The main directions of evolution of the psyche in the context of ontological and differential-integrative approaches. Part 2

Abstract

The article is devoted to the development of A.N.Leontiev's classical periodization of phylogeny of the psyche in the context of modern scientific data on psychical and morpho-physiological organization of different groups of living organisms. The following thesis is substantiated: at the present stage of scientific development the continuous division of the evolution of the psyche into several stages and levels does not reflect the specificity of the process. Based on A.N.Severtsov's theory we distinguish the main directions of evolution of the psyche: aromorphosis, idioadaptation, degeneration. In the second part of the article major idioadaptation and degenerative lines of the evolution of the psyche are analyzed. It is shown that even within the same stage of development, there are significant qualitative differences in the psychic organization of individual taxonomic groups due to the specifics of the evolutionary path of a taxon. It is concluded that these differences should be reflected in the current periodization of the phylogeny of the psyche.