THE POLITICAL-PSYCHOLOGICAL CONCEPT OF HAROLD LASSWELL AS A METHODOLOGY FOR ANALYZING THE MECHANISMS OF INTERACTION BETWEEN STATE POWER AND CIVIL SOCIETY IN UKRAINE DURING THE PRESIDENCY OF LEONID KRAVCHUK


DOI: https://doi.org/10.17721/2415-881x.2025.97.286-309

Liudmyla Yevdokymova, Nataliia Yarmolitska

Abstract


The article explores Harold Lasswell’s political-psychological concept as an analytical tool for examining the mechanisms of interaction between state power and civil society during the presidency of Leonid Kravchuk (1991–1994). The author applies a psychobiographical approach based on Lasswell’s psychodynamic model, which links early biographical influences, motivational structures, and personality traits of political leaders to their political behavior. Using content analysis of Kravchuk’s public speeches, interviews, and policy decisions, the study reconstructs his psychological profile and classifies it according to Lasswell’s typology of political leadership. The research contextualizes Ukraine’s early 1990s political and social environment, the formation of independent statehood and institutions, and the emergence of civil society amid post-Soviet transformation. Comparative analysis with other transitional leaders reveals the strengths and weaknesses of Kravchuk’s leadership in the development of democratic processes. The article outlines the methodological limitations of the study and highlights future directions for applying political psychology to the analysis of political processes in Ukraine.

Keywords


Harold Lasswell; political psychology; Leonid Kravchuk; psychobiography; political leadership; civil society; post-Soviet transition; democratic institutions

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