Maleichuk G.I., Drobyshevsky B.A. This article is an attempt to understand the features of the Gestalt approach in Belarus, which, being a psychological and psychotherapeutic direction, is also a social practice, inscribed in the corresponding culture. “Who are we?” This is probably one of the most difficult questions, the answer to which we have to find throughout our lives. Everyone can list at least a few characteristics when faced with a similar question. For example, who we are by type of professional activity, marital status, age, gender, etc. In psychological science, the answer to the question: “Who are we?” associated with the concept of “identity”. Identity is defined as an individual’s awareness of the continuity and identity over time of his own personality [link to Antonova]. To have an identity means, firstly, to feel oneself, one’s being as a person, unchanged, regardless of changes in the situation, role, self-perception; secondly, it means that the past, present and future are experienced as a single whole; thirdly, it means that a person feels a connection between his own continuity and the recognition of this continuity by other people. [link to Antonova]. Identity is a dynamic formation and changes throughout the life of an individual. Identity formation occurs through a number of mechanisms, such as identification and alienation, introjection and projection, reflection, etc. It should be noted that identity as a mental formation is social in origin, that is, it is formed through interactions between people. At the macro level, the identity of an individual is woven into the corresponding “fabric” of culture. Culture has a direct influence on the formation and change of identity. Here we come close to the phenomenon of “mentality”. Mentality is defined as a set of integrated axiological, cognitive and behavioral components in collective and personal consciousness [link to Busko]. Mentality can be represented as an ethnic identity, which influences the formation of individual identity and at the same time itself is influenced by the identity of an individual. Just like identity, mentality is a dynamic formation and is formed through certain conditions. Such conditions are the geographical location of a certain nationality, natural and socio-political conditions. The peculiarities of the nature of our region influence the formation of the mentality of the Belarusian people, and, consequently, the identity of an individual representative of this people. How does this influence occur? The flat landscape, the wealth of forms and manifestations of nature - the abundance of rivers, lakes, forests, swamps, according to a number of researchers [Melnikov, Busko], form such a feature of the Belarusian mentality as the ability to contemplate and admire the environment. As an experiment, a critical reader can find a picturesque corner of our Motherland and test his ability to contemplate and admire. In addition to natural conditions, the formation of mentality is also influenced by the geopolitical position of Belarus. In order to point out some factors, it is necessary to take a brief excursion into history. The territory of modern Belarus [link to Busko], as a rule, was part of multinational states - the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Russian Empire, the USSR. Often this was the “front line”, the border of the lands of certain states, as was the case under the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Russian Empire. It is on the territory of Belarus that two civilizations collide - eastern and western, which undoubtedly influenced the formation of the Belarusian mentality. Western culture has such features as an emphasis on individualism, a separate type of production, market and legal relations, democracy, consumer attitude towards natural resources.resources. Features of Eastern culture - emphasis on collectivism, communal forms of relationship, agricultural type of production, authoritarianism, spirituality and religiosity [National. Pyt.s 12-18]. It would seem that such mutually exclusive features of cultures, but they are all reflected in the Belarusian mentality. Many examples can be given, but we will focus only on the most significant. It was on the territory of Belarus, as part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, that Magdeburg Law (the right of cities to self-government) existed, which originated in medieval Germany, writing based on the Latin alphabet (Latin), legal statutes of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, as an example of Roman law [National. Pyt.]. Finally, two branches of Christianity – Catholicism and Orthodoxy – peacefully coexisted and coexist on the territory of Belarus. The influence of eastern culture was exerted at the time when Belarus was part of the Russian Empire, namely, authoritarian and totalitarian forms of governance, the formation of agricultural communities, and the absence of self-government institutions. It should be noted that the influence of Western and Eastern culture occurred in the context of interaction with stronger neighboring powers. The most striking examples are Western influence, when Belarus was part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and eastern influence - as part of the Russian Empire. These influences were quite aggressive and required the residents of Belarus to have a certain tolerance towards the inculcation of Western or Eastern values. Tolerance or the notorious “tolerance” in these circumstances is a kind of self-preservation mechanism for the nation in extreme situations. As part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, conditions were actively created for the development of Western culture - writing in Latin, encouraging the Catholic faith. The peculiarities of Belarusian culture in those days were preserved among the most “backward” segments of the population – the peasantry. During the reign of the Russian Empire, conditions were actively created on the lands of Belarus for the implantation of Eastern culture - Orthodoxy, writing in the Cyrillic alphabet, autocracy. All these actions on the part of stronger