Introduction. The modern paradigm — postmodernism — is characterized by fragmentation and decentration. The discoveries of postmodernism have complicated the understanding of objective reality, conditioned by stochasticity and ambiguity. The future becomes unpredictable, which increases the basic level of social anxiety. The relevance of the study is explained by the realities of the new information culture, where a priori the humanitarian tradition is formed as systemic and rationalized, and the clash of society with the deconstruction of postmodernism has set the task of building new life guidelines as a priority.

Materials and Methods. An analysis was conducted in the relationship of scientific works related to postmodernist ideas, with the psychology of humor, with self-regulation. An analysis of the interrelationships of scientific works related to postmodernist ideas, the psychology of humor, and self-regulation was conducted. The research materials included scholarly sources on the research topic, in particular, the works of Jean-François Lyotard, Jean Baudrillard, and Michel Foucault, as well as works covering issues of post-classical theory of political, sociological, and economic content. Psychology is involved in the context of the study of humor from the perspective of cultural development I.V. Dombrovskaya, M.A. Krylnikova.

Results. Contemporary psychological research is shifting its focus from the analysis of the autonomous self to the study of the “network of relationships”, focusing on local contextual acts. This paradigm shift opens new perspectives for the study of psychological reflection in an intersubjective context. It has been determined that laughter, as a basic emotion, is one of the fundamental characteristics of human nature. This article examines the category of humor as a mechanism for self-knowledge and adaptation within the ontological foundation of culture. The observer effect in the process of self-reflection is realized through humor as a special form of knowledge that harmoniously unites the emotional and rational principles of human nature.

Discussion. In an era of devalued metanarratives, postmodern culture has lost the ability to answer fundamental questions of human existence. Under these conditions, each individual is forced to independently search for the meaning of their existence, which inevitably leads to the psychological vulnerability of society.

Conclusion. The use of the “observer” strategy transforms the disposition of object-subject communications into the category of intersubjective psychological reflection within a “network of relationships”. This approach neutralizes the primitiveness of evaluative thinking and promotes the development of divergent consciousness. The quality of social interactions depends on emotional settings, the rational coherence of which rests on the objective foundation of learning and control. Thus, by utilizing humor as a deferred form of knowledge, personal freedom is formed on the path to orthobiosis. It is noted that humor is a unique form of self-control, allowing the individual to think freely in accordance with the concept of orthobiosis.

An analysis was conducted in the relationship between scientific works related to postmodernist ideas, the psychology of humor, and self-regulation;

The category of “humor” was analyzed in the process of self-knowledge and adaptation in the "ontological basis of culture";

The potential of the “observer effect” in self-reflection to emotional intelligence was revealed, achieved through humor as a “deferred” form of knowledge.

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