Relevance. There is no understanding of the role of risk perception in medical decision-making, as well as the cognitive representations and implicit theories of risk of doctors. The concept of an intellectual-personal human potential helps us investigate the links between those levels of risk perception and the specifics of decision-making.

Objective. The hypothesis about the relationship between cognitive representations of risk, the preference towards certain choices in verbal tasks, and the engagement of implicit risk theories in the regulation of choices was tested.

Methods. 103 people aged 21-73 years participated, 59 doctors, and 44 realtors. Medical Risk Scale (SHMR, MRS), Cognitive Risk Representations Inventory (CRR) and Implicit Risk Theories Questionnaire (ITR) were applied.

Results. Risk representations are weakly related, though the variables are more integrated within the same level. The differences between the groups were found in: some implicit risk theories; average risk assessment; estimates of the riskiness of situations and the likelihood of a negative outcome. The groups also differed in preferences of risk reduction strategies, depending on a subjective riskiness. Thus, the inventories reflect different levels of risk perception, mediated by the professional specifics of the participants. Among doctors evaluation of riskiness of the situation is linked with the lack of control; their implicit risk theories, in general, have little relationship with the representations of specific risks.

Conclusion. Implicit risk theories and cognitive representations of risks appear as different levels of procedural regulation of decision-making; Inventories we developed are good tools for diagnosing representations of medical risks.

In article influence of personal meanings theory of thinking of O.K. Tikhomirov on studies of consciousness and selfunderstanding is discussed. Proves, that processes of become aware of himself are indissolubly connected with formation of operational senses. The sense is considered as cognitive a phenomenon caused by knowledge the person receives during thinking. At the same time the sense is also such generation of existential experience of the subject which is based on comprehension of limitation by it cognitive rational schemes of knowledge of the world. Affirms, that the most perspective direction of psychological research of a problem of selfunderstanding is the combination cognitive and existential ways of the analysis of generation of sense.