Psychology to practice

Background. Currently, the number of entrepreneurs who want to run a traditional business or a startup is growing rapidly. In scientific circles, there is also increasing interest in the phenomenon of entrepreneurship and, in particular, in the personality of the entrepreneur. The question arises as to which areas of research in the social psychology of entrepreneurship are relevant at the moment.

Objective. The study is aimed at creating a map of scientific landscape in the field of entrepreneurship, as well as at highlighting relevant areas of entrepreneurship research in social psychology.

Methods. Scientific mapping was carried out using the VOSviewer programme version 1.6.15. A scientometric analysis of keywords from 3,235 scientific articles published in the field of social psychology over the past 5 years was carried out (according to The Lens platform). The interpretation of the map in order to highlight the current directions was made using the metaphor of the city.

Results. Current research topics include personal and environmental aspects. Among the relevant areas of entrepreneur’s research are socio-psychological personality traits (optimism, enthusiasm, perseverance, traits of the dark triad, etc.), entrepreneurial intentions, motivation. When studying entrepreneurship, the question of the choice to become an entrepreneur as well as the process of entrepreneurial self-determination are important. At the same time, at this stage of research, the thematic bundle “identity-self-determination-intentions” is of interest only from the point of view of intentions.

Conclusions. Entrepreneurship as a phenomenon in modern social psychology is of scientific interest in terms of point constructs: entrepreneurial intentions, socio-psychological personality traits, values. It is the study of entrepreneurial identity that seems promising, since it will allow to predict the professional path of young people and their predisposition to entrepreneurship.

Background. Remote work has been gaining popularity for a long time. With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, remote work has become a necessity for many people. However, the personality traits of people for whom remote work is suitable are poorly understood.

Objectives. The study focuses on the personality traits of successful freelancers working remotely.

Study Participants. 184 Freelancers (115 females, 69 males, aged from 14 to 60) were recruited from Advego.com. Freelancers were divided into two groups of beginners and experts, based on the number of tasks completed. Groups were compared with each other. The group of experts was also compared with a group of 98 females (aged from 16 to 72) who were not freelancers.

Methods. An empirical study was carried out using a five-factor personality questionnaire by H. Tsuji in the version of A.B. Khromov.

Results. Significant differences were found between expert freelancers and women of different professions for the following personality traits: extraversion (p = 0.0001), agreeableness (p = 0.0001), openness to experience (p = 0.0001). The hypothesis that freelancers have a higher level of conscientiousness than non-freelance women was not confirmed.

Conclusions. The personality traits of freelancers who are successfully adapted to remote work are revealed including lower levels of extraversion, agreeableness, and openness to experience. The results obtained can be used to select staff for remote work.

Background. Problems of finding meaning of what is being read can accompany students’ already formed skills of fluent reading, reducing their academic success. The issues of reader’s literacy are in the focus of modern psychological and pedagogical research, and the consideration of the mechanisms of its formation at the initial stages of learning to read is therefore relevant.

Objectives. The study performs the analysis of the quality of children’s orientation in the initial period of learning to read and of the conditions for its actualization.

Study Participants. 26 subjects (6–7 years old) took part in the diagnostic examination, including 10 first-graders and 16 senior preschoolers who studied reading in the kindergarten preparatory group or as a part of preschool training. Experimental teaching for children aged 6–7 years was conducted in two preschool groups of 4 people and in one group of 6 first-graders.

Methods. The assessment of children’s capability to read meaningfully (the first part of the study) was carried out individually according to the modified technique of D.B. Elkonin “fusion of words” (Elkonin, 1998). To test and refine the designed training materials (the second part of the study), 30 half-hour classes were conducted within experimental teaching in each group.

Results. A qualitative analysis of the filled in diagnostic forms and videotaped children’s actions and reasoning allowed us to identify and describe reading strategies demonstrated by children, which we defined as formal (found in 73% of the subjects) and meaningful (27%) — in accordance with the nature of attempts to comprehend what they read, which participants resorted to in the process of deciphering the “fusion of words”. The results of our experimental teaching showed the effectiveness of the approach we developed to create some conditions for meaningful mediation of initial reading.

