The article substantiates the need to study the problems of communication in the professional dimension and to apply information about the general mechanisms of communication to the professions of NGU officer and doctor. The choice of these professions is determined by the following factors: the importance of communicative competence for the representatives of these professions to ensure the peace of social community (citizens – in relation to a NGU officer) and individuals (patients – in relation to a doctor); great social responsibility: demonstration of the domination of law and order (in relation to NGU officers) and responsibility for a human life (in relation to doctors); low research level of these issues. Analysis of discursive practices of these professions representatives, common and distinctive features of their communication, questionnaires and surveys confirmed the need to develop these problems. The main research directions were substantiated for law enforcement officers (strategies in communication with offenders; ways of conflicts neutralization; communicative tactics of providing support in communication; peculiarities of interaction with mass media representatives; negotiation; specifics of persuasion for various target audiences; peculiarities of communication in social networks; resistance to manipulative influence) and for doctors (strategies in communication with a patient; maxims of quantity, quality, tact, generosity, etc.; creating a climate of support in communicative interaction; strategies and tactics in communicating with patients of different ages and psychological characteristics).

The aim of the article was to substantiate the cognitive foundations of critical thinking that provide recognition of manipulative technologies. The substantiation of cognitive foundations of critical thinking, aimed at recognition of manipulative technologies, is carried out on the basis of available scientific achievements in the field of general matters of critical thinking, which are projected on the sphere of manipulative influence. The paper gives the definition of cognitive foundations that include knowledge, skills and abilities and personal attributes required for effective intellectual analysis. The following types of cognitive foundations of critical thinking are modeled and substantiated in the article: 1) knowledge; 2) skills and abilities; 3) personality traits that are actualized in the process of intellectual activity (intellectual traits). The first type of cognitive foundations are both awareness of the social context and awareness of the generally accepted value priorities of civilized society. Cognitive foundations of the second type include 10 skills, namely: finding of logical contradictions and errors; lie recognition; distinguishing between real and fictional facts; distinguishing between correct and erroneous statements; mastery of general scientific methods of analysis; establishment of the source base; argumentation; refutation of misconceptions; recognition of indicators of manipulative influence; modeling of solution options. Cognitive supports of the third type are as follows: observation, ability to perform analytical operations. The article demonstrates how skills and abilities are used in detection of textual and non-textual indicators of manipulation. Textual indicators include those that are contained in the very text of the message (logical contradictions, ambiguity of the statement, violation of the clarity of information and its completeness). Non-textual indicators are those for the recognition of which it is necessary to correlate the narrative with real events, with the logic of the relationship of events and facts as well as with ideological attitudes of the authors of the messages.