The work examines the relationship between mentality and legal consciousness, revealing for the first time their dialectical correlation as essence and content. The author shows that mentality reflects a specific way of understanding the surrounding world, taking into account ideological and psychological aspects that affect the perception of reality. Their manifestation as legal concepts in the mind, which act as universal laws of law, is also investigated, noting their various variations at different stages of historical development. Within the framework of the study, the factors that influence the education of citizens, the development of critical thinking and a conscious attitude to laws and law and order in the educational, informational and media environment are systematized. The author determines the importance of systematizing these factors for understanding the complex interrelationships between education, information and media, as well as for the development of competence in the field of law and order, which is key to the formation of a full-fledged civil society. In addition, innovative methods of reducing the negative impact of the educational environment and media content on the legal consciousness and mentality of citizens are proposed, in particular, measures to develop critical thinking, emphasis on legal education and modernization of educational programs. Also highlighted are the priority concepts of the idea of justice and the idea of law in the formation of the mentality and legal consciousness of Ukrainians, emphasizing their role in determining individuality and integration into society. In addition, the author justifies the expediency of conducting a comparative legal analysis of the concepts "mentality", "mentality" and "character" in the context of Ukrainian legal and social life. The performed analysis allows to clearly define the differences between these concepts and establish their unique features in the context of scientific literature. Despite the importance and expediency of this issue in terms of modern society, the rapid pace of educational development, the spread of media and access to information pose new challenges to society. The growing amount of data and content offered requires more attention to how it affects the formation of the Ukrainian mentality, reasoning and beliefs of citizens, as well as their understanding of legal issues, which in turn confirms the relevance of the selected research.
