The presented work examines the basic concepts of virtual reality, which is especially relevant at the present time, and also presents the results of an instrumental study of the influence of virtual reality on the psycho-emotional state of a person. No work has been carried out in the declared aspect, therefore this work can be considered exclusive.

The modern world is undergoing huge changes and the introduction of digital devices into all spheres of life significantly rebuilds our everyday life. The real world is increasingly being supplemented by immersive technologies, forming a unique life of a modern person in a mixed online/offline reality. The new immersive reality affects all spheres of human activity and is now the subject of interdisciplinary research in the field of modern psychology. The use of immersive technologies has great potential in the future in terms of training and development of interpersonal skills, experimental psychology, social and also, possibly, in clinical diagnostics and therapy.

The article discusses the influence of information on the development of culture. The analysis was carried out in a historical aspect from antiquity to the present day. The change of information sources (petroglyphs, hieroglyphs, writing, virtual reality) and their significance in the formation of a person’s cultural level and his cultural development are presented.

The article provides a meaningful analysis of one of the last monographic works of Doctor of Psychology, Professor R. M. Nagdyan (Republic of Armenia). The monograph consistently substantiates the possibility of applying a metaphysical approach to the study of minerals from the positions of psychology, philosophy, and additional sciences; propensity for errors of scientists to metaphysics. The study presents productive metaphysical possibilities for solving the problem of the adequacy of mental reflection in studies of various philosophical and psychological ideas about the relationship between the external world and the “image of the world”. From the standpoint of the metaphysical approach, the author shows the general scientific significance of the principle of symmetry as a universal tool for cognition; the applied possibilities of the metaphysically substantiated principle of symmetry in the construction of the author’s concept of education are also given. Analysis of the content of the monograph by R. M. Nagdyan is accompanied by relevant comparisons with modern studies of the problem of consciousness in psychology.

The concept of an educational cultural-semiotic and private environment for the life of a developing person is formulated, focused on new forms of education in the context of a change in the main pedagogical paradigm and changes, which the author calls “a quiet revolution in education”. The principles of the traditional and new paradigm of education are briefly characterized. The question is raised about the reality, which will make it possible to comprehend and interconnect the individual principles of the new paradigm. The author describes the image of culture that he developed in the course of many years of cultural research and helped him see a new reality. But he called this reality not culture, but environment. The characteristics of such an environment are indicated, two levels of its description are distinguished — abstract (as a reality) and more specific (ontological). The latter is illustrated on the material of the problems of teaching mathematics. In conclusion, criteria are discussed that allow for the demarcation of competencies for new types of education.

The rapidity of changes and transformations in the modern world is associated, first of all, with the development of the digital environment. Today the concepts of “virtual reality”, “augmented reality”, “mixed reality”, as well as the concept of “immersiveness” are increasingly used. To date, the effectiveness of immersive virtual reality technologies has been proven by medical, sports, organisational, cognitive and social psychology data. The use of immersive technologies also has great future potential in the above mentioned fields. This article lists some of the obvious benefits of these technologies in the fields of neuropsychology, clinical psychology and psychotherapy, anxiety disorders, substance dependence, obsessive-compulsive disorder, etc.

The article is dedicated to the overview of virtual reality technologies in the educational system, aimed at social adaptation of self-excluded young people. Social isolation among the adolescents and the young people is a social problem lacking both explanation and resolution. However, successful examples of using virtual reality to decrease a sense of self-isolation among people who are unable to leave their room exist. Possible ways of using virtual reality for implementing isolated youg people into school grades are provided by the authors.

The article discusses the advantages of systematic approach to studying the problems of Russian education system development in the context of new reality formation. According to the authors the architecture of the upcoming model of the Russian education system should be guided by the best traditions in the study area of the Soviet education system and the experience of the educational process, which has been accumulated during the use of Bologna model.

Identifying the psychological characteristics of a specialist’s image is relevant in modern society, since it allows for building social interaction and communication with other people. Psychological and pedagogical aspects of image formation influence the perception of the level of competence, professionalism and reliability of a specialist. Part of the training, and therefore the image of the future specialist, is the formation of the ability to interact with digital reality from the standpoint of both technological development and social, moral and economic aspects.