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1.3 Personality development in adolescence
Different authors define different age limits for youth. IN AND. Slobodchikov and E.I. Isaev define the crisis of youth as the period of 17-21 years, I.S. Cohn distinguishes the period of early adolescence (14-18 years) and late adolescence (18-23-25). E. Erikson determines the beginning of the period at 12-13 years and its end at 19-20 years
Youth is an important stage in the development of personality. During this period, a person’s attitude to the world and society around him is determined, a fairly stable idea of himself, his preferences, plans for the future, opportunities and abilities is formed.
IN AND. Slobodchikov and E.I. Isaev point out that the crisis of adolescence is a period of authorship of one’s own life. “When young people enter independent life, a wide space for applying their strengths and abilities opens up. Subjectively, the whole world is in front of them and they will enter it along the path that each has outlined for themselves. In their choices, boys and girls build the perspective of their lives. Entering an independent life begins with the implementation of personal life plans.”
In adolescence, on the basis of qualitative and quantitative changes, presented in developmental psychology in the form of new formations, intensive development of self-understanding occurs.
This is facilitated by the fact that at this age a young person is faced with solving problems of personal and professional self-determination.
E.F. Zeer defines this stage of professional development of the individual as a stage of professional training, which is characterized by a change in the social situation. The leading activity at this stage of personal development is professional and cognitive, focused on obtaining a specific profession.
Education, which continues at this stage of development, is no longer general, but special, professional; even studying at a university can be considered as a type labor activity. Young people acquire a greater or lesser degree of financial independence from their parents and start their own families.
Issues of professional self-knowledge occupy an important place in the individual development of young people. In the chosen profession, the issues of the purpose and essence of the profession, its public, cultural and social value, professional norms and values, self-determination and self-knowledge are first identified.
During this period, professional activity becomes leading. Professional activity in a situation where the choice has already been made confronts every young person with the task of movement and specialization in the chosen profession, acquiring mastery.
In their youth, young people first face an existential crisis - a crisis of the meaning of life. The main task of this period is self-determination, the search for one’s place in life, the task of comprehending the meaning of one’s existence, one’s purpose and the finiteness of the path to its solution.
“When wondering about the meaning of life,” writes I.S. Kon, “the young man thinks simultaneously about the directions of social development in general and about the specific goal of his own life. He wants not only to understand the objective, social significance of possible areas of activity, but also to find its personal meaning, to understand what this activity can give to himself, how much it corresponds to his individuality: what exactly is my place in this world, in which activity is the most important? will my individual abilities be revealed? .
Meaningful orientations in life do not arise out of nowhere, but their “maturation” is prepared by the entire course of previous personal development. This is the period of formation of the personal foundation of the meaning of life. The full formation of personality depends decisively on what specific motives, goals, and values in their content have become leading and dominant.
Youth V.E. Chudnovsky defines as the period active search namely the optimal meaning of life, which is complicated by one paradoxical circumstance: the choice of the main line of life occurs at a time when a person still has insufficient life experience and knowledge, and educational process Doesn't cook much at school or university young man to the most important step - choosing the “main line” of your life. A survey of young teachers conducted by T.V. Maksimova (2001) showed that more than half of them had not previously thought about the meaning of their own lives. This is also evidenced by the fact that, according to special studies, a significant number of students at pedagogical universities do not plan to work in their specialty after graduation. That is, there is a dissonance between the students’ life-meaning orientations and the direction of their professional training. Similar facts occur in universities of other profiles.
E. Erikson, in the ego theory of personality, identifies adolescence as a key age in the formation of a person’s ego identity.
He characterizes this age by the emergence of a sense of identity. The challenge that young men face is to bring together all the knowledge they already have about themselves and to integrate this multiple knowledge into a personal identity that represents an awareness of both past experience and the future that logically follows from it. This period is characterized by the emergence of a sense of uniqueness, individuality, and difference from others.
The emerging integration in the form of ego identity is more than the sum of the identifications acquired in childhood. This is the sum of the internal experience acquired at all previous stages, when successful identification led to a successful balancing of the individual's basic needs with his capabilities and talents. Thus, the sense of ego identity represents an individual's increased confidence that his ability to maintain internal identity and integrity (the psychological meaning of ego) is consistent with others' assessment of his identity and integrity.
According to E. Erikson, during this period it is important for a young man to understand and find himself, to gain an ego identity, a stable self-concept. Otherwise, role confusion will occur, as a result of which a person will not solve an important and main task for himself - he will not understand who he is and what he is like.
In youth, the time horizon expands both in depth, covering the distant past and future, and in breadth, including not only personal, but also social perspectives. The change in time perspective is closely related to the reorientation of youthful consciousness from external control to self-control and the growing need to achieve specific results.
The self-concept, a person’s idea of himself in adolescence, is already quite stable and has a fairly wide range.
But dissatisfaction with oneself and high self-criticism do not always indicate low self-esteem. The discrepancy between the real and ideal “I” is a completely normal, natural consequence of the growth of self-awareness and a necessary prerequisite for targeted self-education.
The discrepancy between the real and ideal “I” is a function not only of age, but also of intelligence. For intellectually developed young men, the discrepancy between the real and ideal “I”, that is, between those properties that an individual ascribes to himself and those that he would like to possess, is much greater than for children with average abilities.
Social self-determination, professional self-determination and self-discovery are inextricably linked with the formation of a worldview. Worldview is a view of the world as a whole, a system of ideas about general principles and the foundations of existence, a person’s philosophy of life, the sum and result of all his knowledge. Cognitive (cognitive) prerequisites for a worldview are the assimilation of a certain and very significant amount of knowledge (there cannot be a scientific worldview without mastery of science) and the individual’s ability to abstract theoretical thinking, without which disparate specialized knowledge cannot be combined into a single system.
Youth is a decisive stage in the formation of a worldview, because it is at this time that both its cognitive and its emotional and personal prerequisites mature. Another one characteristic youth - the formation of life plans. A life plan arises, on the one hand, as a result of a generalization of the goals that a person sets for himself, as a consequence of the construction of a “pyramid” of his motives, the formation of a stable core of value orientations that subjugate private, transitory aspirations. On the other hand, this is the result of specifying goals and motives. A life plan in the precise sense of the word arises only when the subject of reflection becomes not only the end result, but also the ways to achieve it, the path that a person intends to follow, and the objective and subjective resources that he will need for this.
Thus, adolescence is an important stage in which a person outlines the main line of his life. Determines professional interests, makes plans for the future, determines what is important and meaningful to him in life. The self-concept and assessment of one's qualities and abilities becomes more stable and complete. This is due to the development of reflexive abilities, self-regulation, self-control, the cognitive sphere as a whole, the formation of a worldview and attitude towards one’s life in general.
Conclusions on Chapter I
1. Adolescence is associated with determining one’s place in life, choosing a future professional activity, defining oneself, establishing a fairly defined self-concept and searching for the meaning of one’s life.
2. In this work we will consider the category “Self-concept” as an integral characteristic of a person’s self-awareness. It is expressed in the individual’s generalized idea of himself and contains a summary reflection of the individual’s awareness, knowledge and idea of himself.
3. The real self and the ideal self are the most frequently identified and generally accepted structural components of the self-concept. The real self reflects the idea that a person has about himself in this moment. The ideal self is the desired image of ourselves, the image we believe we should or would like to be.
4. In the structure of the self-concept, it is also necessary to highlight the professional component (professional self), which is included in the holistic picture of the development of the future professional.
5. The discrepancy between the components of the self-concept, on the one hand, is an indicator of the personal and professional development of the individual, on the other hand, if this discrepancy is too pronounced, it can be the cause of intrapersonal conflicts, neuroses, dissatisfaction with one’s life, and, consequently, a low level of meaningfulness of life.
6. Meaningfulness of life is one of the essential characteristics of the semantic sphere of a person. Meaningfulness of life is the subjective significance of objects and phenomena of reality, which manifests itself in the emotional coloring of images of perception and representations of these images and phenomena, as well as in the form of the subject’s understanding of their role and place in his life and activities. It is often considered as a criterion for the psychological well-being of an individual.
These conclusions, based on an analysis of the literature, made it possible to put forward an empirical research hypothesis that the lower the degree of discrepancy between the components of the self-concept, the higher the level of meaningfulness in life. Chapter II of this work is devoted to a description of the organization and conduct of the study, presentation of the results obtained during the study and their interpretation.
Chapter II Meaningfulness of life in connection with the characteristics of the self-concept of students
2.1 Description of the study sample
A study of the meaningfulness of life in connection with the characteristics of the self-concept was carried out on a sample of second-year students in the pediatric department of the State Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education “Izhevsk Medical Academy”. The age of the subjects is 18-19 years. The total sample size is 157 people.
To ensure the objectivity of the research results, valid methods were used. In addition, when filling out the questionnaires and their further processing, the principle of confidentiality (anonymity of the test subjects' answers) was observed. All participants were involved in the study on a voluntary basis. Based on the results of the study, each participant who wished to receive information about their results was provided with them. A group consultation was conducted on the generalized results of the study.
2.2 Research methods and techniques
To solve the research problems, the following methods were used:
1. Organizational method: slice method.
2. Empirical method: psychodiagnostic: test questionnaire, scaling technique.
3. Methods of statistical processing: methods of univariate statistics, cluster analysis, Mann-Whitney difference test, Student's T-test for analyzing differences between two independent samples, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test for checking the normality of distribution; qualitative analysis.
4. Interpretive method: structural.
To solve the problems, the following methods were used. The study of the characteristics of the self-concept was carried out through a subjective assessment of the characteristics of the real self, the ideal self and the image of an ideal doctor (professional ideal self).
Characteristics for subjective assessment were selected based on an analysis of the doctor’s professional profile (Appendix 2), as well as the qualities used for subjective assessment in the “Personality Differential” method (E.F. Bazhin, E.M. Etkind) and the scales of the 16-factor questionnaire Ketella. During the analysis, 41 qualities were selected (Appendix 1). Qualities were selected so that they relate to different areas: intellectual, emotional, volitional spheres of the personality, expressing the attitude towards people, towards oneself, towards professional activity. The subjects were asked to rate on a 7-point scale the degree of expression of these qualities relative to the real self, the ideal self, and the image of an ideal doctor.
Based on subjective assessments, individual and group average profiles of the real self, the ideal self, and the image of an ideal doctor were built.
To study the meaningfulness of life, the “Life Meaning Orientations Test” (LSO) was used. This questionnaire is an adapted version of the Purpose in Life Test (PIL) by J. Crumbo and L. Maholik. The methodology was developed by the authors based on the theory of the desire for meaning and logotherapy by W. Frankl. The Russian version of the test was developed and adapted by D.A. Leontiev (Faculty of Psychology, Moscow State University) in 1986-88.
The SZhO questionnaire contains 20 points, which represent polar judgments regarding the “quality of life” of the subject, and has five main scales:
1. “Goals in life” (“Goals”). Characterizes purposefulness, the presence or absence of goals in the subject’s life in the future, which give life meaning, direction and time perspective.
2. “The process of life or the interest and emotional intensity of life” (“Process”). Determines satisfaction with one’s life in the present, perception of the process of one’s life as interesting, emotionally rich and filled with meaning. The content of this scale coincides with the idea that the only meaning of life is to live.
3. “Life effectiveness or satisfaction with self-realization” (“Result”). It measures satisfaction with the part of life lived, an assessment of the part of life passed, a feeling of how productive and meaningful the part lived was.
4. “Locus of control - I (I am the master of life)” (“LK-I”). Characterizes the idea of oneself as a strong personality with sufficient freedom of choice to build one’s life in accordance with one’s goals and ideas about its meaning, and to control the events of one’s own life (Self-concept).
5. “Locus of control - life or controllability of life” (“LK-life”). Reflects the conviction that a person has the power to control his life, freely make decisions and implement them, the conviction that a person’s life is subject to conscious control.
The first three form meaning orientations in life: goals in life (future orientation), richness of life (present orientation) and satisfaction with self-realization (past orientation). The remaining two scales characterize the internal locus of control as a general ideological belief that control is possible, and one’s own ability to exercise such control. There is also a “Meaningfulness of Life” scale, which is based on all the scales included in the questionnaire and reflects the overall level of meaningfulness of an individual’s life.
Statistical processing was carried out using the statistical package of the SPSS 11.5 for Windows program.
2.3 Results of studying the meaningfulness of life in connection with the characteristics of the self-concept of IGMA students and their interpretation
2.3.1 Studying the level of meaningfulness in students’ lives
In general, in the sample, one can distinguish the predominance of average and high indicators on individual scales of the LSS methodology. The number of subjects whose results, according to the norms, can be attributed to a certain level of expression of each indicator are displayed in Table 1.
