№ 5 - 2002
Pishcheva T.N.
“Hampered Intercourse” (Hindrances in the Perception of Politicians’ Images)

The author attempts to reveal the causes of “hampered ihtercourse” of a politician and the voters by establishing and distinguishing factors determining success and unsuccess of their political communication and by discerning the hindrances in voters’ perception — through the analysis of leaders’ public images and their juxtaposition. The following dimensions are taken into account and applied for the research: attractiveness, strength, activity, status (role), motivation. Both conscious (rational) and unconscious (irrational) levels of the listed dimensions are analyzed. Figuring as the objects of the research were the images of over thirty contemporary Russian politicians, two of them having attracted the researcher’s greatest attention: the leader of the Communist Party G.Zyuganov and President of the Russian Federation V.Putin. Videotape recordings of public figures’ appearances, voters’ concentrated interviews were used in the research.