Psychoanalytical Model of the Russian “Middle Man” in the Story“ Antileader” by V. Makanin

The article examines, in a cognitive and psychoanalytical aspect, the features of the Russian national character described in Vladimir Makanin’s story “Antileader”, written in 1984, during the period of Soviet stagnation and totalitarianism, using the example of a literary character model. Starting from the type of Gogol’s “little man”, evolving from masochism to rebellion, from obsessive to epileptoid psychotype, a vertical of Russian character traits with sado-masochistic accentuation is built. As a result of the “crowdedness” and lack of prospects for the social series in closed non-democratic communities like Soviet Russia, an aggressive type of behaviour was formed. Even in absolutely neutral, non-threatening conditions (with a clearly subordinated opponent), the dominant member of the social group behaved in an aggressive manner in order to satisfy narcissistic needs that were not channelled naturally (for example, through career growth or increased consumption of material and social goods). This is illustrated in this study using the example of Makanin’s “middle man” who finds himself in a classic “sado-masochistic swing”. Suppressed by authoritarian communication models at home and at work, the protagonist displaces his unrealized narcissistic needs in street fights and similar confrontations, while unconsciously becoming an instrument of the collective mind, levelling everything that goes beyond Soviet standards.