Table 1.
Number of subjects with different levels meaningfulness of life
38.2% of subjects have high values on the “Goals” scale. They can be characterized as goal-oriented, having certain ideas about what they want in the future and what they need to strive for. But on the other hand, high values on this scale can also characterize a person who thinks a lot about the future, but at the same time his plans have no real support in the past and are not supported by personal responsibility in the present.
7% of subjects have low values on this scale, that is, they have the characteristics of a person living in today or yesterday. This may indicate a lack of a clear idea of his future; such a person does not make plans and does not have specific goals that are time-oriented. 54.8% of subjects have average values on this scale.
28.7% of subjects have high scores on the “Process” scale. We can say that they perceive the very process of their life as interesting, rich and filled with meaning. 10.2% of subjects have low values on the scale. Low scores may be a sign of dissatisfaction with your life in the present, but at the same time it may be given full meaning by memories of the past or focus on the future. A person does not appreciate or enjoy the present, but lives in the experiences of the past or anticipation of the future. 61.1% of subjects have average values.
On the “Result” scale, 29.3% of subjects have high values. Accordingly, they highly appreciate the productivity of the period of life they have passed through, they believe that during this time their life was quite productive and meaningful; 5% of subjects have low values, which may indicate dissatisfaction with the part of their life lived, dissatisfaction with the events that took place in it and the results that were achieved; 65.6% of subjects have average values on this scale.
Thus, considering the time orientation of the subjects, in the sample as a whole it can be noted that greatest number subjects are focused on the future (scale “Goals” - 38.2%). This can be explained by the tasks of adolescence in which the subjects are: determining their future, planning, making life plans, beginning professional development - to a greater extent these tasks are localized in the future, but based on the past and present, which is also noted in this sample (indicators of high values on the “Process” and “Result” scales predominate).
Among the low values, the indicators on the “Process” scale are more pronounced (10.2%). We can say that 10.2% of subjects do not find meaning in the present, but see it in the past or future, perhaps in its planning and anticipation.
On the “LK-I” scale, 45.9% of subjects have high values, which corresponds to the idea of themselves as a strong personality with sufficient freedom of choice to build their life in accordance with their goals and objectives and ideas about its meaning. And only 3.8% of subjects have low values, which indicates a person’s lack of confidence in his ability to control the events of his own life. 50.3% of subjects have average values on this scale.
On the “LK-Life” scale, 46.5% of subjects have high values, assessing themselves as able to control their lives, freely make decisions and implement them. 4.5% of subjects can be characterized as fatalists. They may be convinced that human life is not subject to conscious control, that freedom is illusory, and it is pointless to make plans for the future. A person’s life cannot be controlled in advance; there are externally given conditions and situations that determine it. 49% of subjects have average values.
Thus, if we talk about the locus of control of the subjects, about responsibility, then it should be noted that the values on the scales are closer to high indicators. It can be assumed that most of the subjects are ready to take responsibility for their lives, for the events occurring in it, for making plans and implementing them. Adolescence presupposes the presence of situations of choice, determination of one’s life path, independent decision-making and taking responsibility for their implementation. All this presupposes the presence of an internal locus of control and a high level of responsibility for one’s own life.
The results on the “Meaningfulness of Life” scale are presented in Fig. 1. 42% of subjects have high level meaningfulness of life and 55% have an average level and 3% have a low level. This may indicate that most of the subjects have a subjective explanation and meaning of those events, objects and phenomena that happened and are happening in their lives. They have formed a certain system of relationships to these phenomena and events. They are able to manage this process, and in general their lives are filled with meaning.
Rice. 1. Percentage of subjects with different levels of meaningfulness in life
In general, based on the sample, we can conclude that the majority of subjects have a clear focus on the future, make plans and have well-defined goals. They consider their life to be quite meaningful, accept their present and are happy with what they have at the moment. They view their past as productive, meaningful, and important. They are able to make decisions independently, take responsibility for the events that occur, implement their goals and be responsible for the results obtained.
Research by D.A. Leontiev was also conducted on a sample of students (a group of students from the Faculty of Psychology of Moscow State University, students of “non-psychologists” and “neurotics”). As a result of the study, the following results were obtained. Indicators of meaningfulness in the lives of “non-psychologists” students correlate with other personal variables, such as general internality, internality in relation to achieving goals and failures, as well as self-esteem, internal support, and self-confidence. These connections were not found among psychology students, although the overall level of meaningfulness in life is generally higher than among “non-psychology” students. In this regard, D.A. Leontiev makes the assumption that it is these mechanisms (in our case, for “non-psychology” students - internality, internal support, self-confidence, self-esteem) that can give integrity, orderliness and meaning to life. The high development of these particular personality traits can determine the overall high level of meaningfulness in the lives of students.
2.3.2 Studying the characteristics of students’ self-concept
The components of the self-concept are the real self (real self), the ideal self (the desired image of the self) and the ideal image of the doctor (the professional ideal self). Let us consider the content of each of the elements that make up the self-concept. Based on the average values for the entire sample, let us identify the qualities that received the highest degree of expression (Table 2) and the least degree of expression (Table 3).
table 2
The most pronounced qualities in students’ self-concept
|
I am real |
I'm perfect |
Ideal doctor |
||
|
seeking self-improvement (5,781) |
purposeful (6,726) |
attentive (6,834) |
||
|
responsive (5,664) |
responsible (6,631) |
purposeful (6,828) |
||
|
friendly (5,645) |
smart (6,611) |
smart (6,828) |
||
|
purposeful (5,632) |
quick learner (6,605) |
neat (6,822) |
||
|
demanding of oneself (5,561) |
seeking self-improvement (6,599) |
seeking self-improvement (6,803) |
||
|
conscientious (5,497) |
operational (6,586) |
operational (6,783) |
||
|
responsible (5, 490), |
diligent (6,522) |
observant (6,777) |
||
|
inquisitive (5,477) |
attentive (6,516) |
prudent (6,752) |
||
|
understanding of others (5,458) |
confident (6,465) |
understanding of others (6,745) |
||
|
honest (5,413) |
erudite (6,452) |
diligent (6,739) |
Table 3
The least expressed qualities in the self-concept of students
|
I am real |
I'm perfect |
Ideal doctor |
||
|
emotionally reserved (4,561) |
modest (4,656) |
modest (4,796) |
||
|
proactive (4,561) |
self-critical (5,127) |
self-critical (5,535) |
||
|
modest (4,672) |
demanding of others (5,268) |
open (5,631) |
||
|
creative (4,748) |
selfless (5,439) |
demanding of others (5.72) |
||
|
open (4,787) |
open (5,446) |
creative (5,745) |
||
|
tolerable (4,794) |
sincere (5,745) |
sincere (5.93) |
||
|
independent (4,800) |
emotionally reserved (5,809) |
proactive (6,051) |
||
|
competent (4,806) |
proactive (5,904) |
conscientious (6,121) |
||
|
decisive (4,813) |
conscientious (5,924) |
selfless (6,146) |
||
|
diligent (4,916) |
creative (5,936) |
charming (6,178) |
Often and almost always, the qualities of the Real Self that appear in students are the following: the desire for self-improvement, responsiveness, friendliness, determination, demanding of others, conscientiousness, responsiveness, curiosity, understanding of others, honesty. It can be noted that among the most expressed qualities in the I-real by students, the qualities associated with the emotional sphere (friendliness), volitional sphere (dedication), expressing the attitude towards oneself (desire for self-improvement) and towards other people (responsiveness, demanding of others, understanding) stand out. others, honesty) and qualities that are associated with learning, a focus on personal development (the desire for self-improvement, curiosity). These qualities can be considered adequate for the age period and the learning situation in which the subjects find themselves (I.S. Kon, V.I. Slobodchikov, E.I. Isaev, B.V. Kaigorodov). Training, personal development, building relationships with people around you, including close and trusted ones, are priority tasks adolescence. 2nd year students, on the one hand, have already adapted to studying at a university, on the other hand, they continue to get to know each other and get to know themselves. The situation of communication and learning for them is a priority and the main one at the present time.
Less pronounced qualities stand out: emotional restraint, modesty, creativity, openness, tolerance, independence, competence, determination, diligence. These are, first of all, qualities that reflect an assessment of the volitional (tolerance, diligence, determination, independence) and intellectual spheres (creativity, competence), as well as the emotional sphere of the individual (openness, emotional restraint). We can say that, according to the subjects, their volitional and intellectual qualities are poorly developed. To a greater extent, qualities related to the emotional sphere and expressing attitudes towards oneself and other people predominate.
In the ideal self, the following qualities are assessed as the most pronounced: purposefulness, responsibility, intelligence, quick learning, desire for self-improvement, efficiency, diligence, attention, self-confidence, erudition. To a greater extent, qualities associated with the volitional sphere of the individual (dedication, responsibility, efficiency, diligence, attention), the intellectual sphere (intelligence, quick learning, erudition), and qualities expressing attitude towards oneself and personal development (the desire for self-improvement, confidence in yourself). Those qualities most often identified as the most significant in the “desired self-image” are those whose development is assessed as insufficient at the present moment. In general, the preference for these particular qualities may be associated with the learning situation in which students will be for another 4-5 years. Perhaps at the moment there are difficulties associated with learning that can be successfully solved only if these qualities are present and developed.
The least significant and least expressed qualities in the characteristics of the ideal self: modest, self-critical, demanding of others, selfless, open, sincere, emotionally restrained, proactive, conscientious, creative. These qualities are highlighted as not a priority and do not require high development in the future. Unselfishness, sincerity, openness, conscientiousness - qualities that are associated with interaction with other people are assessed as not requiring their development. As a possible explanation, we can assume that it is these qualities that can bring negative experiences and consequences for the person who possesses them.
Students see their ideal self-image as strong-willed, self-confident, intelligent, erudite, successful person who knows how to set goals and implement them.
Ideal image of a doctor (proposed future profession) according to students, is characterized by the following most significant qualities: the ideal doctor is attentive, purposeful, intelligent, neat, striving for self-improvement, efficient, observant, prudent, understanding of others, diligent. The qualities expressed are strong-willed (attentive, purposeful, efficient, observant, diligent), intellectual (smart), qualities expressing attitudes towards work (carefulness, prudent), towards others (understanding others) and towards oneself (striving for self-improvement). And the least significant ones stand out: modesty, self-criticism, demanding of others, creativity, sincerity, initiative, conscientiousness, selflessness, charm.
The qualities assessed by students as the most significant for the medical profession and the doctor’s professional gram coincide in the following qualities: attentiveness, accuracy. Other qualities, of course, can be considered important and significant for a doctor, but the image that is presented by students is idealized and generalized, it is slightly different from the real requirements for a specialist in this profession. The ideal doctor, according to students, is more focused on achieving certain professional goals and success in professional activities (purposeful, efficient, diligent, striving for self-improvement, intelligent). These qualities can characterize success in any type of professional activity. In a doctor’s professional profile, the basic qualities identified are those related to the provision of medical care people associated with the process of interaction itself (patience, goodwill, tact, attentiveness, selflessness). This discrepancy can be explained, firstly, by the fact that the “image of an ideal doctor” was proposed for assessment, therefore the probability of receiving an “idealized image” was quite high, and secondly, second-year students still see the image of their future professional activity quite vaguely, according to To a greater extent, they have not yet encountered medical practice and in their minds the image of a doctor is quite generalized.
As you can see, most of the qualities in assessing the image of an ideal doctor largely repeat the qualities of the ideal self (purposeful, intelligent, striving for self-improvement, efficient, diligent). But at the same time, there are still a number of qualities that stand out as the most significant for the chosen profession, but are not assessed as such for the ideal self (careful, prudent, observant). The qualities that were rated as most expressed in the image of the real self, the ideal self and the image of the ideal doctor were striving for self-improvement and purposeful. It can be noted that these qualities are the most significant for students - the process of self-improvement, personality development, as well as the ability to set and achieve certain goals is important.
In general, we can say that the images of the ideal self and the image of the ideal doctor are largely similar. At the same time, there are qualities that distinguish these images from each other, but these differences are not significant. This may indicate the general consistency of the components of the students’ self-concept.
Let us consider the resulting profiles of the severity of the qualities of the ideal self, the real self and the image of an ideal doctor (Fig. 2).
Rice. 2. Correlation of the components of the students’ self-concept (real self, ideal self, ideal image of a doctor)
In the image of an ideal doctor, most qualities have the highest degree of expression for almost all proposed qualities. The ideal self is close to this image. There are qualities that coincide in their numerical value: quick learner, cheerful, charming, sociable, independent, purposeful. We can say that these qualities are assessed by students as universally significant for the successful mastery of professional knowledge, skills and abilities and, in general, achieving success in a particular activity.
