Interdisciplinary model of behavioural choice and tools for the prevention of delinquency after the war (archetypal approach)

Abstract

The article presents an interdisciplinary model of behavioural choice developed by the author. This model serves as a framework for analyzing the mechanisms of behavioural choice, based on which the author concludes that the archetypal approach makes it possible to use and bring together socio-psychological and biological approaches when examining the influence of various external environment factors on an individual’s behavioural choice. In particular, the mechanisms of the emergence and spread of individuals’ delinquent behaviour in a crisis are discussed. It is assumed that the social psyche, which is inert in normal conditions and resistant to changes, becomes more plastic in critical conditions with high uncertainty. This facilitates adaptating the social system to new conditions due to normalising individuals’ new – successful behaviour, which is formed based on new – operatively changed social attitudes, values, beliefs, and norms. Thus, manifestations of delinquency in wartime and after wars might be seen as a by-product of the social system’s natural desire for stability in the new external conditions. Hence, the prevention of delinquency serves to normalize the behaviour of individuals to return to pre-crisis conditions, and at the same time as contributes to promoting adaptation to new conditions of life. The conclusion is that to overcome the destructive consequences of war, the social structure should be improved and renewed to produce a new social environment that could harmoniously change the behaviour of individuals per the acquired social attitudes, values, beliefs, and norms that determine it. Based on the results of the analysis of the developed model and the identified mechanisms of influencing behavioural choices, approaches to the selection of practical tools for the prevention of delinquency in post-war times are suggested (i.e., collective events involving representatives of the target audience) and methods of organizing their collective activities is proposed. It is assumed that further research can be aimed at verifying the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed measures in real-life conditions to improve the methodology of their use and develop criteria and methods for evaluating the obtained results.