The paper considers social perceptual representations of mother in children. The social perceptive image of mother is associated with a certain attitude, and, consequently, determines the willingness to act in a certain way, the willingness to implement a certain strategy of relationships. The paper presents the results of a large-scale empirical study comprising 7000 high school students.

The sample can be considered quite representative with all necessary parameters, including respondents from big cities and small towns and villages of Russia, complete and incomplete families, families with 1-2 children and large ones. The results of the study in the general sample show that the social perceptual portrait of the mother compises only positive qualities, and does not contain any negative descriptor.

In addition, a high level of concordance (coherence, unanimity) in the perception and assessment of the mother’s respondents was revealed. A comparative analysis is carried out of the mother’s image in the minds of young men and women, in the minds of respondents from complete and incomplete families, from urban and rural families, from families with one or two children and from large families, from large families with many children and many children with many children. As a general trend, the social perceptual portrait of the mother in all groups remains positive. However, certain differences are also found in some changes in most significant qualities. Summing uo, differences are also found in the level of concordance of the respondents’ choice in specific groups that differ in gender or social features.

The first part of the paper describes an approach to understanding social maturity and operational criteria for its estimation. In general, social maturity is defined as the willingness of an individual to take responsibility for developing his/her community. Social identification with broad social communities is an integral component of social maturity. The paper presents the results of the age analysis (intra-subject factor) and the analysis of psycho-pedagogical conditions (inter-subject factor) which facilitate the appearance of «I - person» social identity in the mental representation of a person. Inter-individual trajectory of social maturity development passes through a number of «points». At the age of 7 a person has a typical position of «I» identity; during adolescence the teenager reaches the point of the «Person» identity, whose qualities may differ from those of a child. By the age of 25 more than third of young people has acquired the «I-person» identity. Recreation of psycho-pedagogical conditions in primary schools, development of children’s cooperation, development of children’s ability to communicate with different participants of the educational process, actualization of different levels of social identity are the factors that allow to found the basis of the «I - person» identity in two thirds of the participants of the experiment. The results are stable over a long period of time (18-year).

The second part represents the analysis of the specific features of mental self-representation effect on the subsequent social and psychological development of a person. Correlation analysis between the indices of the categorical structure of texts written on the same issue by the same authors at the age of 7 and then 25 years has revealed the types of empirical ways to form social maturity. These types include: «I - for the Company», «I – for others», «I - for the family,» «I –for an activity» and «I - for myself.» The ways to form social maturity are widely shown in the paper according to these types.

Longitudinal study is focused on inter- and intra-subject factors that define the dynamics of social formation during maturity, i.e. the period from the primary school age to the age of early adulthood. Inter-subject factors are considered to be the conditions of educational environment created in the course of the pedagogical experiment. Features of human mental representation of him/herself and the world are defined in the study as intra-subject factors. The longitudinal study, which continued for 18 years, has been conducted in several directions: the comparison of the two phases of the study; intra-individual analysis of the dynamics of participants’ social development; defining the stability a person’s self-representation in a long-term perspective.

The first part of the study represents the typical age group «points» of social development, the development of one’s identification with humanity («I - person») in particular. It is typical for a 7-9 year old to experience the lack of “I-person” identity; during adolescence there are two coexisting images in the mental self-representation: «I» and «Person»; by the age of 25 the «I - person» identity is formed by approximately 40% young people. It has been discovered that specially organized pedagogical conditions contribute to the actualization of identification with the human community; moreover, under certain conditions the «I - person» identity of can be actualized at the primary school age. The age of 7-8 years is considered to be the sensitive period for the formation of social identity. Once formed the identity appears to be stable, and retains for the coming decades.

The second part represents the analysis of the specificity of mental self-representation’s effect on the subsequent social and psychological development of a person. This approach allows to distinguish the directions of social maturity development and to describe empirical intra-subject ways to form social maturity between 7-25 years.

The results have theoretical significance for the developmental psychology and educational psychology. They aim is to create the periodization of person’s social development; define sensitive periods of social identity in the mental representation that contributes to social and personal maturity, and also psychological health. Identified patterns can be used in social development of elementary school, which should be based on inter-subject factors of social maturity.

The paper analyzes the problems of deviant and delinquent behaviour from the standpoint of relations theory. The process of socialization is considered as a process of development and purposeful formation of the personality relations system. Deformations in the individual system of social relations can be caused by a number of factors, which include those associated with social institutions such as family and school. The paper emphasizes the determination of anti-social behaviour of juveniles is prioritized by the family of psychosocial strain. An important mechanism of family influence on the development of social deviancy and antisocial behaviour is the emotional neglect of a child, «non-value» attitude. The so-called apathetic or ignoring type of upbringing is most strongly associated with subsequent delinquency. The lack of parental supervision is considered to be more important in delinquency than the adverse socio-economic status. The most important mechanism of negative family influence on the personality development is family socialization on the deviant type. Antisocial values, norms and patterns of behaviour might be acquired through learning and imitation mechanism, if the values and norms are dominant in the family. Adolescent’s representations of the reprimand of the family, parents, involved in adolescent’s behaviour, encourage negative attitudes, reduces the likelihood of further manifestations . If a child has built a negative relationship with one or both parents, if the development of positive self-esteem and I-concept are not supported in the parental estimates, the probability of illegal behaviour increases significantly.

The central place in the system of child and adolescent relations belongs to the mother. Th research shows that the decrease in positive attitudes towards the mother, increasing the negative descriptors in depicting the mother correlates with overall negativism toward all social relations of the individual.

Concepts of "violence" and "effort" in the context of the development of the child are discussed. Nature, importance and relation of these concepts in modern psychology are shown. The idea of "humanistic" nonviolent pedagogy is analyzed. The value of "effort" for the normal development of personality is shown.