Позитивные изменения. Том 3, № 2 (2023). Positive changes. Volume 3, Issue 2 (2023). Редакция журнала «Позитивные изменения»
like personal worth, responsibility, cooperation, evolution, freedom, and spirituality (Strelkova, 2009; Yanovsky, 2010). Numerous studies have explored the psychosemantics of film art, including analyses of movies such as “Stalker,” “The Barber of Siberia,” “Rashomon,” and others (Petrenko et al., 2014).
To provide a clearer illustration of this approach, let us turn to V. F. Petrenko’s work, “Psychosemantic Analysis of the Feature Film The Barber of Siberia’” (Petrenko, 2005).
Experiment Procedure. After collectively watching the film, the respondents were asked to formulate bipolar constructs that contrast the characters (using G. Kelly’s Triadic Choice methods)[2].
Figure 2. Semantic space depicting the relationships between characters of the feature film ‘The Barber of Siberia’ by Factor 3 and Factor 4
The experiment involved 100 students from various universities in Moscow, both males and females. As a result, the respondents formulated 1,038 constructs, averaging about 10 constructs per person.
Objects of analysis (characters): Tolstoy, Jane 1 (upon her arrival in Russia), Jane 2 (after falling in love with Tolstoy), Radlov, Mokin, Tolstoy’s Mother, McCracken, Dunyasha, Alexander III, the Grand Duke, Polievskyy, Terrorist, Sergeant, and Andrew. Considering that the film takes place on the border between Russian and American mentalities, two additional virtual role positions were introduced to highlight this mental borderland: “Russian” and “American.”
Through factor analysis, the initial character oppositions were grouped into six factors, which were interpreted as artistic constructs according to the authors’ terminology:
• Factor 1 – “Passive obedience ↔ Inner independence and ability to act and fight”
• Factor 2 – “Inherent Dignity ↔ Unprincipled”
• Factor 3 – “Unbalanced Impulsiveness ↔ Common Sense”
• Factor 4 – “Proud Superiority ↔ Pleading Dependency”
• Factor 5 – “Openness to Diversity ↔ Inner Limitation”
• Factor 6 – “Devotion to the idea ↔ Immersion in everyday life”
These factors were used to construct the characters’ semantic spaces, as shown in Figure 2.
In Factor 3, Tolstoy emerges as the most prominent character, significantly differentiated from the others. Additionally, characters such as Tolstoy’s Mother, the Terrorist, and the Grand Duke exhibit traits that prevent them from asserting themselves and instead lead them to be immersed in an illusory world. Conversely, characters like Mokin, Dunyasha, Jane 1, Jane 2, and Andrew embody balanced practicality and common sense (Fig. 2).
On the other hand, Factor 4 highlights the most polar positions held by characters such as Dunyasha, Tolstoy’s Mother, McCracken, and the Terrorist, who possess lower social status. They contrast with characters like Alexander III, Radlov, Polievskyy, and the Grand Duke, who wield power and experience a sense of superiority over others.
By analyzing the semantic space, we gain valuable insights into the underlying meanings and interactions among the characters in “The Barber of Siberia,” shedding light on their roles and dynamics within the film. By identifying the main lines of opposition among the characters, the researchers formulated a system of constructs for the film. To gain a more precise understanding of how viewers perceive the personalities of the characters, an additional psychosemantic technique called “motive attribution” was employed (Petrenko, 2014).
The application of psychosemantics in cinema assumes a crucial role as it uncovers functioning of individual and collective systems of meanings portrayed in cinematic images.
The researchers carefully selected specific actions performed by the characters as behavioral indicators for motive attribution. For each character, they chose the actions and deeds that vividly characterized them. After viewing the movie, the respondents were presented with a list of 54 motives, including love, desire for approval, and acting out of a sense of duty. They were asked to rate the extent to which each motive from the provided list could serve as a reason for a particular action, on a scale of 1 through 6.
It is widely acknowledged that actions can be driven by multiple motives of varying significance. To capture this complexity, the respondents assigned points to complete a comprehensive matrix attributing motives to actions.
By employing factor analysis on the collected data, distinct motivational patterns emerged for each character. The strength of each motive cluster represents the prominence of specific groups of motives in shaping the characters’ behavior, as perceived by the participants. It is important to note that not all listed motives necessarily underpin the behavior of every character. For instance, in the case of Tolstoy, motives such as “material interest,” “career aspirations,” and “thirst for knowledge” do not align with his behavioral motives (Petrenko, 2014).
Equally promising are the avenues related to assessing the impact of cinematic works.
A comprehensive review of scientific literature from the past decade reveals the extensive utilization of psychosemantic analysis in the realm of film studies. This approach has been applied to various aspects of cinematography, ranging from the examination of texts produced by diverse linguocultural communities (Vinnikova, 2008) within an intercultural context (Baranskaya, Vershinina, 2010), to the exploration of cinema as a manifestation of national consciousness and an integral part of national culture. Additionally, studies have focused on determining the subjective appeal of positive and negative characters (Korobova et al., 2018; Korobova, 2019), interpreting characters’ behavior during conflicts (Markina, 2010; Sobkin et al., 2007; Kirakosyan, 2007), investigating media violence and its connection to viewers’ personal characteristics (Dorfman & Zubakin, 2013), as well as exploring the viewers’ ego-identity (Askerova, 2017). These examples represent only a fraction of the wide-ranging topics that have been explored through the lens of psychosemantics in recent years.
Equally promising are the avenues related to assessing the impact of cinematic works. The sophisticated and remarkably precise tool of psychosemantics enables the reconstruction of individual meaning systems and provides a nuanced description of the viewing experience, surpassing the capabilities of traditional survey methods, including in-depth interviews.
These endeavors signify that Viktor Petrenko, along with his colleagues and collaborators, have an abundance of research ahead and numerous prospects for new discoveries.
Lastly, we would like to share a personal anecdote. On one occasion, Viktor Petrenko delivered a lecture to students at a renowned South Korean university as a visiting professor. The lecture was delivered in Russian, with Natalia Gladkikh, who taught a course on advertising effectiveness evaluation, translating it into English. Following the class, Professor Petrenko presented some of his books to the most enthusiastic students, one of whom eagerly sought an autograph. Upon receiving the book adorned with the coveted signature, the student exclaimed, “I am destined for prosperity! I firmly believe Professor Petrenko will win a Nobel Prize soon, and I will have a book bearing his autograph.”
Once again, this anecdote underscores the profound impact of Petrenko’s persona and the psychosemantic methodology he has developed. They transcend linguistic and cultural barriers, resonating with anyone willing to wield the tools of psychosemantics.
1. Askerova, A. T. (2017). Psychosemantics of “Harry Potter” characters and the peculiarity of the ego-identity of the audience. In Psychology in a Changing World: Problems, Hypotheses, and Research (pp. 155–162).
2. Baranskaya, L. T, & Vershinina, T. S. (2010). Psychosemantics
In order to form a construct, the experiment should involve both similarities and differences among the objects (for instance, Ivanov and Petrov are brunettes, and Sidorov is not). Hence, in order to identify a construct, it is essential to establish correlations among a minimum of three objects using the method of triadic comparison, which is a modification of the scaling method. This involves considering two objects that are similar (the emergent pole) and one object that is different (the implicit pole).