The ideal doctor is rated by students as more active, unselfish, attentive, caring, competent, observant, understanding, prudent, tactful, tolerant, more demanding of others and himself, and emotionally restrained. These qualities are already more specific to the medical profession. Working with people, especially medical care, presupposes that the doctor must be selfless, understanding, caring, and attentive. But since we are talking about the life and health of another person, he needs to be competent, demanding not only of himself, but also demanding of others, and also take responsibility for the life and health of another person. In addition, it is very important to be tactful and tolerant, since we are talking about a person’s illness and treatment, namely correct work with a person largely determines the course of treatment, the patient’s attitude to this situation and his recovery.
All these qualities are currently rated by students in the Real Self much lower than when assessing the image of an ideal doctor and the Ideal Self. At the same time, the ideal self is slightly lower than the professional ideal that we described above. Perhaps this is explained by the fact that students study only in the second year and at the very beginning of the path to mastering the profession. They understand that they won’t be able to become a good doctor very quickly. The image of an ideal doctor seems unattainable for them yet, but a high assessment of almost all qualities may indicate a positive attitude towards this professional activity and the person who is engaged in it. At this stage, the ideal image of a doctor can be a guideline to which the ideal self-image will subsequently approach. The coincidence of the ideal self and the image of an ideal doctor may indicate that the majority of students Medical Academy see the path of their individual personal development inseparably from professional development.
As a guide in our study, we will consider the relationship between the real self and the ideal self of the subjects. The ideal self is more relevant and is a mediating link between the real self and the professional self of students.
2.3.3 Studying the meaningfulness of life in connection with the characteristics of students’ self-concept
Let us consider the features of the meaningfulness of life in connection with the relationship between the components of the self-concept.
Assessing the qualities of the ideal self is in many ways similar to assessing the qualities of the image of an ideal doctor. Self. We can assume that the relationship between the real Self and the ideal Self can determine the level of meaningfulness of life. The idea that “I am at the moment” may coincide with what “I would like to be ideally”, or it may differ, both in the direction of increasing the indicators of the second and in the direction of decreasing. At the same time, the meaningfulness of life, the subjective assessment of the events occurring in a person’s life, the understanding of their meaning for oneself, may vary.
To determine the relationship between the real self and the ideal self, the difference between the assessments of the real self and the ideal self was calculated for each subject for each quality. The obtained data is the numerical value of the distance between the assessment of the qualities of the real self and the ideal self. Based on the distance between the real self and the ideal self, it was supposed to divide the subjects into clusters, identifying groups of subjects with similar features of the ratio of assessments of the qualities of the real self and the ideal self.
Hierarchical cluster analysis showed that the most significant changes occurred at step 154 out of 156. Therefore, in this case, it is most appropriate to divide the sample into 2 clusters.
Using cluster analysis using the mean method, 2 clusters were identified. The first cluster included 109 subjects, the second - 48. The first cluster included subjects for whom the distance between the ideal self and the real self was smaller, and the second cluster included subjects for whom this distance was greater.
Differences in the level of discrepancy between estimates and their significance were determined using the Mann-Whitney test. Why this particular criterion here?
The subjects of the first cluster differ from the subjects of the second cluster in the degree of discrepancy between the real self and the ideal self in the following qualities presented in Table 4. In the second cluster, the discrepancy between the real self and the ideal self is greater than in the first. The clusters significantly differ from each other in the degree of mismatch for almost all qualities proposed to the subjects for assessment (35 out of 41) (Table 4).
Table 4
Significant differences in the level of discrepancy between the characteristics of the real self and the ideal self between subjects of clusters 1 and 2
|
Qualities |
U-test |
Significance level (p) |
||||
|
1 cluster |
2 cluster |
|||||
|
careful |
||||||
|
fast learner |
||||||
|
attentive |
||||||
|
friendly |
||||||
|
cheerful |
||||||
|
caring |
||||||
|
initiative |
||||||
|
competent |
||||||
|
curious |
||||||
|
observant |
||||||
|
independent |
||||||
|
charming |
||||||
|
objective |
||||||
|
responsible |
||||||
|
responsive |
||||||
|
understanding others |
||||||
|
prudent |
||||||
|
efficient |
||||||
|
reasonable |
||||||
|
decisive |
||||||
|
self-critical |
||||||
|
independent |
||||||
|
conscientious |
||||||
|
tactful |
||||||
|
creative |
||||||
|
tolerant |
||||||
|
demanding of oneself |
||||||
|
confident |
||||||
|
diligent |
||||||
|
purposeful |
||||||
|
emotionally reserved |
||||||
|
erudite |
Let us consider and describe the features of assessing the qualities of the real self, the ideal self and the ideal image of a doctor in subjects of clusters 1 and 2. The average values for assessing the personality traits of the subjects are presented in Figure 3.
Rice. 3. Average values for assessing the severity of the qualities of the Real Self in subjects of clusters 1 and 2
It can be noted that the assessments of the subjects regarding the severity of qualities coincide with the following qualities: unselfishness, sincerity, responsiveness, honesty. These are qualities that reflect attitudes towards other people and interaction with them. The subjects of clusters 1 and 2 coincide in their assessments of these particular qualities. These qualities contribute to building friendly, close, trusting relationships, which is important for a person at any age, and is relevant in adolescence.
As the most pronounced qualities, the subjects of cluster 1 identified: the desire for self-improvement, responsibility, friendliness, demandingness towards others, evenness. The remaining qualities are in a relatively similar range. According to the assessments of cluster 1 subjects, qualities associated with personal development and a responsible attitude to matters and situations often and almost always manifest themselves. When interacting with people, one is shown to be honest and friendly, but at the same time demanding.
Among subjects in cluster 2, the following qualities were rated high: friendly, responsive, sociable, and inquisitive. These are qualities primarily related to the attitude towards other people. We can say that it is these qualities that are significant in terms of establishing relationships with people, and this, in turn, is important for any person living in a social situation.
Let us turn to the qualities that are assessed by the subjects as weakly expressed and rarely manifested. These qualities include: initiative, competence, creativity, self-confidence, diligence, and emotional restraint has the lowest values. Subjects included in cluster 2 rate low the qualities related to intellectual, volitional and emotional spheres. These qualities largely determine the ability to plan, decide various situations, take responsibility for the implementation of your plans and behavior in general. Exactly this one important task adolescence, for certain reasons they may not be able to realize it, which leads to lack of confidence in themselves and their strengths, and accordingly there is a fear of initiative, a fear of failure, and discomfort.
Let us turn to the analysis of differences between clusters in assessments of the qualities of the Real Self. The data obtained as a result of the subjects' assessment of the proposed qualities differs from the normal distribution and refers to an ordinal scale. Therefore, the Mann-Whitney difference test was used to analyze differences between clusters.
Significant differences in the assessment of the qualities of the Real Self between subjects of clusters 1 and 2 are presented in Table 5. Significant differences between clusters are noted for the majority of qualities proposed for assessment (31 out of 41).
The qualities of the Real Self are rated higher by the subjects of the 1st cluster than by the subjects of the 2nd cluster. It can be assumed that this is either an adequate assessment of the high development of one’s qualities, or an overestimation and inadequate assessment of them. But at the same time, we can speak in general about a relatively high self-esteem of the qualities of the subjects included in the 1st cluster.
Subjects of the 2nd cluster rated the qualities of the Real Self lower than subjects of the 1st cluster. Subjects of the 2nd cluster rate themselves lower in terms of intellectual, volitional qualities, qualities reflecting their attitude towards themselves, work and other people.
Table 5
Significant differences in assessments of the qualities of the real self by subjects of clusters 1 and 2
|
Qualities |
U-test |
Significance level (p) |
||||
|
1 cluster |
2 cluster |
|||||
|
careful |
||||||
|
fast learner |
||||||
|
attentive |
||||||
|
friendly |
||||||
|
cheerful |
||||||
|
caring |
||||||
|
initiative |
||||||
|
competent |
||||||
|
observant |
||||||
|
independent |
||||||
|
charming |
||||||
|
objective |
||||||
|
responsible |
||||||
|
understanding others |
||||||
|
prudent |
||||||
|
efficient |
||||||
|
reasonable |
||||||
|
decisive |
||||||
|
independent |
||||||
|
modest |
||||||
|
striving for improvement |
||||||
|
tactful |
||||||
|
creative |
||||||
|
tolerant |
||||||
|
demanding of oneself |
||||||
|
confident |
||||||
|
diligent |
||||||
|
purposeful |
||||||
|
emotionally reserved |
||||||
|
erudite |
Let us consider the features of the subjects’ assessment of the qualities of the ideal self (Fig. 4).
Rice. 4. Average values of the severity of the qualities of the ideal self in subjects of clusters 1 and 2
It can be noted that the profiles for assessing the qualities of the self-ideal among the subjects are practically the same, but there is still a tendency for a higher assessment of the qualities among the subjects of cluster 2. They rated a greater number of qualities higher than those of subjects in cluster 1.
An analysis of the differences in the assessment of the qualities of the self-ideal between subjects of different clusters is presented in Table 6. Significant differences were obtained between the clusters for only 3 qualities.
Subjects included in cluster 1 rate lower in the image of the ideal self such qualities as “decisive”, “tolerant”, “smart” (volitional and cognitive sphere), in contrast to subjects in cluster 2.
Table 6
Significant differences in assessing the qualities of the ideal self between subjects of clusters 1 and 2
Personality quality “decisiveness” - means the ability to make decisions in a limited time, choice, activity; “tolerance” reflects the characteristics of the attitude towards other people, and “mind” is a characteristic of the intellectual sphere of the individual. All these qualities are, to one degree or another, related to the tasks of adolescence and can be considered key for the subjects of this sample: the ability to make independent decisions, implement them, the ability to build relationships with people, as well as the ability to solve intellectual tasks that are presented to the subjects the learning situation in which they find themselves.
Accordingly, subjects of cluster 1 have a high assessment of the qualities of the real self and a relatively low assessment of the key qualities of the ideal self for a given age (decisive, tolerant, smart). We can assume that these particular qualities (decisive, tolerant, intelligent) have a slight discrepancy or a sufficient degree of expression among subjects of cluster 1. And, conversely, in subjects of cluster 2, with a relatively low assessment of the qualities of the real self, there is a relatively high assessment of the qualities of the ideal self, namely the qualities “decisive”, “tolerant”, “smart”. The discrepancy in the assessment of these qualities among subjects of cluster 2 is quite large, and the desired level of development is high. Subjects from cluster 2 note the need for greater development of these very qualities. Qualities that largely determine the success of an individual and his solution of age-related tasks. It is these qualities in the image of the ideal self that distinguish subjects of cluster 1 from subjects of cluster 2.
There were no significant differences in the assessment of the image of an ideal doctor between subjects of clusters 1 and 2. This may indicate that the image of an ideal doctor is the same for subjects in both clusters. Students have similar ideas about what a doctor should be like. This may be due to the fact that they are trained in the same educational institution, their curriculum, teachers are generally the same. At this stage of training, their ideas about the ideal doctor are not inconsistent with each other.
It can be noted in general that the subjects of the 1st cluster assess the relatively high development of almost all the qualities proposed in the list (emotional, volitional, intellectual sphere; attitude to work, to other people and to themselves) in contrast to the subjects included in the 2nd cluster . The assessment of the qualities of the ideal self as a whole does not differ significantly, only for three qualities that relate to the volitional and cognitive spheres.
So, subjects of cluster 1 evaluate the qualities of the real self relatively highly and are close to these values, or with a slight difference, the ideal self. Accordingly, the difference between the real self and the ideal self is not so great. It can be assumed that the subjects of cluster 1 do not set unrealistic, “maximum” goals for themselves, which can create discomfort. The ideal self, without having high performance and a large difference relative to the real self, can be considered as quite achievable.
Subjects in cluster 2 rate the quality of the real self relatively low and the quality of the ideal self quite high. As a result, the discrepancy between the real self and the ideal self is quite large. It can be assumed that the subjects included in this cluster set ambitious goals for themselves and see the maximum as their ideal. limit values, which are much different from what we currently have. This in turn can cause anxiety, a feeling of lack of opportunity and insufficient ability to achieve the ideal.
2.3.4 Studying the meaningfulness of life of students with different ratios of the real self and the ideal self
Let us consider the general level of meaningfulness in life and the indicators on the LSS scales of the subjects of each cluster. Analysis of differences showed significant differences on all scales of the questionnaire. Table 7 displays the results of the analysis of differences carried out using the Student's T-test, since the data obtained on all scales have a normal distribution and refer to an interval scale.
Table 7
Level of meaningfulness of life among subjects of clusters 1 and 2
|
LSS scales |
Student's T-test |
Significance level |
Average values |
|||
|
1 cluster |
2 cluster |
|||||
|
Result |
||||||
It can be noted that the average values on all scales of the questionnaire for subjects of cluster 1 are higher than for subjects of cluster 2.
The subjects of the 1st cluster have a high degree of expression of the indicator on the “Meaningfulness of Life” scale. The subjects of the 2nd cluster are in the average range in terms of severity. According to the remaining scales of the questionnaire, subjects of clusters 1 and 2 show an average level of indicators relative to statistical norms. The meaningfulness of life in general is higher among subjects included in cluster 1. A high assessment of one’s own qualities and setting realistic goals, that is, a small difference between the qualities of the real self and the ideal self, can determine a higher level of meaningfulness in life.
Self-confidence, in one’s abilities, a strong position of “I”, a fairly realistic idea of the desired image of “I” is combined with a high level of meaningfulness of life, understanding of the meaning of events happening in life, richness and interest in life in general, planning and building one’s future and internal locus control, taking responsibility for the events that happen in life, making decisions and putting them into practice.
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It's not about the meaning of life. And about meaningfulness own actions, actions.
I have already cited the famous saying of the sages who practiced Zen more than once. “If you want to eat, eat, if you want to sleep, sleep. Above all, do not give in to vanity.” At first glance, it seems that there is no special meaning here. Eat, sleep, don't fuss... - it's all that simple. Even naive.
Let’s imagine a person who is rushing to work. He is having breakfast. He eats breakfast with whatever comes to hand. Okay, let's say he watches his own diet and eats yoghurt in the morning or porridge, drinks juice. What does he think about when he eats? Lots of thoughts. About everything in the world: about the fact that he is gaining weight, about the fact that his subordinates are babbling, about the fact that the boss is unfair, about the fact that he needs to buy a gift for a relative, about the fact that he promised to take the children to the cinema. Conversations with loved ones at the table. Who leaves when, who comes when, who buys what in the store. Everything is on autopilot. We talk, we eat, we go to work, we work, we return home, we talk with our children.
Andrew Wyeth, the great American artist, spoke about the principles of his creativity: “You must leave your mark on what you do.” That is, so that human individuality is manifested in deeds, actions, feelings and even thoughts.
Individuality is the outward expression of meaningfulness. Living meaningfully means doing, feeling, thinking uniquely. That is, live your life. "Living Your Life" is the title of a film by French New Wave director Jean-Luc Godard.
It's hard to live your life while looking at TV. Life turns out to be borrowed. We rejoice at imposed joys, we are saddened by imposed sorrows. Soap operas have become a part of the lives of many modern people.
Soap operas are not only a TV genre, they are what happens to a person when he stops living consciously.
Why do I do what I do?
Why am I eating this?
Why am I drinking this?
When do I communicate with this person? What does this communication mean to me?
What do I really want to tell my parents?
What do I really want to do for my children?
Maybe if a person thinks about it, he will turn off the TV and read a book to the children, or pat them on the head, tell them how much he loves them.
Maybe if a person tries to live meaningfully, he will ask for forgiveness for old insults once inflicted on someone? Perhaps he will change jobs, start reading or learning a foreign language? Perhaps he will change his life?
Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps...
For now, these are all just possibilities - there are infinitely many of them.
And there are only two ways: do, feel, think simply because what is done, felt, thought. Or ask yourself: what is happening to me now? Where I am? Who am I?
Fesenko Pavel Petrovich
Meaningfulness of life and psychological well-being of the individual
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF WORKThe relevance of research. The idea that a meaningful life is the key to spiritual balance, mental well-being in the broad sense of the word, and the lack of meaning in life leads to the formation of a special type of disease - noogenic neurosis, thanks to the works of V. Frankl, is firmly rooted in modern psychology and has given rise to numerous and multifaceted studies , which focus on the connection between the presence or absence of meaning in life and various forms of psychopathology (J. Crumbaugh, R. Jacobson, B. Sheffield, etc.). At the same time, research has focused mainly on studying the nature of the meaning of life and life-meaning orientations in people suffering from various forms of deviations and mental illness. Analysis of the features of experiencing the meaning of one’s own life healthy people fades into the background in this kind of research.
The very relationship between the meaning of life and various positive aspects of personality functioning remains a problem: in this context, not only the theory of self-actualization is criticized (it was emphasized that the development of one’s own potentials in itself cannot be the meaning of human life), but also hedonistically oriented theories of personality (it was noted that that a person’s desire for happiness and pleasure is a dead-end path of development, from the point of view of finding and realizing the meaning of life) (V. Frankl, D.A. Leontiev, etc.). Because of this, the connection between meaningfulness in life and various positive aspects of human functioning (personal growth, self-acceptance, the ability to establish and maintain positive relationships with others, the desire for self-actualization, etc.) remains insufficiently illuminated.
Particularly controversial and little studied is the question of what is a necessary condition for finding the meaning of life. V. Frankl’s teaching about a special group of transcendental values (the values of creativity, experience, relationships), the implementation of which by an individual leads to the acquisition of a sustainable meaning in life and, thus, to spiritual harmony, spiritual well-being, gives rise to the problem: “Is a certain character of the leading value orientations personality is a necessary condition for experiencing life as meaningful, and, consequently, a guarantee of mental well-being?” Existing studies in personality psychology do not provide a clear answer to this question.
The lack of research into the connection between the meaning of life and the positive aspects of personality functioning is partly due to the variety of approaches that highlight different parameters of such functioning. Therefore, it becomes relevant to introduce a concept that could generalize these characteristics. In this study, the concept of “psychological well-being”, developed by N. Bradburn, R. Ryan and E. Deci, S. Ryff, E. Diener, A. Waterman, A.B. Voronina. Despite the numerous approaches to the interpretation of psychological well-being and its empirical research, this concept still remains one of the least developed in both foreign and domestic psychology.
Based on the concept of psychological well-being created by the American psychologist S. Ryff, which summarizes theories describing various aspects of positive personality functioning (theories of A. Maslow, C. Rogers, G. Allport, C. G. Jung, E. Erikson, M. Yahody, etc.), and also, noting after E. Diener, that the study of psychological well-being should take into account not only the directly measured level of well-being, but also take into account the internal, individual coordinate system with which a person correlates his own psychological well-being, in this In the study, we define psychological well-being as an integral indicator of the degree of a person’s focus on the implementation of the main components of positive functioning (personal growth, self-acceptance, environmental management, autonomy, purpose in life, positive relationships with others), as well as the degree of realization of this focus, subjectively expressed in a feeling of happiness , satisfaction with oneself and one’s own life.
Based on this, we distinguish between “actual psychological well-being” - the degree of implementation of the main components of positive functioning, and “ideal psychological well-being” - the degree of focus on the implementation of the components of positive functioning. In addition, the study introduces the concept of the level and structure of actual and ideal psychological well-being.
The introduction of the concept of “ideal psychological well-being” and its definition as the degree to which an individual is focused on the implementation of components of positive functioning involves solving a number of issues that require special empirical research. Thus, it is necessary to empirically confirm the existence of this kind of orientation, and, first of all, to characterize the characteristics of the individual’s attitude to psychological well-being and ill-being. The same problem arises in connection with the problem of studying the meaning of life: there are practically no empirical studies of the individual’s attitude to the very fact of the presence or absence of meaning in life.
All of the above determines the relevance of this study, aimed at identifying the relationship between the meaningfulness of life, the meaning of life and value orientations of an individual with the psychological well-being of an individual.
Object of study:semantic sphere, values and psychological well-being of the individual.
Subject of study: level and structure of actual and ideal psychological well-being, level of meaningfulness of life, structure of life meaning and value orientations.
Objectives of the study:1) determine the features of the relationship between the actual and ideal psychological well-being of the individual; 2) to identify the nature of the connection between the level of current psychological well-being and the level of meaningfulness of life, the structure of life meaning and value orientations; 3) determine the characteristics of the ideas and attitudes of modern Russians towards psychological well-being and ill-being, as well as the presence or absence of meaning in life (meaningfulness/meaninglessness of life).
Research hypotheses:
1. The structure of actual and ideal psychological well-being, as well as the relationship between them, is different for individuals with high and low levels of actual psychological well-being.
2. The higher the indicator of actual psychological well-being, the higher the meaningfulness of life and the more actual psychological well-being approaches ideal psychological well-being in its structure.
3. The structure of life meaning and value orientations differs among people with different levels of current psychological well-being.
4. The presence of meaning in life and psychological well-being are positively assessed by a person.
Research objectives:
1. Develop a battery of methods for studying the connection between meaningfulness of life and the psychological well-being of an individual.
As part of this task:
a) Conduct a study of the validity and reliability of the Russian version of the “Psychological Well-Being Scale” methodology, as well as its standardization;
b) Identify the socio-cultural specifics of the psychological well-being of a modern Russian.
c) Develop a method for studying ideal psychological well-being.
2. Conduct an experimental study of the actual and ideal psychological well-being of an individual, show their correlation and characteristics in individuals with different levels (high and low) of actual psychological well-being.
3. Explore the connection between meaningfulness in life and current psychological well-being.
4. Investigate the level of meaningfulness of life, as well as the features of the structure of life meaning and value orientations in people with high and low psychological well-being.
5. To study the peculiarities of the attitude of modern Russians to such concepts as: “meaningfulness of life” and “psychological well-being.”
Methodological basis dissertation work : The study of the meaning of life is based on the ideas of L.S. Vygotsky about the structural and semantic structure of consciousness, ideas about the structure of the semantic sphere of personality, formulated in the works of A.N. Leontyeva, A.G. Asmolova, B.S. Brother, the provisions on psychological essence the phenomenon of the meaning of life, put forward in the works of V. Frankl, the understanding of the meaningfulness of life, proposed by D.A. Leontyev. The analysis of psychological well-being is carried out from the perspective of ideas about the positive aspects of personality functioning, developed in various concepts of humanistically oriented psychologists, generalized in the six-component concept of psychological well-being of S. Ryff, and also relies on the concepts of psychological well-being of N. Bradbum, the model of subjective well-being of E. Diener, theories self-determination R. Ryan and E. Deci.
Research methods:To conduct the study, methods were selected that met its goals and objectives. The work used a block of methods aimed at studying the level of meaningfulness of life, the structure of value and life-meaning orientations, the level and structure of the actual and ideal psychological well-being of the individual:
1) Methodology of the “Psychological Well-Being Scale” (S. Ryff);
2) A modified version of the “Psychological Well-Being Scale” methodology;
3) Methodology “Test of life-meaning orientations” (D.A. Leontyev);
4) A modified version of the “Value Orientations” method (M. Rokeach);
5) A modified version of the Dembo-Rubinstein technique.
6) A modified version of the “Semantic Differential” technique (C. Osgood).
Difference criteria, correlation and factor analysis methods were used as methods for statistical processing of results. Statistical processing of the results was carried out using the SPSS program for Windows (version 11.5)
Novelty and theoretical significance of the study.The work redefines the concept of “psychological well-being.” The idea of actual and ideal psychological well-being has been introduced, it has been proven that indicators of ideal psychological well-being significantly exceed similar indicators of actual psychological well-being, and the structures of actual psychological well-being and ideal psychological well-being are different, which does not allow identifying these concepts. Their differences and features were also discovered in individuals with high and low levels of actual psychological well-being. It is shown that the higher the actual psychological well-being, the higher the meaningfulness of life and the more the actual psychological well-being approaches ideal psychological well-being in its structure. It has been proven that there is a direct connection between meaningfulness in life and aspects of positive personality functioning (autonomy, control environment, positive relationships with others, personal growth, having goals in life and positive self-acceptance), which are considered as components of the structure of psychological well-being, subjectively expressed in a feeling of happiness, satisfaction with oneself and one’s own life. The work also shows differences in the level and structure of life meaning and the nature of value orientations between individuals with high and low levels of psychological well-being.
Practical significance of the study. To study psychological well-being, validation, cultural adaptation and standardization of the “Psychological Well-Being Scale” method were carried out, standards were developed for assessing the psychological well-being of modern Russians, and a methodological technique for studying ideal psychological well-being was developed, which allows the use of this methodology in other studies. In addition, in the process of validating and standardizing the “Psychological Well-Being Scale” methodology proposed by S. Ryff and on its basis, a new, culturally-specific method for studying psychological well-being was created. Based on a new, clearer understanding of the relationship between the meaningfulness of human life and psychological well-being, it is possible to identify new therapeutic approaches within the framework of the existential direction of psychotherapy to overcome the crisis of meaninglessness, as well as the treatment of a number of conditions that are accompanied by a subjective feeling of decreased value of life, loss of interest in it, create a basis for the prevention and diagnosis of this type of disorder. The data from our research allow us to find new approaches to psychotherapy for existential crises and noogenic neuroses, in particular, using well-being therapy. In addition, the research materials can be used to build special educational courses on mental health, positive functioning and psychological well-being of the individual.
