Історико-психологічна ретроспектива ґенези концепту «соціальний зв’язок» та перспектива його дослідження

The article aims to highlight the theoretical analysis of the “social connection” concept and its transformation throughout the 20th-century historical retrospective. Research methods. To achieve the study’s objectives, a historical-psychological analysis was employed to identify, compare, and synthesize the relevant research material. Research results. The study offers a theoretical analysis of the evolution of “social connection” at the intersection of sociological, socio-psychological, and general psychological discourses. The genesis of the term is traced from classical structural sociological concepts, where connection serves as an objective, static basis for solidarity, to functionalist and interactionist approaches that emphasize rational social action and procedural forms of sociation. Special attention is paid to non-classical interpretations, where social connection transforms from an “external given” into a subjective individual resource. Through the lens of contemporary theories, social connection is conceptualized as social capital – a resource for accumulation and investment that serves as the foundation of public trust. It is noted that in the context of Ukrainian scholarly thought, social connection is conceptualized primarily within a non-classical paradigm: as a tool of resilience and a key professional competence for specialists in territorial communities. Approaches to the term’s parameterization are examined, revealing challenges in achieving its unambiguous understanding. In particular, the study reveals the functional differentiation between strong and weak ties as community resilience resources, as well as the distinction between social connections and contacts as interaction parameters. Conclusions. The results of the analysis demonstrate the necessity of establishing “socio-psychological connection” as an independent object of psychological research. A definition of the connection is proposed as a form of organization of the whole that determines the mode of existence of its parts. The study substantiates that inclusion in such a connection radically transforms the architecture of the individual psyche, creating a space for supra-individual mental phenomena that are irreducible to individual ones.