PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF PARTY BUILDING AND THE TRANSITION TO A TWO-PARTY SYSTEM IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Burikova I. S.

the article explores the psychological and sociocultural foundations for the formation of a two-party system in the Russian Federation as an alternative to the ineffective in terms of citizen engagement multiparty model. The aim of the study was to identify the deep mechanisms of citizens’ political identification, the role of images, symbols, and value constructs in shaping party loyalty, as well as to substantiate the two-party structure as a psychologically stable and culturally relevant model for Russian society. The methodological basis included a systems approach, the theory of political identity, psychosemiotic and content analysis, and elements of the historical-comparative method. The empirical part was based on previously conducted studies of Russia’s political landscape, expert assessments, and analysis of programs and rhetoric from 23 Russian political parties. The study revealed that Russian political culture is characterized by a binary perception of political reality, making the two-party model intuitively comprehensible and psychologically acceptable for the mass consciousness. The article substantiates the need to create two ideologically distinguishable parties — one right-wing (conservative) and one left-wing (social-democratic) — which would fulfill not only a representative function but also a meaning-making role. The significance of symbolic resources such as the images of “the people,” “victory,” and “justice” is emphasized in building emotional loyalty and political identity.

Keywords:two-party system; political identity; political psychology; defensive consciousness; party loyalty; value-based mobilization; symbolic politics; psychosemiotics; conservatism; social democracy; political consciousness; ideological positioning; party field structure; party image.