The following provisions are submitted for defense:
1. There is a connection between such key aspects of the positive functioning of the individual as meaningfulness of life and the psychological well-being of the individual, which has the nature of a highly significant direct correlation. Moreover, all structural components of psychological well-being directly correlate with the level of meaningfulness of life and life-meaning orientations.
2. The structure of life meaning and value orientations is associated with the level of psychological well-being of the individual. Subjects with a high level of psychological well-being differ from people with a low level of psychological well-being in that they have a significantly higher level of meaningfulness in life and life-meaning orientations; their structure of significant terminal values is more specific, obviously more easily realized.
3. The level of psychological well-being is associated with a subjective feeling of the ability to realize significant values. The higher the level of psychological well-being, the more accessible significant terminal values appear from the point of view of their possession or their implementation.
4. The correlation of ideal ideas about psychological well-being with the current status of psychological well-being is associated with the level of current psychological well-being of the individual. Thus, the discrepancy between the structure of ideal psychological well-being and actual psychological well-being is greatest among individuals with low psychological well-being. While in individuals with high psychological well-being, the structure of actual psychological well-being approaches the structure of ideal psychological well-being.
Reliabilityand credibility of the study: ensured by the representativeness of the sample, the use of methods adequate to the tasks and goals of the study, the conduct of meaningful (qualitative) and quantitative (based on the use of methods mathematical statistics) analysis of the results obtained.
Approbation of work: materials and conclusions of the work were discussed at meetings of the Department of Clinical, Neuro- and Pathopsychology of the Institute of Psychology named after. L.S. Vygotsky RSUH in the period from 2003 to 2005, at the conference “IV readings in memory of L.S. Vygotsky", Moscow 2003; “5th reading in memory of L.S. Vygotsky”, Moscow 2004. The research results were introduced into work with 3rd year students of the Faculty of Psychology of the Russian State University for the Humanities, during practical training in 2004. 3 scientific articles were published on the topic of the research.
Structure of the dissertation: the dissertation consists of an introduction, three chapters, conclusions, a conclusion, a bibliography of 259 titles, including 62 on foreign language, 9 applications. The total volume of the dissertation is 206 pages. The work contains 5 graphs, 32 tables, 2 figures.
MAIN CONTENT OF THE WORKIn administered the relevance of the topic is considered, goals, theoretical and practical hypotheses, tasks, object and subject of research are reflected, its scientific novelty and practical significance are determined, provisions submitted for defense are given, data on testing and implementation of the results are provided.
IN first chapter - “Theoretical approaches to understanding the meaningfulness of life and psychological well-being of the individual” outlines the modern understanding of the terms “meaningfulness of life” and “psychological well-being.”
IN first paragraph traces the theoretical connection of the concept of “meaningfulness of life” with such categories as: “meaning of life”, “semantic sphere of personality”, “semantic education”, “personal meaning”, which allows us to reveal this concept in accordance with the historical logic of the development of ideas about the meaning of human life and meaning as a general psychological category. The development of ideas about the meaning of human life in philosophy is described and analyzed, and the change in the interpretation of the concept of “meaning” in other humanities is traced. The problem of the relationship that exists between the subjective sense of meaningfulness of one’s own life and a person’s mental well-being was initially posed in philosophy and literature in connection with the question: “What is the meaning of life and does it exist at all?”, as well as with the problem of loss of meaning, a person’s life in a situation meaninglessness and ways out of it. This context is fundamental in theories of the meaning of life carried out within the framework of religious philosophy and concerning the moral and ethical content of the goals and meanings of life (A.I. Vedensky, E.N. Trubetskoy, S.L. Frank, N.A. Berdyaev, P. Tillich, etc.), as well as the philosophy of existentialism. Early attempts to isolate the meaning of life as a separate psychological structure are presented in the works of Z. Freud, K. Horney, A. Adler, K.G. Cabin boy. As noted by D.A. Leontiev, in the works of Adler and Jung, meaning for the first time appears as a basic integral formation, determining the content and direction of all life activity of an individual. Further research into meaning as a psychological category and, in particular, the meaning of human life, was carried out within almost all leading psychological schools and directions (K. Levin, E. Tolman, E. Bosch, J. Royce, M. Csikszentmihalyi, etc.), however, they became central in Frankl’s logotherapy, existential psychology (L. Binswanger, A. Camus, J-P. Sartre, etc.) and, which arose on its basis, humanistic psychology (R. May, A. Maslow, etc. ).
Most works that address the problem of the meaning of human life note its positive impact on the development and formation of personality. According to V. Frankl, a necessary condition for the mental well-being of an individual is a normal level of noodynamic tension (i.e., tension generated by a person’s desire to find and realize the meaning of his own life). In turn, acquiring sustainable meaning in life is possible only through acquiring values that would promote self-transcendence and an altruistic focus on another person. An analysis of the material accumulated by Russian psychology related to the development of the problem of meaning and meaningfulness of life shows that meaning is one of the central concepts in Russian psychology. One way or another, this issue is presented in the works of L.S. Vygotsky, A.N. Leontyeva, B.V. Zeigarnik, A.G. Asmolova, B.S. Bratusya, V.E. Chudnovsky, F.E. Vasilyuk, D.A. Leontyeva and others. Following D.A. Leontiev, who introduced and operationalized the concept of “meaningfulness of life” in the context of studying the semantic sphere of the individual, in the dissertation the meaningfulness of life is considered as one of the individual characteristics of the semantic sphere of the individual (along with the structural organization of semantic systems; the degree of awareness of semantic regulation; temporal localization of leading semantic landmarks and etc.), is understood as “... a quantitative measure of the degree and stability of the focus of a subject’s life activity on some meaning” (D.A. Leontyev, 2003, p. 293). According to D.A. Leontiev, the meaningfulness of life can be empirically characterized by a total indicator of the severity of the so-called life-meaning orientations, three of which are associated with the temporal localization of semantic guidelines (in the present, past or future time), and two describe the prevailing locus of control (external or internal). A theoretical analysis of the state of development of the problem of the semantic sphere and the meaningfulness of an individual’s life allows us to note that there are a fairly large number of aspects of the study of this problem, in relation to which there is a clear lack of attention. Thus, the relationship between the presence or absence of meaning in life and mental health was studied in detail, which allowed I. Yalom to conclude: “The lack of meaning in life is almost linearly related to psychopathology” (1999, p. 515). However, researchers have traditionally paid little attention to the relationship between meaningfulness in life and various positive aspects of human functioning. The question of what determines the functioning and development of the individual (in humanistic psychology - “personal way of existence”) is still being debated: the desire for meaning, the focus on personal growth, the desire for self-actualization, the realization of one’s potential, the ability for authentic existence, etc. All of the above aspects of the positive functioning of the individual are considered by humanistic psychologists at the same time as potential opportunities (“potentials”), and as goals, and as values of the strictly human, personal way of existence. V. Franki, discussing both with psychoanalysts and with the founders of humanistic psychology, noted that the development of one’s own potentials in itself cannot be the meaning of human life and act as a necessary condition for finding the meaning of life. The question about “true values” remains unanswered: “Is it really only the structure of value orientations, characterized by a transcendental orientation, that can determine a person’s experience of happiness, maintain a high interest in life, and be associated with positive personal development?” The nature of the relationship between value and life-meaning orientations and a person’s experience of happiness and mental well-being remains poorly understood. Also insufficiently illuminated is the connection between meaningfulness in life and various positive aspects of human functioning (personal growth, self-acceptance, the ability to establish and maintain positive relationships with others, the desire for self-actualization, etc.). The lack of research into the connection between the meaning of life and the positive aspects of personality functioning is partly due to the variety of approaches that highlight different parameters of such functioning. The disunity of research into the positive functioning of the individual contradicts the principle of integrity in the approach to understanding the individual in humanistically oriented psychology, the personal way of existence - the existence of a person as a unique integrity, possessing a unique life experience, an inner world, a one-of-a-kind reaction to the circumstances of his life (T.D. Shevelenkova, 1993, p. 24). Therefore, it becomes relevant to introduce a concept that could summarize these aspects. This formulation of the question requires the introduction of a single indicator that would take into account both the degree of positive functioning of the individual and the degree of a person’s satisfaction with himself and his own life. Such an indicator can be the “psychological well-being” of an individual. In fact, further development of the problem is primarily related to the operationalization of the concept of “psychological well-being.”
In second paragraph a meaningful analysis of the concept of “psychological well-being” is given, an analysis of approaches to understanding psychological well-being, formulated in the works of Russian and foreign authors, is carried out, since, despite the numerous approaches to the interpretation of psychological well-being and its empirical research, this concept still remains one of the least developed as in foreign and domestic psychology. The theoretical basis for understanding the phenomenon of psychological well-being was laid by Bradburn's research. He introduces the concept of “psychological well-being”, distinguishing it from the term “mental health”, and identifies psychological well-being with a subjective feeling of happiness and overall satisfaction with life. According to Bradburn, the problem of psychological well-being does not fit into the “illness-health” dichotomy; to describe this phenomenon it is necessary to operate with signs reflecting the state of happiness or unhappiness, a subjective feeling of general satisfaction or dissatisfaction with life. Subsequently, research on this topic was continued by such authors as: R. Ryan, E. Deci, S. Ryff, E. Diener, A. Waterman, etc. At the moment, the problem of hedonic or, on the contrary, eudaimonic interpretation of psychological well-being. Hedonic theories include those where well-being is described in terms of satisfaction and dissatisfaction; the eudaimonic understanding of this problem is based on the postulate that personal growth is the main and most necessary aspect of well-being. There are a number of concepts that seek to combine both approaches. In our opinion, the most successful example of such a synthesis is the six-component theory of S. Ryff, the basis of which was the basic concepts (mainly developed in line with humanistic psychology), one way or another related to the problem of positive psychological functioning (A. Maslow, C. Rogers, G. Allport, K.-G. Jung, E. Erikson, S. Bühler, B. Newgarten, M. Jahoda, D. Birren). This approach allowed her to summarize and identify six main components of psychological well-being: self-acceptance, positive relationships with others, autonomy, environmental management, purpose in life, personal growth. We assume that each of these six components of psychological well-being, being, in fact, different aspects of the positive functioning of the individual, can reach different degrees of expression, thereby defining a unique structure and integral indicator of a person’s psychological well-being. At the same time, E. Diener notes that the study of psychological well-being should take into account not only the directly measured level of well-being, but also take into account the internal, individual coordinate system with which a person correlates his own psychological well-being. It seems that every person has some internal standard with which he correlates the idea of his own psychological well-being. Analysis of theories and approaches to determining psychological well-being in domestic and foreign psychology leads to the fact that in numerous of its studies a certain theoretical confusion is revealed: it is not clear what is being studied - whether the level of psychological well-being has been achieved, or the idea of what a psychologically well-off person is (having socio-cultural specificity), or the degree to which a person is focused on various positive aspects of his own functioning. Taking into account all of the above, in this study we define psychological well-being as an integral indicator of the degree of a person’s focus on the implementation of the main components of positive functioning (personal growth, self-acceptance, environmental management, autonomy, purpose in life, positive relationships with others), as well as the degree of implementation of this focus , subjectively expressed in a feeling of happiness, satisfaction with oneself and one’s life.
The dissertation differentiates the concept of “ideal psychological well-being” - the degree to which an individual is focused on the implementation of components of positive functioning (the intensity of the desire to realize oneself in an autonomous existence, in maintaining positive relationships with others, focus on personal growth, etc.); and the concept of “actual psychological well-being” is a subjective assessment of the degree of implementation of this orientation in the real life of an individual. At the same time, it is assumed and justified that the structure (ratio of components) of actual and ideal psychological well-being may not coincide. In addition, the study introduces the concept of the level of actual psychological well-being - high and low psychological well-being. A low level of actual psychological well-being is due to the predominance of negative affect (a general feeling of one’s own unhappiness, dissatisfaction with one’s own life), a high level is due to the predominance of positive affect (a feeling of satisfaction with one’s own life, happiness). Each level may have specific structures of actual and ideal psychological well-being (which do not coincide) and a ratio (degree of discrepancy) between actual and ideal psychological well-being.
