social interaction may possess either scientific consciousness and use scientific means of cognition, or ordinary consciousness and employ the appropriate means of cognition. Conclusion: a cognitive attitude is defined as sustained attention to an individual’s personality, stemming from a positive interest in that individual. Within the framework of socio-psychological research, a cognitive attitude has three levels, determined by the type of need: orientational, mixed or spiritual. The “cognitive ideal” is presented as the most perfect cognitive attitude towards the other, characterized by the qualities of the subject of cognition, the object of cognition, and the means of cognition. It manifests at the highest level and completeness of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. Practical significance: lies in two key areas: a) it creates a basis for developing methodological tools for socio-psychological studies of the cognitive ideal of the attitude towards the other, thereby yielding data on the spiritual development level of individuals and groups in terms of their cognitive processes; b) it offers the future possibility of using psychodiagnostic research data to develop technologies for correcting and improving the level of spiritual development.