Theoretical studies

The article discusses the problem of understanding the construct of “employee engagement in the organization” in scientific and practical literature. It is shown that the concept of “organizational commitment”, “organizational citizenship behavior”, “organizational identification” and “work engagement” are often seen as overlapping with the construct of “employee engagement in the organization”. There is also a variety of concepts describing the relationship of the employee with the organization, which creates terminological confusion and difficulties for their practical use. It is proposed to merge the concept of “identification”, “commitment to organization” and “work engagement” in a more general notion of “involvement of employees in the organization”. Briefly describe the results of two empirical studies that partly confirm the heuristic character of this approach.

The purpose of the cycle of works — analysis of the syndromes of occupational stress, developing in the context of the implementation of the various modern types of labor, and individually-personal characteristics of the working of the human factors that determine resistance to stressful conditions of activity on the part of ensuring the success of the work safety of mental health and personal well-being. Describes two developed in the framework of structural-integrative approach to the stress analysis of a comprehensive technology for stress management: “Integrated assessment and correction of stress” and “Individual assessment of stress resistance”. Characterized by their application to solve practical problems in the prevention and correction of stress conditions of different types of labor.

The article presents the results of a study of the relationship of parent-child relationships teenagers and young men with the status of identity in professional identity. Revealed that the predominant identity statuses in the professional sphere in youth are achieved identity, moratorium and predestination; in adolescence — a moratorium, predestination and diffuse identity. Significant differences in the nature of the parent-child relationship in groups with statuses predestination, achieved identity, moratorium and diffused identity. For teenagers and young men with low status (diffuse identity, predestination) is characterized by the experience of the integrity of the relationship with the family in direct command of a parent and low autonomy of children. Adolescents with the status of the moratorium relationships with parents are characterized by a high level of autonomy and differentiation from the parental home often combined with high conflict and confrontation. Integration with family at a sufficiently high autonomy, respect the opinions of parents of typical teenagers and young men with the status of achieved identity. The gender specificity, reflecting the different roles of the mother and father in the formation of identity among girls and boys is revealed. The results show the decisive role of the father in the formation of identity statuses for both gender groups.

This study focuses on the perception of own career on the stage of its completion. Respondents: 30 women and men at the age from 52 to 67 years, professionals in different fields of professional activities. Research methods: interviewing, questionnaires, more options for methods of “Ranking of life values” and “Incomplete sentences”. The resulting materials were subjected to qualitative thematic analysis. The main priorities of respondents in this age group, the strategy and motivation of their professional conduct, resources for employment, and requests for psychological assistance are identified. External and internal factors influencing the formation of strategy of behavior in retirement are established. The material characterizing the image of career in the final stage can be used in psychological consulting practice.

The phenomenon of presence is the subjective sense of realistic interaction with the virtual environment. Presence is an important factor in the effectiveness of the use of virtual reality systems. On the occurrence and severity of presence phenomenon influenced by both technological and psychological factors, including cognitive control. Special influence on the emergence of the phenomenon of presence can have a system of monitoring and correction of errors associated with detection and neutralization of differences between expected and actual results of the cognitive activities. It examined the extent to which the effectiveness of monitoring and error correction (estimated through the effects of slowing down after an error and adapt to the conflict) is related to the aspects of the presence phenomenon. For high-immersive (CAVE) and lowimmersive (standard display) environments, it was shown that (1) efficient error correction prevents the negative physical effects associated with the working in a virtual environment, and (2) effective detection of cognitive conflicts prevent the emergence of the phenomenon of presence through detecting unnatural virtual scenario. In low-immersive environment conflict detection also prevented the formation of emotional involvement in a virtual scenario.

The article discusses the main ideas and provisions of the phenomenological-hermeneutic approach to professional development as opposed objectivism psycho-diagnostic methods (tests) and formative approaches. The principle of subjectivity/authorship and moral relationship to ongoing activities are introduces. Available psycho-technics guides and supports the efforts of the “adept” (people who chose the field of their future professional activity) on personal relation to the objectives and the course of his professional development.

