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This paper explores the image of a public servant of the Russian Federation whose qualities affect the opinion of population about public servants, public service, and the state in general. The paper is based on the results of sociological surveys and is aimed at answering the question whether professionalism is a system-building element in the image of a public servant, what other qualities create this image and how these qualities correlate with the qualities chosen by future public servants - students specializing in state and municipal management. The surveys have been conducted in two Russian cities (Moscow and Langepas (Khanty-Mansi autonomous district)). Participants of the Langepas survey were residents of the city, and those of the Moscow survey were residents of Moscow, respectively, including a group of first-year students specializing in state and municipal management. The data analysis has shown that professionalism based on continuous improvement of knowledge and skills is the system-building element in the image of a public servant. Moreover, the leading motive of professional activity is social and state benefit and the professional activity of a public servant is a necessity. The authority of a public servant depends on his activities and affects the authority of the state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young people use slang for identifying themselves with a particular social group, gaining social recognition and respect from that group, and expressing their emotional state. One feature of Internet slang is its active use by youth in online communication, which, under certain conditions, may cause problematic Internet use (PIU). We conducted two studies in young Russian speakers (n 1  = 115, n 2  = 106). In study 1, participants were asked to rate a set of slang and common words using Self-Assessment Manikin. The study revealed that the most reliable predictor of higher emotional ratings was word familiarity. There were no significant effects of slang vs. common words or word frequency. In study 2, we used a dual lexical decision task to reveal the effects of word characteristics and propensity for PIU on reaction time (RT) for Internet slang words in pairs with semantically related vs. unrelated common words. Study 2 did not reveal any significant semantic priming effect. Word frequency was a significant predictor of lexical decision facilitation. Common, but not slang, word valence and dominance significantly affected RT in the opposite direction. Individuals with higher cognitive preoccupation with the Internet responded significantly faster, while those more likely to use online communication for mood regulation responded significantly slower to the stimuli. Apparently, on explicit and implicit levels, in-depth knowledge of Internet slang can be one the PIU markers. The results are discussed in line with Davis' approach to determining the general pathological Internet use., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)