Conclusions. One of the important conditions for the formation of the meaningfulness in reading during the transition “from letters to words” is to provide the orientative function of referring to reality, standing both for the word itself and for the sentence in which it should be read correctly. The method of “end-forward” reading of deformed words and simplest texts, which we developed, can be considered as a resource for improving the literacy in initial reading.

Background. Volunteering is an activity in which people are involved initiatively and voluntarily, in order to improve the living conditions of the community. Research shows the ever-increasing role of volunteers in solving social problems. However, the organizers of volunteer activity face with the problem of the insufficient level of sustainable involvement of people in volunteering. Student life is a period of active socialization when the volunteer activities of students allow them to acquire important qualities necessary for successful socialization. Emotions are the evidence of involvement ensuring the sustainability of motivation. Therefore, it is important to understand how students reflect volunteerism in their ideas which will allow the organizer of volunteer activities to form a sustainable motivation for participants.

Sample. The study involved 173 university students.

Objective. The goal is to identify the features of the emotional component of the image of volunteering in the perceptions of university students in psychological and educational areas.

Methods. The thesaurus of emotive vocabulary by L.G. Babenko was used to compile the profile. Data collection was carried out by the method of limited associations. The task of the respondents was to give nine associations to the word “volunteer” in the form of the principle parts of speech (three verbs, three nouns, three adjectives). As a result, the frequency of these associations by categories of emotive vocabulary was revealed and a rating of these categories was formed.

Results. The most frequent in terms of the number of associations used are the categories of emotive vocabulary: kindness, pity, sincerity, and joy. These emotive categories characterize the emotional component of the image of volunteering in the thesaurus of students. An analysis of denotative-ideographic groups, taking into account functional-semantic categories, shows that these categories are represented unevenly in students’ associations. The category of emotional attitude is the most pronounced while the categories of emotional impact and the emotional attitude are not represented at all. A rating of denotative-ideographic groups was built according to the frequency of associations about volunteering used by the respondents.

Conclusion. The categories of emotive vocabulary are complementary to the content of volunteer activities. The emotional component of the image, identified with the help of denotative-ideographic groups and functional-semantic categories, reflects both the characteristics of the emotional regulation of volunteer activity and the personal constructs of students.

Background. Stereotyping is an important part of social cognition. Therefore, it attracts a lot of attention from psychologists and sociologists. Ethnic stereotypes are not only a reflection of established prejudices and false ideas, but also a kind of social “barometer” indicating possible social problems. Modern studies have revealed the relationship between stereotypes and real ethnic diversity, and also indicate that the subjective feeling of disadvantage is a breeding ground for the emergence and existence of ethnic stereotypes.

Sample. The study involved 88 people, representatives of 4 countries.

Objective. The article aims to substantiate theoretically, to identify empirically, as well as to classify ethnic stereotypes in the perception of advertising by young people, representatives of four ethnic groups.

Methods. The study simulated a situation of interethnic interaction, in which the participants acted as the “authors” of 6 advertising messages and 3 commercials. They had to write stories selecting the “main characters”, whose participation would illustrate the attractiveness of the advertised product or service. A set of typical images of representatives of different ethnic groups was proposed. Psychological diagnostics was aimed at establishing differences between groups. were An express questionnaire “Tolerance Index” (G.U. Soldatova, O.A. Kravtsova, O.E. Khukhlaev, L.A. Shaigerova) and emotional empathy questionnaire (Emotional Empathic Tendency Scale, EETS) designed to determine the level of empathic tendencies, the ability to empathize as a personal trait by A. Mehrabian and N. Epstein were used.

Results. Areas of social practices where autostereotypes and heterostereotypes appear were identified. Themes where new stereotypes appear were identified. The diagnostics showed that there is no statistically significant difference in the indicators of tolerance and empathy between representatives of the 4 groups.

Conclusions. The results of the study can be explained by the fact that participants demonstrated the unity of social group, the youth. The results obtained can be interpreted as evidence that for modern young people, the decisive factor in the formation of stereotypes is information transmitted through various means, which clearly acquires a transnational character.

Background. In Moscow schools there is a programme for vocational guidance for schoolchildren. One of these projects includes specialized classes in the project “Mathematical Vertical” for schoolchildren of grades 7-9. However, at present, studies of various psychological aspects of the influence of education on the personal characteristics of adolescents in special classes providing professional orientation for schoolchildren are not enough.

