Kargapolova E.V.¹ (Moscow, Russian Federation) – k474671@list.ru; Zhulanova K.D.¹ (Moscow, Russian Federation) – lm.katerineee@gmail.com

¹Plekhanov Russian University of Economics

Abstract. The transformation of value orientations, the growing interest in the issues of inner peace and spiritual life actualizes the study of how modern Russians understand and interpret complex categories, such as, for example, the soul. In the framework of this study, the soul is understood as a key semantic category reflecting the inner world of a person, his moral attitudes, emotional states and existential experiences. The article presents the results of an empirical study, the analysis of which allows us to get an idea of the content of the concept of “soul” in the minds of Muscovites. Based on the analysis of the respondents’ associative responses, the main semantic groups characterizing these representations are identified. It is shown that the concept of “soul” in the minds of Muscovites retains semantic depth as an integral, dynamic and multidimensional entity that unites the inner world, moral attitudes, emotional depth and spiritual guidelines. The preservation of ideas about the soul in the minds of Muscovites is not fixed as an abstract concept, but as a real, living value that influences their actions, decisions and attitudes towards the world. The most important conclusion of the study is the established predominance of moral, emotional and religious associations, which indicates the preservation of the understanding of the soul as a carrier of spiritual and moral values. It should also be noted that religious associations are more personal than institutional in nature: respondents more often associate the soul with God, faith and immortality, but less often with the church or rituals. The data obtained can be useful for specialists in the field of education, psychology and sociology, as well as for all Russians to understand their own spiritual potential.

Keywords: soul,inner world, spiritual and moral values, associations, Russians, Moscow.

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For citation: KargapolovaE.V., Zhulanova K.D. The soul is a person’s inner compass (according to the results of a survey of Muscovites). CITISE, 2025, no. 4, pp. 835-848.