Lessons of soviet psychology

The work is devoted to the analysis of the collection of works “Soviet psychology: the stage of the history of science and mentality” // Responsible. ed. A.L. Zhuravlev, D.V. Ushakov, A.V. Yurevich. Moscow: Publishing house “Institute of Psychology RAS”, 2024. The main ideas presented in 21 articles of this book are highlighted. By studying a retrospective analysis of the works, seven main lessons for modern psychology are formulated, allowing us to see the significance of the Soviet period for the development of science. The first lesson is that despite the ideological pressure and attempts to unify psychology, it implemented the principles of postmodernity and metamodernity, characteristic of modern methodology, with great anticipation. Many ideas and theories were ahead of their time and are relevant and are still being developed today. Lesson two is the formation of psychology as a recognized scientific discipline, which was institutionalized, organized, and acquired a qualifying status. The third lesson teaches us that the space of scientific psychology must be restored: the gaps are closed by the discovery of forgotten names, their achievements and their contribution to the development of scientific thought are analyzed. The development and solution of scientific problems in psychology is rooted in the Soviet period, determining the continuity of scientific knowledge — this is the fourth lesson. The fifth lesson shows us that applied psychology developed intensively during the Soviet period and many of its achievements remain relevant today. The sixth lesson follows from an analysis of the psychology of Soviet people. A real, balanced analysis points to the ambivalence of the characteristics of Soviet people, the limitations of their economic mentality, the presence of double morality, denunciations, and fear of power. Finally, the modern psychological community should not forget what price many scientists paid for their beliefs, what destruction of entire directions in psychology was experienced. The Soviet period of development of Russian psychology is more diverse and ambiguous than previously imagined. The completed project of analyzing the Soviet period of psychology from the perspective of modern science showed its high efficiency and promise. Filling the gaps in the history of Russian psychology is not only fundamental for science, but it is also a moral duty to the generation of Soviet scientists.