Objective of the study was to assess school motivation, meaningfulness of life, assertiveness, as well ae to identify differences in these indicators between students in the 7th grade of the “Mathematical Vertical” project and their peers in the regular class, as well as to determine the correlations between the indicators under consideration.

Methods. The questionnaire “Assessment of the level of school motivation” by N.G. Luskanova; the test by D.A. Leontiev to assess the level of meaningful life orientations; the assertiveness test by V. Capponi and T. Novak were used.

Sample. The material was obtained for 50 students of the 7th grade. 28 adolescents (of which 50 % were boys) were students in a “regular” class, 22 subjects were students in a mathematical class (73 % were boys). The average age of adolescents was 13 years.

Results. A low level of educational motivation was revealed among students in both classes. Male teenagers from the advanced mathematics class had a higher level of meaningfulness in life than their peers from the regular class. There were no gender differences in assertiveness test scores, while the number of assertive students was higher in the regular class compared to the maths class. The work also showed direct correlations between the levels of school motivation and meaningfulness of life, between assertiveness and meaningfulness of life.

Conclusion. It seems appropriate to introduce a number of measures in various classes of the school with the purpose of the development of assertiveness, awareness and formation of life meanings and orientations, an active position in relation to one’s own life, which can positively affect the level of school motivation.

Background. The modern labor market is characterized by constant, not always predictable changes, which directly affect labor resources. In this regard, one of the priority tasks of career consultants is to constantly monitor these trends in order to timely adjust their work to them.

Objective. The article aims to analyse the tasks and challenges that career consultants face in their work in the conditions of dynamically changing labor market.

Methods. The research used the analysis of literature supplemented by the respondents’ qualitative answers. They were asked to express the opinion about requests, tasks and difficulties they had in their work in 2022.

Sample. The data was obtained through an online survey of career consultants (24 participants).

Results. The main characteristics of the BANI-world model and their reflection in the modern local labor market are considered. The main requests and tasks that career consultants are working with in the current conditions are identified. Career consultants’ work challenges, limitations, and possible ways to overcome them are formulated.

Conclusion. The research materials indicate increased requirements for professional consultants. They are to be ready to work with a wide range of career guidance issues, to provide deep and long-term psychological support for clients in the current socio-economic conditions. The results obtained could be used as the basis for further clarification of the local trends in the study of activity characteristics in modern career consultants, difficulties in their work, as well as assistance in resolving them.

Background. Currently, the number of entrepreneurs who run traditional business or create a startup is growing. A startup is a special type of entrepreneurial activity that increases the risks of doing business. In this regard, the question of the personality traits of the entrepreneur who has a traditional business and the founder of the startup arises.

Objective. The aim is to identify distinctive professional values of entrepreneurs who prefer traditional business (hereinafter referred to as TB entrepreneurs) and startup entrepreneurs.

Methods. The hypotheses were tested by a survey including two test methods: the Rokich values method, a modified method from the Bushkova-Shiklina study. The paper compared the set of professional values of traditional business entrepreneurs (TB) and startup founders. Differences in values were checked through Pearson’s chi-square calculation (χ2 — Pearson consent criterion).

Sample. The sample consisted of 90 people. Of these, 46 participants (25 men and 21 women) are entrepreneurs, and 44 (27 men and 17 women) participants are startup founders living in Moscow and St. Petersburg. The age of respondents is from 20 to 40 years.

Results. Statistically significant differences in the values of TB entrepreneurs and startup founders could not be found. The set of common values of TB entrepreneurs and startup founders is the same: interest in work, financially secure life, development. However, each group of entrepreneurs has its own specific values. TB entrepreneurs emphasise professionalism while startup founders emphasise success.

Conclusions. TB entrepreneurs and startup founders have similar values. The personalities of TB entrepreneurs and startup founders have many similarities, similar values and directions in life, despite the fact that the activities of these two groups are not identical and have their own characteristics. A startup should be considered as a subtype of entrepreneurship. TB entrepreneurs demonstrate professionalism as a specific professional value. Startup founders have another specific professional value which is freedom.

Practical application of the results. The results of the study are useful for group and individual work with entrepreneurs, and also serve as a starting point for a more detailed study of the socio-psychological aspects of entrepreneur’s personality.