The article presents the results of a study of ideas about life success of teenagers. The sample of our study consisted of 500 students of 10-11 classes of the Moscow schools and gymnasiums. The greatest attention is paid to the analysis of success in the profession on the implementation of subjects of projective techniques. The analysis of examples of successful people has allowed highlighting the most significant areas of professional activity, as well as basic assessment criteria of success. So, the most popular examples of successful people for teenagers are the businessmen who have earned the status with the development of computer technologies, representatives of show-business and politics. Analysis of representations of teenagers about their future in 15 years allowed identifying criteria that are most important for the adolescents in the assessment of the future success of their professional activities. Gender differences in perceptions of professional and life success are analyzed.

The article discusses the possibility of using the subjective semantics as a basis for the proposed E.A. Klimov classification of occupations based on the differentiation of working relations of man to the objects of the world. In the scientific school of E.Yu. Artemieva this classification is understood as a typology of a replacement reality, which is revealed through the ways of free descriptions of objects and metaphorical interpretation of semantic differential scales. Correlation of semantics with a professional affiliation will allow us to predict the degree of conformity of man to the world of professions.

The step-by-step concretization of a basic abstract system S–O has been done in the article. The main phenomena of team labor were identified through this process and basic forms of team work integration such as organization culture, exchange relationships, procedural and distributive justices as well as integration by labor objects were disclosed. The full range of ergatic systems’ forms was exposed as result of concept modeling. The ergatic system model has shown sufficient logical base for integration of subjects of ergonomics and organizational psychology. It also demonstrates the full opportunities of activity approach as general theory for wide scope of humanitarian sciences.

Limited applicability of stochastics and comparing it with the new methods of multidimensional phase space were showed. Quantitative measures of the parameters are quasi-attractors for evaluation of chaotic dynamics on the example of the little finger abductor muscle. Method of multidimensional phase space carried out the study and modeling of complex biological objects (complexity). The state of the neuromuscular system is studied in two modes: a weak muscle tension and strong, almost the maximum force. Used quasi-attractors volumes of multidimensional phase spaces, which provide the identification of real changes in the parameters of the functional state with weak muscles (F1=5 daN) and strong (F2=10 daN) static stress. Analysis of the timebase signal x1(t) obtained with myograph, and autocorrelation functions A(t) signal showed their unrepeatability. Comparative analysis of the biomechanical system is made on the basis of registration of quasi-attractor’s volume, as well as on the basis of analysis of the Shannon’s entropy E. Volume of quasi-attractor’s movements x1(t) и x2(t)=dx1/dt at low load is slightly less than similar amounts of displacement of vector (х1, х2)Т  under a heavy load of musculus abductor digiti mini. The values ??of the Shannon entropy under a heavy load are statistically unchanged. Values of the Shannon entropy under heavy load, not statistically vary on the advisability of entropy approach in the assessment of muscular efforts and the impossibility of application of the theorem of Glansdorff—Prigogine (thermodynamics of nonequilibrium systems) in psychophysiological research. Overall, restricting the use of methods of stochastics and the possibility of using the method of multidimensional phase spaces, have been demonstrated in the Eskov—Zinchenko effect.

The paper analyzes the emergence of the concept of motive in Alexey N. Leontiev’s early writings and its correspondence to Kurt Lewin’s ideas and to the distinction of intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation and the concept of the continuum of regulation in the present day self-determination theory of E. Deci and R. Ryan. The distinctions of extrinsic motivation based on reward and punishment versus “natural teleology” in K. Lewin’s works and of (extrinsic) motive versus interest in early A. N. Leontiev’s texts are explicated. The relationships between motive, goal, and personal meaning in the structure of activity regulation are analyzed. The author introduces the concept of quality of motivation referring to the degree of correspondence between motivation and one’s needs and authentic Self at large; the complementarity of activity theory approach and self-determination theory as regards the quality of motivation issue is highlighted.

The article discusses the possibilities of use of the most important categories and principles of the cultural activity approach in the field of health psychology. Biological and psychological understanding of health is compared in it. Besides, modern scientific definition of human health is given. Main methodological approaches to the study of person’s health are considered too. On the bases of Vygotsky’s ideas the view of health as a higher mental function (HMF) is proposed and substantiated. The contents of the concept of HMF, its connection with traditional system and level approaches are revealed. Understanding of health as HMF is compared with existing directions based on Vygotsky’s and cultural historical ideas in the field of health psychology and in clinical psychology of physicality in particular. The final part of the article is devoted to issues of occupational health. The connection of the structure, development and individual style of activity and occupational health, issues of improvement health motivation are investigated with view of activity approach. The methodological potential of the concept of health as HMF and activity approach ideas to health psychology and psychological science in general is emphasized.

