Image as a Construct of Social Reality

In this article, the phenomenon of image and its formation were considered. Within the modern system of social knowledge, the concept of image has been widely used in psychology, politics, business, and PR. Social theorists are unanimous in their view that an interdisciplinary approach to studying this phenomenon is needed, because it is complex, multifaceted, and ambivalent. In order to analyze the complexity of image, we used the following methods: interdisciplinary, sociocultural, psycho-semiotic methods, as well as the content analysis of media products. The works of modern Russian and foreign theorists were discussed. Based on the results of the study, several important conclusions were drawn. Image develops under the influence of specific socio-cultural conditions, but, simultaneously, the image of a subject can induce their self-development. Therefore, the process of image formation is inextricably linked with the self-identification of a person, it acts as a mechanism for development of their identity. Like identity, image is a dialectical unity of the permanent and constantly changing, integral and fragmentary. Its formation is influenced by the system of values and social ideals that prevail in a specific historical period. Image is a social construct depending not only on objective factors, but also on subjective components that form broad semiotic and social meanings. In this sense, any image is a text.