Relevance of the work is determined by the need to study the personality and psychological characteristics of students choosing full-time and distance learning to understand the general laws of the formation of the psychological culture of a graduate in the context of the active development of electronic educational space. 

The purpose of the study is to compare the individual characterological elements of the psychological culture of students choosing full-time and distance learning in the development of engineering specialties. 

Methods and sampling. The sample consisted of 84 respondents aged 18 to 22 years studying in the field of information technology. They were divided into two groups depending on the preferred form of education: distance learning (40 students) and full-time (44 students). The following tools were used: five-factor personality questionnaire by H. Tsuyi in the adaptation of A.B. Khromov; B. Bass technique for diagnosing the personality orientation, Yu.M. Orlov technique for identifying communication needs; viability test by S. Muddy; self-attitude test questionnaire (CCA) by V.V. Stolin and S.R. Pantileeva. 

Results. Distinctions in the reflexive-evaluative component, communicative features are highlighted. Students of distance learning have a lower level of the need for communication, lower levels of self-regulation and a more pronounced psychological distance in communication, associated with lower rates of self-acceptance, compared with full-time students. The choice of the method of organizing interpersonal interaction in the educational situation is affected by the psychological distance of the person in communication. In case of distance-learning students, the factor of “attachment-remoteness” appeared to be more significant compared to full-time students, who were characterized by a higher indicator of the need for other people to evaluate them. 

Conclusions. The active development of e-education requires to take into account the specifics of the personal characteristics of students and should not be limited only to the expansion of user competencies. This is determined by the distinguished differences in the characteristics of self-acceptance, the severity of the need for communication, as well as the psychological distance of the person in communication between students who prefer distance or full-time educational formats. 

The purpose(objective) of the empirical study is the measurement of the accuracy of expert-proctors in detecting cheating in online testing. 

Sample of the study. 35 test takers passed an online test of general knowledge on the basis of 30 multiple choice questions. Half of the subjects (18 persons) were “artificial cheaters” – they used cheat sheets with correct answers. 

Methods. The video recording of the testing process included a “screen capture” so that expert-proctors could observe all cursor movements, see a recording of the subject's facial expressions and a visual focus of attention in a separate window (recording from the front camera), and could listen to the subject pronouncing the task conditions and answers (“oral decision”). 14 experts took part in rating of video recordings, of which 8 experts showed satisfactory results in terms of the level of accuracy in detecting cheating (their accuracy that was measured using the Kappa coefficient was higher than 0.5). 

Conclusions. A high asymmetric validity of expert assessments is revealed. More accurate experts allowed a negligible (about 5 percent) number of errors of the “false alarm” type, but a relatively large number of errors of the “skip” type. Recommendations are made for the practical use of the expert assessment method in combination with automatic chronometric analysis of the degree of atypical protocols and subsequent control of face-to-face offline testing of all suspected subjects (examinees). 

Relevance. The COVID-19 pandemic reveals the problem of moral choices for a large number of people: who should be treated first; who can be considered as a subject for urgent vaccines and drugs testing; choice between personal convenience and observation of restrictions for the sake of the “common good.” 

The objective of the study was to evaluate whether the stress experienced by people during the COVID-19 pandemic can change moral decision making. 

Materials and methods. The data of an online survey conducted from March 30 to May 31 (311 people) were analyzed. The survey included sociodemographic questions, questions about assessing one’s current condition, the Simptom Check List-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), and the Moral Dilemmas Test, consisting of 30 dilemmas. 

The relationship of a number of utilitarian choices in personal moral dilemmas with sociodemographic characteristics, respondents' assessments of their state and psychopathological characteristics was analyzed. Solving personal moral dilemmas was considered within subgroups of respondents with a high level of somatization and a high level of psychopathological symptoms and it was reviewed separately. 

Results. The results showed a high level of distress throughout the survey and an increase of utilitarian choices in personal moral dilemmas by the end of the survey. The number of choices in personal dilemmas was lower among older respondents, higher among men, and positively correlated with psychopathological symptoms. In the subgroup with a high level of somatization, personal choices slightly decreased by the end of the survey. On the contrary, in the subgroup with high levels of psychopathological symptoms, the number of personal choices significantly increased. 

Conclusions. