Legal mentality: the interpretation of the scientific discourse

The article deals with the specifics of the interpretation of «legal mentality ‘category in different scientific concepts. The most authoritative study of the mentality directions: social psychology, which is based on the sociological theory of E. Durkheim; general psychology, theory of archetypes as the basis of the «collective unconscious,» K. Jung, the concept of «social character», V. Rayh. Legal mentality – a deep, well-established system of views and opinions of a particular social group, class, stratum, people, nation or community to another institute of law, peculiarities of its application and role in society. The specifics of the legal mentality lies in its visual Depending on historical traditions and culture of a particular nation. This necessitates mandatory accounting features of the legal mentality of the people in the legislative process. Formation of legal culture of the people is impossible without its primer on its historical traditions, culture and language. Revival Ukrainian legal culture consistent with modern legal policy polyarchy. Despite the trend of integration of their own political, economic and legal systems in the European community of the European Union member states to carefully refer to the national legal traditions. National mentality and its features are reflected in the legal submissions which are contained in proverbs, sayings, myths, thoughts, tales, is the oral form of manifestation of the people's legal culture, as well as reflected in the customs, traditions, ways of working, which were made in the legal daily on throughout the history of the people. In addition, the features appear in the national legal notions and reactions in relation to such objects of political and legal reality as a state, local government, law, crime, punishment, the court, the trial, the political leaders, customs reform, civil servants, family, inheritance, labor, property, and so on. It is noted that in legal science, until recently, there was a certain shade of secondary and subordinate legal mentality. Such categorical secondary importance legal mentality has remained and when the term began to be actively used in the science of law. It is proved that the concept of «legal mentality» has a great heuristic potential and should be the focus of current research