Vakarina, E.A.

Background. The artists' profession presupposes the ability to adapt rapidly and efficiently to the changing conditions. The study of artists' well-being and their being in demand in the professional sphere is of particular relevance, as they devote a significant part of their time to creative work and professional activities. Artists find it difficult to evaluate themselves as professionals, their own creativity as well as to regulate their own state, which becomes a consequence of a low level of psychological well-being, dissatisfaction with professional realization and demand along with emotional instability. Artists with different levels of psychological well-being tend to choose different behaviour strategies in the implementation of creative activity depending on the dominant parameters of professional demand.

Objective. The aim of the study was to identify statistically significant differences in measures of professional demand between artists with different levels of psychological well-being.

Study Participants. The study involved 120 artists aged 18 to 70. The criterion for participant selecting was the education obtained in a specialized secondary or higher education institution.

Methods. "The scales of psychological well-being" by C.D. Riff in modification of D.G. Orlova and "Professional Demand for Person" (PVL) by E.V. Kharitonova and B.A. Yasko were used. Data processing included Pearson correlation coefficient, one-factor analysis of variance (ANOVA), Scheffe's method.

Results. Artists with a high level of psychological well-being in contrast to artists with medium and low levels expressed the following parameters of being in professional demand: satisfaction with the realization of professional potential, belonging to a professional community, experience of professional demand, professional competence, professional credibility, evaluation of the results of professional activity, attitude of others and self-attitude, and the general level of professional demand.

Conclusions. Statistically significant differences in the indicators of professional demand were revealed among artists with different levels of psychological well-being. They differ in their attitudes towards themselves, creative activity, realization as well as to the degree of satisfaction with demand in the professional sphere.

Background. Psychological well-being ensures the positive functioning of theartist’s personality, which includes internal (subjective) and external (objective) factors. The dynamism of the art market, instability of demand and orders, displacement of individuality by mass art lead to emotional tension, increased anxiety and, as a consequence, to a decrease in the level of well-being and to the growth of psychological insecurity of artists. Psychosemantic space reflects social representations that reveal the most significant and prioritised sources of maintaining an optimal level of psychological well-being for artists.

Objectives. The aim of the study was to identify and describe meaning groups of sources of psychological well-being of artists.

Study Participants. The research participants were 57 people aged 19 to 60. Data processing was carried out by content analysis. The criterion for selecting the sample was the profile education obtained in a specialized secondary or higher education institution.

Methods. A survey with an open type of questions about well-being among artists was conducted. Data processing was carried out by content analysis and by the method of condensation of meaning.

Results. The most frequently occurring semantic groups of factors of psychological well-being are identified. External factors of psychological well-being of artists include environment, relationships, quality of life and educational environment. The internal factors of artists’ psychological well-being include: health and self-perception.

Conclusions. The selected semantic groups are reflections of emotional, communicative and behavioral components of external and internal sources of psychological well-being of artist. They determine the psychosemantic space of the studied phenomenon.

Practical application of the results. The findings give rise to the study of social representations of artists’ psychological well-being. These results can be used by artists to optimize their current state; by psychologists and teachers to develop psycho-corrective and psycho-prophylactic programmes aimed to increase the level of well-being through the actualization of artists’ personal resources.