Process of generation of activity with allocation of problems which it is possible to correlate with concepts need, motive, motivation, prompting to activity is analyzed. Affirms, that generation of activity assumes presence at the subject of the behavioral problem arising at actualization of needs, at acceptance by the person of requirements of a society or under the decision of the person. The motivation is understood as mental maintenance for the process of activity generation.

Th is article discusses the fundamental principles of qualitative research: contextual sensitivity, understanding, interpretative reconstruction and refl exivity. Th e principle of contextual sensitivity focuses on qualitative research study of the phenomenon in its socio-cultural and dialogical setting, and the principle of understanding — the study of subjective values and meaning in the positions of the various groups. Th e principles of interpretation of refl exivity give an answer to the question about the methodological tool for qualitative research — how to connect data and formulated analytical synthesis, validity assessment which involves tracking and monitoring impact of refl exive attitudes of the researcher. Th ese principles are formulated on the basis of theoretical analysis and practical experience with qualitative methods and prove the relevancy of combining them into a single methodological approach that is implemented in various directions and strategies of qualitative data analysis. Th e authors emphasize conceptual unity of qualitative research and the underlying common methodology.

This article is the study of manual motor activity (his spatial and dynamic organization, interhemispheric transfer and coordination). The study of 58 children (healthy and with the Down syndrome), demonstrate the genesis of cerebral asymmetry and interhemispheric coordination, and the grave disturbances of these functions in dysontogenesis.

Background. With the current course for development on a national scale, the demand for an active, self-determining personality is growing. In this regard, the issue of self-determination becomes not only a theoretical construct of interdisciplinary discourse, but also represents a very clear practical interest from the standpoint of devising educational practices that ensure the development of subjectivity.

Objective. This work aims at carrying out the primary empirical analysis of the psychosemantic space of self-determination. The main objective of the study is to identify and describe the factor structure of the psychosemantic space of perception of self-determination situations.

Study Participants. At the stage of testing the semantic differential, 300 students in humanities and science of Tyumen universities participated, including 230 women (76.6%) and 70 men (23.4%). The average age is 24.8 years.

Methods. A special version of the semantic differential with 25 unipolar evaluation features was used to assess self-determination situations.

Results. Four factors were identified. The first factor includes a set of variables that allow us to characterize the perception of self-determination positively and experience positive emotions and feelings. The second factor includes variables that characterize self-determination situations from the standpoint of situational analysis and rationality. The third factor as a set of variables indicates management of activity content within a given framework. The fourth factor is bipolar, including two variables: indifference and activity.

Conclusions. The identified factors can be interpreted within the context of V.A. Ganzen's system description principles. Moreover, the factor structure is comparable with the model of Ch. Osgood. Correlation with these models allows us to characterize the structural and functional aspects of self-determination.

Background. The formal, shallow assimilation of school knowledge is studied in psychological and pedagogical science under different terms, each of which has a separate research area. Naive concepts, a “superficial” learning approach, functional illiteracy, the gap between knowledge and application — within the framework of this far from complete list, the same phenomenon of formalism is studied. In fact, overcoming the formalism is one of the key tasks of modern school education.

Objective. This paper compares different approaches to the analysis of the functional meaning of formalism mistakes, highlights the specifics of the activity approach to student mistakes, and describes the prospects for this approach.

Methods. In order to study the formalism of knowledge within the approaches, outlined above, functional analysis was applied as “the analysis of a mental phenomenon in relation to the performed socially-determined function”.

Results. The analysis shows that the errors of the formalism of school knowledge in most approaches are viewed negatively as something that must be avoided. However, from the point of view of the activity-based approach, the formalism mistakes are a necessary type of feedback for teachers and programme developers, pointing to specific areas of modification of the learning process, thus acting as one of the most important means of identifying key psychological and pedagogical conditions for the effective assimilation of new concepts.

Conclusions. Based on the work carried out, the need for further research of formalism within the framework of the activity approach is substantiated — an analysis of existing curricula from the perspective of which specific conditions for effective assimilation and development are supported in them and which are not. The theoretical significance of the proposed approach to the study of the formalism of knowledge is to highlight the prospects for the development of modern psychology of teaching.