The theoretical analysis carried out allows us to distinguish the concept of “psychological well-being” from a number of other terms that are similar, but not identical to it. The concept of “psychological well-being” emphasizes a person’s subjective emotional assessment of himself and his own life, as well as aspects of positive personal functioning. Such an understanding separates it from a number of other concepts, which are often inadequately used as its synonyms. Thus, unlike the concepts of “mental health” and “quality of life,” psychological well-being is not directly related to the presence or absence of any mental or somatic illnesses. From the concepts of positive mental health ideas about psychological well-being are distinguished by their interest not only in the self-actualization aspect, but in the way they are perceived by the individual himself, focusing on a person’s experience of happiness and satisfaction with himself and his environment.
This approach to the study of psychological well-being raises a number of questions that have not previously been the subject of research: about the relationship between actual and ideal psychological well-being, about the nature of this relationship among people with different (high and low) levels of actual psychological well-being, about the connection between meaningfulness of life, meaning in life and value orientations of a person with the components of current psychological well-being, as well as with its level.
The introduction of the concept of “ideal psychological well-being”, defining it as the degree to which an individual is focused on the implementation of components of positive functioning, involves solving a number of problems that require special empirical research. Thus, it is necessary to empirically confirm the existence of this kind of orientation, and, first of all, to characterize the features of ideas about psychological well-being and ill-being and the individual’s attitude towards them. The same problem arises in connection with the question of studying the meaning of life: there are practically no empirical studies of the individual’s attitude to the very fact of the presence or absence of meaning in life.
Second chapter“Organization of research and description of psychodiagnostic methods” includes a description and general characteristics of methods for studying the meaningfulness of life, meaning in life, value orientations and the psychological well-being of an individual.
To study the meaningfulness of life, the “Test of Meaningful Orientations in Life” was used (Leontyev D.A. et al., 1992), standardization and validation of which was carried out by the author himself and other researchers.
The method of “Psychological Well-Being Scale” created by S. Ryff (1998) was used as a method for studying current psychological well-being. The stages of validation and standardization of the Russian version of the “Psychological Well-Being Scale” methodology are outlined. The sample on which standardization and validation of the methodology was carried out consisted of 143 people, of whom 45 were men and 98 women, with an average age of 24 years. To validate the “Psychological Well-Being Scale” method, a modified version of the Dembo-Rubinstein method was also used, aimed at directly scaling the subjective level of life satisfaction and the subjective level of psychological well-being. In addition, to study ideal psychological well-being, a modified version of the “Psychological Well-Being Scale” technique was developed, which used the methodological technique of filling out this technique by the subject for “a person who is completely satisfied with his life.”
Using the methods described above, we determined: 1) the structures of actual and ideal psychological well-being and their relationship; 2) the degree of consistency of changes in indicators of meaningfulness of life and current psychological well-being; 3) the degree and characteristics of meaningfulness in life in persons with different levels (high and low) of current psychological well-being; 4) the structure and correlation of actual and ideal psychological well-being in individuals with high and low levels of actual psychological well-being.
The study of the structure of terminal and instrumental values was carried out using a modified version of the “Value Orientations” method (M. Rokeach). The modification consisted in using the procedure for pairwise ranking of terminal and instrumental values according to the criteria of “value” and “availability”, proposed by E.B. Fantalova (2001). Thus, not only was the structure of terminal and instrumental values determined, but also an index of the discrepancy between their “value” (the desire to realize them) and “availability” (that is, how much a person considers himself capable of realizing them) was calculated among people with high and low level of actual psychological well-being.
To study the individual’s attitude to psychological well-being/ill-being, as well as the meaningfulness/meaninglessness of life, a modified version of the “Semantic Differential” method by Charles Osgood was used. The subjects evaluated such objects as “a person who is completely satisfied with life,” “a person who is not completely satisfied with life,” “a person who has a meaning in life,” “a person who has no meaning in life,” “I myself.” The proximity in the semantic space of the concept “I myself” to all the objects listed above was determined.
Statistical processing of the results included: at the stage of testing the construct validity of the ShPB technique, the factor analysis method was used, to determine the internal homogeneity of the methodology scales, Cronbach's α coefficient was calculated, test-retest reliability was checked using the Pearson product of moments formula. To study the magnitude of statistical differences in the studied characteristics in individuals differing in the level of psychological well-being, Student's t test was used. The degree of consistency of changes in the studied characteristics was studied using the Spearman rank correlation coefficient.
Contingent of subjects. The total sample of the study population was 272 people, residents of the cities of Moscow and Murmansk. Among the study participants were both students (humanities and technical specialties) and employees of various enterprises. All subjects were either in the process of receiving higher education, or already had higher or secondary specialized education. 110 men and 162 women were examined, ages ranging from 18 to 59 years, average age 26
IN third chapter “Empirical study of the relationship between meaningfulness of life, meaning in life and value orientations with the psychological well-being of the individual” presents the results of an empirical study of the relationship between meaningfulness in life, meaning in life and value orientations with the main parameters of the psychological well-being of the individual.
IN first paragraph The data from a study of the peculiarities of the attitude of modern Russians to the concepts of “psychological well-being” and “meaningfulness of life” are presented.
A study of ideas about the meaningfulness of life using a modified version of the Semantic Differential (MSD) method showed that a meaningful life is distinguished by a positive emotional assessment and is characterized by high activity, strength and orderliness. The psychosemantic structure of ideas about the meaninglessness of life is represented by such signs as: weakness, passivity, chaos, emotional alienation, discomfort, simplicity, incomprehensibility. The emotional assessment does not have a sharply expressed negative orientation. Thus, it is shown that a meaningful life, in the views of the majority of our subjects, has subjective attractiveness and desirability, while a meaningless life, on the contrary, is perceived as extremely undesirable and unattractive. These data are in good agreement with the basic tenets of V. Frankl’s theory of the will to meaning. In addition, the study showed that the psychosemantic structure of ideas about oneself approaches the psychosemantic structure of ideas about a person who has the meaning of life.
Analysis of ideas about psychological well-being using the MSD technique allows us to conclude that the idea of psychological well-being has a highly positive emotional assessment, high scores on such parameters as: activity, strength, comfort, proximity, complexity, orderliness, understandability, probability and reality. The idea of psychological ill-being has a negative emotional assessment, it is characterized low performance by parameters: activity, strength, comfort, proximity, complexity, orderliness, understandability. The structure of ideas about themselves in most subjects approaches the psychosemantic structure of ideas about a person who is completely satisfied with life. Thus, we can say that the majority of subjects perceive themselves as psychologically well rather than psychologically dysfunctional.
In second paragraph The results of an empirical study of “actual psychological well-being” and “ideal psychological well-being” are presented.
Firstly, based on the results of calculating average indicators and the significance of differences between indicators, the structures of actual and ideal psychological well-being were compared (see Table 1).
Table 1.
Comparison of the structure of “actual psychological well-being” with the structure of “ideal psychological well-being”
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Current PB |
Ideal PB |
t-test |
|
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Positive relationships with others |
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Autonomy |
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Environment management |
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Personal growth |
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|
Goals in life |
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|
Self-acceptance |
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|
General psychological well-being |
Thus, it is shown that the structures of actual and ideal psychological well-being differ significantly. In the structure of current psychological well-being, the values of such components as “Personal growth”, “Positive relationships with others”, “Goals in life” reach the greatest values - which indicates that modern Russians consider these to be the most realized in their lives components of positive functioning. At the same time, they are much less characterized by a positive assessment of themselves and their lives in general, the ability to be independent, and a sense of confidence in their own ability to achieve set results and competence.
According to the subjects, ideal psychological well-being is most associated with highly developed self-acceptance, the ability to establish and maintain warm, trusting relationships with others, the presence of goals in life and the ability to effectively implement them. While the ability to be internally independent, the ability to defend one’s opinion and the desire for self-development, according to the subjective assessment of the majority of respondents, are inferior in importance to the above four characteristics.
Secondly, there are statistically significant differences between the average values of all six components of actual psychological well-being and ideal psychological well-being. It seems natural that the actual status is somewhat (and sometimes clearly) lower than the identified ideal status. This discrepancy, such as, for example, the discrepancy between the “real self” and the “ideal self,” should be considered as a space or bar in relation to which the dynamics (situational, age-related, etc.) of actual well-being can be observed.
Thirdly, the features of the relationship between the structures of actual and ideal psychological well-being among respondents with high (34 people: 22 women and 12 men) and low (31 people: 19 women and 12 men) levels of actual psychological well-being were considered (see Table 2).
Subjects with a high level of actual psychological well-being believe that a psychologically well-off person, first of all, strives to determine goals in life, that he is equally aimed at establishing positive relationships with others, managing the environment, and implementing personal growth, and that he values the ability to the least degree. to an autonomous existence. One's own ability to achieve autonomy and control the environment is assessed as associated with certain difficulties. For this group of subjects, the ability to be independent and the ability to resist social pressure has somewhat less subjective significance compared to other parameters of psychological well-being. Among the respondents who made up this group, according to three parameters, current psychological well-being corresponds to ideal ideas about psychological well-being. An increase in the level of actual psychological well-being in this case is associated with an increase in the sense of competence in managing the environment (the discrepancies in this parameter are the greatest, which indicates that the subjects are least satisfied with their abilities to successfully cope with the demands of everyday life).
An analysis of the relationship between actual and ideal psychological well-being in a group of subjects with a low level of actual psychological well-being shows that they feel not fully capable of managing the environment, self-acceptance, and experience significant difficulties in determining goals in life and achieving autonomy. At the same time, this group is characterized by statistically significant differences between the severity of the components of actual and ideal psychological well-being in all main parameters, that is, not a single component of actual psychological well-being reaches the ideal.
Table 2.
Correlation between “actual psychological well-being” and “ideal psychological well-being” among respondents with different levels of psychological well-being
|
PB high |
PB low |
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|
Current. PB |
Ideal. PB |
Current. PB |
Ideal. PB |
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|
Positive. relationship |
||||||
|
Autonomy |
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|
Environment management |
||||||
|
Personal growth |
||||||
|
Goals in life |
||||||
|
Self-acceptance |
||||||
Statistically significant differences according to Student's t-test at p ≤ 0.01 are noted*
IN third paragraph The results of a study of the level of meaningfulness of life and life orientations are described. The results obtained using this technique allow us to come to a number of conclusions.
Firstly, for the majority of subjects (both men and women), the indicators of meaningfulness of life and life-meaning orientations correspond to the standards, that is, there is a certain meaning of life, towards the implementation of which their life activity is steadily directed, which ensures sufficient sthenicity, vitality, and energy in life. everyday life.
Secondly, women in our study show a slightly different structure of life-meaning orientations from men, and the overall level of meaningfulness in life in women does not have statistically significant differences with the same indicator in men, which does not quite correspond to the data obtained by D.A. Leontyev et al. Since the standardization of the life-saving methodology was carried out in the late 80s - early 90s of the 20th century, perhaps the changes we identified in the gender specificity of life-meaning orientations and the indicator of meaningfulness of life (increasing the level of meaningfulness of life in women) reflect a change in attitude towards gender roles and, above all, to the role of women in modern society.
Thirdly, the nature of the expression of the main life-meaning orientations indicates that for the contingent of subjects we studied, life goals lying in the present and future tenses are of equal value. This, on the one hand, indicates that for the majority of subjects, life is distinguished by a clear direction and the presence of a time perspective, and, on the other hand, indicates that for them the process of life itself is perceived as interesting, emotionally rich and filled with meaning. At the same time, the subjects are satisfied with the part of their life that they have already lived and in most cases do not regret what they did in the past.
IN fourth paragraph a description is given of the study of the relationships between meaningfulness of life, life-meaning orientations and current psychological well-being of the individual. We analyzed the correlations between the indicators of the “Psychological Well-Being Scale” and “Life Orientations Test” methods, using the Spearman rank correlation coefficient. Interpretation of the data obtained allows us to formulate several propositions.
Firstly, there is a direct correlation between the general indicator of meaningfulness of life and the index of current psychological well-being (p< 0.01), причем, чем выше уровень актуального психологического благополучия (то есть, чем в большей степени человек ощущает свою способность реализовать свою направленность на позитивные аспекты функционирования), тем выше уровень осмысленности жизни и наоборот.
Secondly, all components of current psychological well-being are associated with the meaningfulness of life and basic life orientations (p< 0.01). Можно сказать, that the meaningfulness of human life is directly associated with a feeling of happiness, general satisfaction with one’s own existence. This indirectly confirms V. Frankl’s assumption that in the course of a person’s search and realization of the meaning of his own life, he finds happiness.
