EURISTIC POTENTIAL OF STEREOTYPE AS PRAGMATICALLY ORIENTED PHENOMENON OF CONSCIOUSNESS

Background. The article is devoted to the stereotype as a pragmatically oriented phenomenon of practical consciousness. Review of scientific sourses on selected topics indicates that the history of the study of the phenomenon of stereotype is very rich and diverse. First of all, the stereotype has been studied as part of the cognitive process. With the study of social orientation was associated analysis of stereotype affective aspect. As part of the public consciousness stereotype was studied in the research of process of mass communication. Notable is also the study of stereotypes in the context of gender. However, multidimensional research of stereotype greatly complicated the understanding of it as a holistic phenomenon pragmatically oriented of consciousness that has defined the purpose of the study. Results. Comprehension in retrospect of logic of knowledge of universal norms of culture indicates that the object of the reflection is becoming increasingly innovative forms of activity and thinking, which generation allowed mankind to change their experience, to go beyond it to the new reality, "break" through its historical time. Conservative forms in which human experience was accumulated and stored, were generally subject to a psychological observations. Stereotypes of human activity and thinking belong to these conservative forms too. The article proves that the most constructive direction for the study of stereotypes as a phenomenon of consciousness is the realization of methodological settings that culture and society is "building material" which the individual assimilates and transforms into "bricks" of his personality. It is in this perspective the stereotype should be explored as a form of human activity and thinking, which accumulates the gained experience into algorithm of person's attitude to some object and psychological phenomenon, characterized by practical consciousness. Conclusions. The author concludes that for the construction of the theoretical concept of stereotype must be considered not only the aspects related to the formation and functioning of this phenomenon, but one should consider it in terms of inner content, which takes place in the context of the study of the dynamics of cultural traditions and innovations. Only with such an analysis euristic potential stereotype as pragmatically oriented phenomenon of consciousness can be fully taken into account.