neighbors required incredible efforts from the indigenous inhabitants of Belarus in order to integrate these cultures into the “fabric” of mentality. With the help of such qualities as tolerance, the ability for dialogue and synthesis of cultures, the absence of categorical judgments, the features of Eastern and Western culture were assimilated into the Belarusian mentality. Why do we single out these qualities as defining ones? Since these qualities were formed through sociocultural changes and served the purpose of self-preservation of the nation in conditions of interaction with stronger and more aggressive neighbors. To realize his identity, a representative of Belarusian culture was constantly forced to find an answer to the question “Who am I?” This presupposed the need to constantly clarify the boundaries of one’s self. So, what are the features of the Belarusian mentality that influence the formation of the identity of a representative of this culture? Let us list the most significant: The ability to contemplate and admire the environment; The ability for dialogue, synthesis of cultures; Tolerance; The need to search for personal boundaries. We have already expressed the thesis that mentality features influence representatives of a particular culture through the formation and awareness of individual identity. On the territory of modern Belarus, various psychotherapeutic directions coexist: neuro-linguistic programming, symbol drama, cognitive behavioral therapy, group analysis, gestalt approach, etc. But the most widespread among the above psychotherapeutic practices is the gestalt approach. Is this a coincidence? We leave this issue as a subject for further theoretical research. The priority issue of our article is to identify the features of the Gestalt approach practiced in the conditions of the Belarusian sociocultural environment. Perhaps it is precisely the appeal to the featuresthe Gestalt approach cultivated in Belarus will allow us to find an answer to the question about the priority of this psychotherapeutic approach. The Gestalt approach, being a social practice, is refracted through the corresponding “fabric” of culture and mentality features are reflected in the practice of the Gestalt therapist. We offer some model that presents how In this way, the characteristics of mentality influence the identity, and, consequently, the professional position of the Gestalt therapist. In turn, the professional position influences the formation of the school of the Belarusian Gestalt approach. So, how do the features of the Belarusian mentality manifest themselves in the practice of a Gestalt therapist? How is the Gestalt approach refracted through the prism of the Belarusian mentality?1. In our opinion, such a feature of mentality as the ability to contemplate and admire the environment can manifest itself in such an important quality of a therapist as the ability to impress. The ability to impress in this context is considered as a comprehensive characteristic. Impression of the client, his, his reactions, the therapy process.2. The ability for dialogue and synthesis of cultures can manifest itself in such characteristics of the therapist as a predisposition to work on the border of contact, accepting someone else’s position and declaring one’s own, integrating seemingly contradictory positions and mutually exclusive feelings. This feature of mentality can also manifest itself in the ability to integrate various psychotherapeutic schools and directions in one’s practice.3. Tolerance can manifest itself in such an ability as unconditional acceptance of one’s client. Ideally, we know that unconditional acceptance is rather the exception in the practice of any therapist. Here we mean tolerance for the client’s reactions, moral position, etc., the ability to be close to the client without the desire to “teach” him freedom of contact. 4. The need to search for personal boundaries can manifest itself in such qualities of a Gestalt therapist as sensitivity to the nuances of contact and, as we have already mentioned, a predisposition to work on the border of contact. In order to find out whether these characteristics and qualities really manifest themselves in the practice of a Gestalt therapist , the formation and development of which took place in the conditions of Belarusian culture, it is necessary to conduct an empirical study. But checking the above provisions is not the purpose of this article. We just want to draw attention to the fact that the Gestalt approach in Belarus has its own, unique identity, and this identity has developed historically and is manifested in the mentality and practice of the Gestalt therapist. Perhaps it is this article that gives the right to substantiate the emergence in Belarus of such a direction of the Gestalt approach as Gestalt analysis. This approach is a synthesis of Gestalt therapy, based on the core values ​​of freedom, contact, responsibility, choice and the use of experience and diagnostics of psychoanalysis to understand certain clinical phenomena. At the same time, all the features of mentality and the above listed characteristics of the work of a Gestalt therapist are inherent in Gestalt analysis. Literature:1. Busko, I.V. Specificity of the mentality of Belarusians in the context of the modern sociocultural situation // Vesnik GrDU, Seryya 1, No. 3, 2003, pp. 42-49.2. Melnikov, A.P. National mentality of Belarusians, Minsk NOOO “Law and Economics”, 2004. –78 p.3. National tortures: Materials of the III Mizhnarodnaga Kangresa Belarusistau “Belarusian culture in the history of civilization”, 1st session – May 21-25, Belarusian Book Collection, 2001. –223 p.4. Steiner Ivan. Strybagovy unuki: mythological basics of Belarusian menalitetu // Native words No. 9, 2003 5. Kapylova, M. A. “Mentality” and “national character”: the relationship of concepts in domestic and foreign historiography // Questions of the Humanities, No. 2, 2006.6. Lapich, K. G. National self-sufficiency and mentality of Belarus // Adukatsiya i vyhavanne No. 3, 2000.7. Navumau, D. I. The meaning of mentality in the genesis of the palitichny culture of Belarus // №1, 1996.