Thirdly, we can state the uneven nature of the relationships between the components of current psychological well-being and life-meaning orientations, which allows us to separate all the characteristics of psychological well-being into two groups. The first group, which can be designated as “central,” includes parameters that are most associated with the meaningfulness of life (have highest values correlation coefficients with the indicator of meaningfulness of life): “Goals in life”, “Management of the environment”, “Self-acceptance”. The second group, designated as “peripheral”, includes the following parameters: “Personal growth”, “Positive relationships with others”, “Autonomy” - which, although they have significant correlations with life-meaning orientations, their significance, from the point of view of connection with the semantic sphere of the individual, is lower . This division, although quite conditional, allows us to identify new approaches to the correction of crises of meaninglessness (noogenic neuroses) using “well-being therapy” described by Fava (1999). Therapy of this kind should not be limited only to assistance in finding the meaning of life (in other words, increasing psychological well-being according to the “Goals in Life” parameter), but should be accompanied by checking the meaning of life for constructiveness (the “Self-Acceptance” parameter) and realism (the “Environmental Management” parameter), i.e. that is, a person’s ability and ability to implement it.
The dissertation presents the results of a study of differences in the structure of life meaning and value orientations in individuals with high and low levels of actual psychological well-being. Analysis of the data obtained allows us to come to the conclusion that subjects with a high level of actual psychological well-being have higher scores on all six indicators of the LSS technique. A significant difference in the indicator of meaningfulness in life indicates that respondents with a high level of psychological well-being have a stable meaning in life, which is manifested in significantly greater sthenicity, energy, and vitality. At the same time, among representatives of the group of subjects with a low level of actual psychological well-being, life is much less meaningful, which can lead to a greater susceptibility to depression, an increased predisposition to mental, somatic diseases and addictions. In the comparative analysis, it is noteworthy that subjects with a high level of psychological well-being see the meaning of life in the very process of living their lives; the present seems to them full of meaning and very attractive. Subjects with a low level of psychological well-being see the meaning of their whole life in the future to the same extent as in the present.
IN fifth paragraph The results of a study of the relationship between the level of current psychological well-being and the characteristics of the structure of values are presented. Thus, subjects with a high level of actual psychological well-being give greater preference to the emotional attractiveness of terminal values, their value orientations are characterized by greater specificity and realism. Subjects with a low level of actual psychological well-being are attracted by the opportunity to gain pleasure from their own development and creativity; their value orientations are abstract and fundamentally difficult to implement.
The dissertation research shows that the transcendental nature of value orientations, found primarily in subjects with a low level of actual psychological well-being, cannot be considered as a prerequisite for achieving psychological well-being. Obviously, the higher the subjective attractiveness and realizability of terminal values, the higher the level of actual psychological well-being. This position is confirmed by the presence of an inverse correlation between the value-availability discrepancy index in the structure of terminal values and the level of actual psychological well-being: the lower the level of actual psychological well-being, the more inaccessible those terminal values to which a person strives are considered. This discrepancy suggests the presence of a “vicious circle” type of dependence, when in subjects with a low level of psychological well-being, the inability to realize their own values causes a feeling of dissatisfaction and reduces the overall level of psychological well-being, at the same time, a feeling of dissatisfaction entails an increase in the subjective significance of the values of self-development, in achieving which the possibility of compensation is seen.
Conclusions.1. The conducted research showed that ideas about the phenomenon of meaningfulness of life and the phenomenon of psychological well-being exist in the mind in the form of a clear dichotomy or polar assessments: meaningfulness / meaninglessness, psychological well-being / ill-being. Such differentiation allows us to consider these ideas as subjective criteria with the help of which a person is able to evaluate his own existence. The study also showed that psychological well-being is perceived as a socially and personally approved state, with subjective desirability for the majority of subjects. Similar results were obtained regarding ideas about the meaningfulness of life.
2. Psychological well-being is characterized not only by the degree of realization of the individual’s orientation towards positive aspects of functioning, but also by the degree of intensity of this orientation; Therefore, the study differs in the general index, levels and structure of actual and ideal psychological well-being. According to the study, all indicators of ideal psychological well-being significantly exceed similar indicators of actual psychological well-being; these types of psychological well-being also differ in their structure (quantitative characteristics of the severity of components). The higher the actual psychological well-being, the more its structure corresponds to ideal psychological well-being; In people with low actual psychological well-being, there is no coincidence between actual and ideal psychological well-being according to any parameters.
3. Meaningfulness in life is directly related to psychological well-being; As the meaning of life increases, psychological well-being increases and vice versa. The main components of positive personality functioning (parameters of psychological well-being) are directly related to the meaningfulness of life.
4. Individuals with high levels of psychological well-being have significantly higher levels of meaningfulness in life; the structure of their terminal values is more specific , obviously more feasible in nature. The discrepancy between the value and accessibility of terminal values in this group of subjects is smaller than in individuals with a low level of psychological well-being, which indicates greater subjective attainability of this group of values. People with low psychological well-being have low meaningfulness in life, the structure of their terminal values is abstract , difficult to implement character.
5. Current psychological well-being is associated with the “value” discrepancy index - accessibility" inverse correlation. The smaller the discrepancy between the subjective availability of significant terminal values, the higher the actual psychological well-being.
6. The transcendental nature of value and life-meaning orientations (the significance of which has been asserted by many researchers), found in subjects with low psychological well-being, is not prerequisite achieving psychological well-being. The higher the subjective attractiveness and realizability of terminal values, the higher the level of psychological well-being.
7. New data have been obtained on gender differences in the structure of life-meaning orientations: it has been established that women have a structure of life-meaning orientations that is not much different from men’s, and the overall level of life meaning is not statistically different from the same indicator in men.
8. For the first time in Russia, the dissertation carried out validation, standardization, as well as socio-cultural adaptation of the “Psychological Well-Being Scale” methodology developed by K. Rieff. It is shown that the parameters of psychological well-being proposed by K. Rieff are applicable to the study of the psychological well-being of modern Russians.
The content of the dissertation is reflected in the following publications:Fesenko P.P. Psychodiagnostic capabilities of the Russian version of the “Psychological Well-Being Scale” methodology. // Scientific works graduate students and doctoral students. 2005*9 (46) / Faculty of Scientific and Pedagogical Personnel of Moscow Humanitarian University; Ed. advice: E.D. Katulsky and others; Comp., scientific. Ed. VC. Krivoruchenko. - M.: Publishing house of Moscow University for the Humanities, 2005. - Issue. 46. – 140 p. With. 23-35
Fesenko P.P. What is psychological well-being? A quick overview of the main concepts. // Scientific works of graduate students and doctoral students. 2005*9 (46) / Faculty of Scientific and Pedagogical Personnel of Moscow Humanitarian University; Ed. advice: E.D. Katulsky and others; Comp., scientific. Ed. VC. Krivoruchenko. - M.: Publishing house of Moscow University for the Humanities, 2005. - Issue. 46. – 140 p. With. 35-48
Fesenko P.P. Does the concept of psychological well-being have socio-cultural specificity? // Cultural-historical approach and research of socialization processes: Materials of the fifth readings in memory of L.S. Vygotsky / Russian State University for the Humanities, Int. Conf. (Moscow, November 15-17, 2004); Comp., intro. Art. V.F. Spiridonov; Scientific Ed. V.F. Spiridonov, Yu.E. Kravchenko. - M.: RGGU, 2005. – 348 p. With. 126-136
Meaningful life
Many details of Singer's theoretical and practical views were subject to sharp criticism, but the most severe criticism of his work, as well as the work of utilitarians in general, was caused by their excessive demands. Simply put, critics believe that if we live a moral ethical life according to Singer's demands, we will have to sacrifice many of the things that give our lives meaning. It is as if Singer believes that we have a responsibility to set aside our personal concerns as indistinguishable from the concerns of all other people. Many people think that if we follow Singer's recommendations, we will become impoverished and harm our personal interests and the activities that bring us satisfaction and joy. For example, in order to do the right thing, we will have to act in a way that is contrary and inconsistent with respect and consideration for those who are near and dear to us. When the birthday of loved ones, children or friends approaches, we think about a gift, but the money spent on a gift could bring much more benefit to those who are less fortunate than us. Even time spent with family or friends, at the cinema or at a holiday dinner, wouldn't it be better spent fighting poverty and helping those in need? We would be simply happy if our family and friends themselves preferred that we, instead of spending money on gifts, send money on their behalf to hunger relief organizations or chimpanzee rights foundations, or chose to work for serving soup instead of going to the movies. However, even the most selfless people sometimes believe that what means more to them is a gift from their beloved or a vacation together with her. And if an ethical theory claims that certain actions cannot be justified, that we are doing something morally reprehensible by buying gifts or going to the cinema, then such a theory seems to us, as mere mortals, to be overly demanding.
Singer understands this as well as you and I, and without being a purist or considering himself a moral paragon, he says that we should only do what we can. But most people spend most of their time not wanting to do what they can. If we think carefully and impartially about what we are doing to improve the world, we will realize that most of us could be doing much more to end human suffering and beyond. You don't have to completely agree with utilitarian philosophy to see that there are many pressing problems in the world that go beyond what ethics requires of us.
Philosophers have long challenged common sense, and often such challenges have served to improve our collective lives. The questions posed by Peter Singer may seem too pointed to us, requiring the sacrifice of something, and generally impossible. But if we rise to the challenge it poses, we can contribute to building a world with less pain and suffering and more happiness. We will truly make our world best place for life, and we will make it more meaningful.
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Initially, the problem of “meaning” was addressed by different researchers in different aspects. You can define them as follows:
1) meaning as a guideline - in the theory of V. Frankl, as well as in a number of other theories (A. Adler, C.-G. Jung, J. Royce), meaning was considered as the “peak” formation, the highest guideline of human behavior.
2) meaning as a universal mechanism that exists at different levels and links of human behavior - in general psychological theories (A.N. Leontiev, J. Nutten, J. Kelly, etc.) meaning acted as a relatively elementary universal mechanism present at different levels and in different parts of human behavior and cognitive activity.
In the literature, there are categories that need to be distinguished before moving on to understanding and defining the concept of “meaningfulness of life.” These categories are " life meaning”, “personal meaning”, “semantic sphere of personality”, “optimal meaning of life”.
Life meaning can be considered in two meanings - existential and ontological. In its existential meaning, life meaning appears as something initially given, completed, static. A person is not a subject, he does not determine the meaning of life, but comprehends it. “It appears to me more as a necessity than as a possibility, rather as a “tape” on which a certain program of behavior is recorded, than as a living process, constantly changing and never equal to itself, rather as something objective or objectified, external in relation to me and felt by me as something independent of my attitude, rather than as subjective, generated by me or chosen by my subjective causality.”
In the ontological sense, meaning, on the contrary, is distinguished by orderliness, certainty, imperativeness, totality; its reduced version is the goal. The distinction between existential and ontological meaning is manifested, in particular, in relation to irremovable suffering - relief comes from recognizing the impossibility of understanding its final ontological meaning. This distinction is also connected with one of the key ideas of Frankl’s teaching about meaning: “we should not ask the question what is the meaning of life (in this case we would be talking about ontological meaning), on the contrary, life asks us this question, and we must answer it respond, but not with words, but with actions.”
In Soviet psychology, few people addressed the problem of the meaning of life, but their works deserve special attention and analysis.
S.L. Rubinstein wrote that “the meaning of each person’s life is determined only in relation to the content of his entire life with other people. All questions that affect the worldview, the answer to which determines how a person should live and where to look for the meaning of life... coincide in one question - about the nature of man and his place in the world.” Explaining psychological phenomena, S.L. Rubinstein emphasizes that “a personality acts as a united set of internal conditions that are refracted through all external influences,” while the meaning of a person’s life as a phenomenon is formed through the manifestation of these “internal conditions” in the external world.
K.A. Abulkhanova-Slavskaya, in her work devoted to the philosophical and psychological analysis of life strategy, defines the meaning of life as “a value and at the same time the experience of this value by a person in the process of its development, appropriation or implementation.” Unlike motives, which in psychology are considered as an expression of needs, the meaning of life should be understood not only as a desire for something, not only as a future goal that is determined by the motive, but also as an experience that takes place in the process of realizing this motive. K.A. Abulkhanova-Slavskaya emphasizes that “the meaning of life is a psychological means of experiencing life in the process of its implementation.”
By achieving specific goals in life, a person does not lose meaning, but, on the contrary, strengthens it, experiences it and becomes convinced of it. “The meaning of life is the subject’s ability to experience the value of the life manifestations of his individuality, his “I”, his personality. The subject’s ability to experience the value of life, to be satisfied with it, is its meaning.” On the one hand, as noted by K.A. Abulkhanova-Slavskaya, the meaning of life expresses the aspirations of the individual, her needs, and on the other hand, confirms her real achievements, the real ability to express herself in forms of life. Thus, the meaning of life is not only the future, not only the prospect, but also the measure of what a person has accomplished, the assessment of what has been achieved on our own according to criteria important to the individual.
