Available in Russian
Author: Aleksandr Evseev
DOI: 10.21128/1812-7126-2026-2-135-150
Keywords: T. G. Morshchakova; constitutional proceedings; forensic psychology; collegiality; conformism; psychology of small groups
This article, timed to coincide with Professor T. G. Morshchakova’s anniversary, explores her contribution to the field of legal psychology. The author charts the evolution of her work in this direction, from isolated ideas within a broad body of work on judicial theory dating back to the 1970s to a developed theory of the psychology of constitutional proceedings that emerged by the late 2000s. Specifically, she highlights aspects of her teachings such as the psychological origins of procedural regulation and the psychological “pitfalls” of collegiality, and identifies similar problems that arise during decision-making in small groups. The author seeks to connect her observations with the normative regulation of judicial activity, both at the level of the Constitutional and general courts, identifying aspects within it that are inconsistent with the findings and recommendations of psychological science. Reference is made to research conducted by Morshchakova in the late 1980s, which explored the relationship between the legal consciousness of law enforcement officers and their predicted effectiveness of legislation. A detailed analysis is provided of the pages of her memoirs that touch on the development of legal psychology in the USSR. A conclusion is reached regarding the contribution of “talented individuals” to the development of Soviet jurisprudence, who often secretly opposed the official viewpoint. The psychological connotations of written hearings in constitutional jurisdiction bodies are discussed. On the one hand, drawing on Morshchakova’s work, it is concluded that they are inherent to the consideration of cases in constitutional courts. However, the risk of “document hypnosis” is identified, whereby judges, without hearing the parties’ arguments, deprive themselves of an important source of information necessary for making a balanced and informed decision. Overall, the article highlights the extraordinary personality of the article’s heroine and the contribution she made to the development of the independence of the judiciary in the 1990s and subsequent years.
About the author: Aleksandr Evseev – Candidate of Sciences (Ph. D.) in Law, Associate Professor, Russian State University of Justice named after Lebedev, Moscow, Russia.
Citation: Evseev A. (2026) Т. Г. Морщакова и развитие судебной психологии [T. G. Morshchakova and the development of forensic psychology]. Sravnitel'noe konstitutsionnoe obozrenie, no. 2, pp. 135–150. (In Russian).
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