YES. Leontyev in his work “Psychology of Meaning” defines the concepts of “life meaning” and “personal meaning” as follows.
Life meaning is an objective characteristic of the relationship of objects and phenomena of reality to the life activity of the subject. Personal meaning is a form of subjective reflection of this relationship in the consciousness of the subject, in his image of the world.
The life meaning of the same object or phenomenon will generally not be the same for different subjects, since the place of this object or phenomenon in their life will be different. Personal meaning does not coincide with life meaning. Life meaning is a real situation, personal meaning is a psychological reality.
The personal meaning of objects and phenomena of reality is a component of the images of perception and representation of the corresponding objects and phenomena, reflecting their vital meaning for the subject and presenting it to the subject through the emotional coloring of the images and their transformations. Personal meaning characterizes the very content of the image.
YES. Leontiev compares these two concepts, placing different emphasis. But at the same time, both life meaning and personal meaning are an integral part of the semantic sphere of the individual.
The semantic sphere of personality is a specially organized set of semantic formations (structures) and connections between them, providing semantic regulation of the subject’s integral life activity in all its aspects.
In Soviet psychology, ideas about the motivational and semantic relationships of individuality begin to take shape in the research of the school of L.S. Vygotsky, A.N. Leontyeva, A.R. Luria. Still in the work of L.S. Vygotsky’s “Thinking and Speech” attempts to find a unit that expresses the unity of affective and intellectual processes. “An analysis that breaks down a complex whole into units...,” he writes, “shows that there is a dynamic semantic system that represents a unity of affective and intellectual processes. He shows that every idea contains, in a processed form, a person’s affective attitude towards reality represented in this idea. The idea allows us to reveal the direct movement from a person’s needs and motivations to a certain direction of his thinking and the reverse movement from the dynamics of thought to the dynamics of behavior and specific activities of the individual.”
Later A.N. Leontyev and P.Ya. Galperin highlights the concept of personal meaning - a reflection in the consciousness of the individual of the relationship between the motive of activity and the goal of action. Being a product of life, the life activity of the subject, the system of personal meanings is a characteristic of the individual. In it, reality is revealed from the side of the vital meaning of knowledge, subject and social norms for the person acting to achieve certain motives, and not only from the side of the objective meaning of this knowledge.
A.N. Leontyev considers personal meaning as a component of the individual’s consciousness (along with sensory tissue and meaning). Personal meaning is an assessment of the life significance for the subject of objective circumstances and his actions with these circumstances. Personal meaning does not have its own “non-psychological” meaning; it creates a partiality of human consciousness and attitude to reality. Meanings in this sense do not have such a degree of “drama” and partiality.
B.S. Bratus, having introduced the concept of “semantic sphere of personality,” refused to use the concept of “semantic education” as a generic, generalizing one. He defines the semantic sphere through the motives of the individual, as a chain of relationships from lesser to greater. The relationship of action to motive, motive to a broader sense-forming motive, and so on, up to the meaning of life, which can be characterized as “something greater than our life and will not end with its physical cessation.” Semantic formations are broader than motives; he also includes personal values among them, noting that this is a whole branched system of relationships.
B.S. Bratus identifies a number of qualitatively unique levels in the semantic sphere of personality.
0) the lowest, zero level - pragmatic, situational meanings - are determined by the objective logic of achieving a goal in given specific conditions;
1) egocentric - determined by personal gain, convenience, etc.;
2) group-centric - semantic relationships to reality are determined by the reference small group;
3) prosocial - moral semantic regulation;
Then another level was added: “the level at which a person’s subjective relationship with the infinite is determined, his religion is established.
A.G. Asmolov introduced the concept of a dynamic semantic system, the basis for which is personal meaning. He considers personal meaning as a unit of personality analysis, which, by its functional “responsibilities,” reveals the “mechanics” of personality functioning, its development and determines the direction of the personality. A dynamic semantic system is determined by the position of the subject and is a derivative of his activity. It has internal movement, dynamics, complex hierarchical relationships between its components. The components are:
· social position of the subject as a member of a particular social community;
· motives that motivate the subject to activity, given by social position;
· objective relations of the subject to the object and phenomena realized by activity, which have acquired personal meaning;
· semantic attitudes expressing personal meaning in behavior
· semantic attitudes that regulate the behavior and activities of the individual.
According to A.G. Asmolov, personal meaning is an individualized reflection of reality, expressing the attitude of the individual to those objects for the sake of which his activity and communication unfold.
The productivity of dynamic semantic systems depends on a person’s place, social position in society, and on the set of motives given to this social position. A change in a person’s social position in the world entails a rethinking of his attitude to reality. A sharp change in a person’s social position can lead to profound restructuring of the entire set of personal meanings, sometimes dramatically manifested in such phenomena as “loss of self” and loss of the meaning of existence.
Thus, A.G. Asmolov defines personal meaning as a component of a dynamic semantic system, reflecting in the individual consciousness of the individual the content of its relationship to reality.
V.E. Chudnovsky introduces the problem of “optimal meaning of life” into psychology. By the optimal meaning of life, he understands the harmonious structure of life-meaning orientations, which significantly determines high success in various fields of activity, maximum disclosure of a person’s abilities and individuality, his emotional comfort, manifested in the experience of the fullness of life and satisfaction with it. Adequacy is one of the main characteristics of the optimal meaning of life, which includes the following evaluation criteria:
1. “Reality” of the meaning of life - compliance with the meaning of life, the existing, objective conditions necessary for its implementation and the individual capabilities of a person.
2. “Constructiveness” of the meaning of life is a characteristic that reflects the degree of its positive (or negative) influence on the process of personality formation and the success of human activity.
But besides this, no less important is the correspondence of the meaning of life to external and internal factors. Meaningful orientations in life are not exhausted, according to V.E. Chudnovsky, even with one very important idea, but represent a structural hierarchy of “big” and “small” meanings.
1) “big meanings” reflect the essence, the main thing, the main thing in a given subject or phenomenon;
2) “small meanings” - the personal significance for a person of this essence, this main, fundamental thing. The phenomenon of meaning in life includes both aspects of this concept, which create hierarchy and structure. The optimal meaning of life is determined through the adequacy and productivity of these meanings for the positive development of the individual.
In his work, D.A. Leontiev identifies a number of provisions characterizing the concept of “meaning”:
1) Meaning is generated by real relationships connecting the subject with objective reality. The uniqueness of the system of relations with reality of any individual determines the uniqueness of the system of his semantic formations.
2) The direct source of meaning formation are the needs and motives of the individual (needs and motives are the connecting link between the individual and objective reality).
3) Meaning is effective. Characterizes not only the features of understanding and awareness, but also performs the functions of regulating practical activity.
4) Semantic formations do not exist in isolation, but form a single system. Conflict relationships are possible between parts of the whole, but they all “communicate” with each other through leading semantic structures that form the core of personality.
5) Meaning is generated and changed in activity, in which the subject’s real life relationships are realized.
Meanings and semantic formations are not static, but change over time due to certain situations and circumstances. In the literature, it is customary to distinguish between “large” and “small” dynamics of semantic formations. The “great dynamics” of the development of semantic formations refers to the processes of birth and change in the semantic formations of a person in the course of a person’s life, during the change various types activities. “Small” dynamics are understood as the processes of generation and transformation of semantic formations in the course of the movement of one or another special activity.
Let us consider the mechanisms of “small” dynamics in the development of semantic formations of the individual. There are three main classes of processes: meaning formation, meaning awareness, and meaning construction.
Sense formation is the process of connecting new objects (phenomena) to an existing chain or system of semantic connections, as a result of which these objects (phenomena) acquire new meaning, and the semantic system extends to new objects (phenomena). As a result, these new objects (phenomena) are integrated into the system of life relations of the subject or into a new subsystem of them and acquire new regulatory functions. In this case, there is no meaningful transformation of meanings; the original semantic content finds new forms of transformation for itself, while obeying “formative laws”.
Meaning awareness is the process of awareness of semantic structures and semantic connections. There's talk about introspection (self-analysis), the result of which is the subject’s statement of the presence in the structure of regulation of life activity of certain semantic structures (motives, dispositions, etc.), which have a more or less impact on his life significant influence. This is a reflexive work of consciousness aimed at understanding those motives that impart meaning to certain objects, phenomena and actions. Awareness of meanings is achieved through the subject's directed reflection of his relationships with the world.
Meaning-building is a process mediated by a “special movement of consciousness”, “its special internal activity” to measure, subordinate and streamline the subject’s relationship with the world, including through the creative restructuring of previous connections. Three classes of situations can be distinguished in which this restructuring is clearly visible:
· critical restructuring is a critical situation in a subject’s life, characterized by his inability to realize the internal needs of his life (stress, frustration, conflict, crisis). Meaning-building manifests itself in a special kind of internal activity, the activity of experiencing, aimed at eliminating the semantic mismatch between consciousness and being. Restoring their correspondence ultimately ensures meaningfulness in life.
· personal contributions - a situation of contact and interaction with another semantic world - with another person. In this situation, the individual rethinks his position in the world, his life experience.
· artistic experience - the situation of the impact of art on a person. The semantic content of the work, which the author tried to reflect, correlates with personal experience recipient, they enter into a semantic connection. In this case, transformation of the latter, semantic restructuring, dialectical resolution at a new level of internal contradiction in the semantic sphere of the individual is possible.
Finding the meaning of life allows a person to perceive it not as a sum of individual episodes and events, but to imagine the “living space of the individual” as a kind of integrity that has its own characteristics: the “finitude” of the living space, the close interconnection of individual life stages, the uniqueness of each of them, etc. Namely The meaning of life allows us to develop a certain attitude towards death. The presence of death turns life into something serious, responsible, into an urgent obligation that can expire at any moment.
With the meaning of life, a person acquires a special attitude towards the time of life, understands its irreversibility, and develops a desire for its rational use. The meaning of life allows a person to perceive a given specific situation in the light of a holistic “living space” and, accordingly, outline and implement his own ideas.
Meanwhile, finding the meaning of life is a difficult task, primarily because it must be a process of independent individual search, maximum freedom from the “imposition” of certain ideas, views, and beliefs.
Within the framework of D.A. Leontiev’s concept of the meaning of life, semantic formations and the actual meaning of life are considered as factors, mechanisms for regulating human activity and behavior.
One of the essential characteristics of the semantic sphere of a person is the general level of meaningfulness of life. It is considered as an energetic characteristic of the semantic sphere, a quantitative measure of the degree and stability of the focus of the subject’s life activity on some meaning. The stability of meaning is manifested in sthenicity, energy, vitality. Meaningfulness in life is associated with transcendental values; adoption of clear goals in life, membership in groups, passion for some business.
A meaningful life is related to what has a future, is conscious and is governed primarily by the goals that we set for ourselves; it is correlated with and controlled by our capabilities. Meaning allows us to exist in a field of possibilities that we freely choose, and not in mechanical external forces acting on us.
A person aimed at finding meaning in his actions is able to build a perspective of the future, construct and compare different variants behavior, set and achieve goals, seek and find the meaning of your actions and your life. He is focused on the future and is able to make his own choices. Thus, a meaningless life (conformist path of development) is a life closed in on itself, not connected with the lives of other people, with social groups, with humanity; it lacks a perspective beyond the actual “here and now”, there is no awareness; it is determined by reasons, alienated (not perceived as “my own”) and motivated by need, necessity.
Meaningfulness of life is the subjective significance of objects and phenomena of reality, manifested in two forms:
1) in the emotional coloring of the images of perception and ideas of these objects and phenomena;
2) in the subject’s understanding (interpretation) of their role and place in their life - in satisfying certain needs, in realizing certain motives.
The formation of meaningfulness in life is primarily influenced by the individual’s ability to analyze and generalize current meanings (i.e., the meanings of the past and present) and form life goals (i.e., design the future).
According to D.A. Leontiev, “meaningfulness of life” can be empirically characterized by a total indicator of the severity of the so-called life-meaning orientations, three of which are associated with the temporal localization of semantic guidelines (in the present, past and future), and two describe the prevailing locus of control (external, internal). Meaningfulness of life is an indicator of the favorable development and functioning of the individual. An indicator of its autonomy and independence. The meaning of life, the semantic sphere of the individual and the general level of meaningfulness of life are integrating characteristics of the individual that determine the attitude to reality, to current events and on the basis of which human behavior is built.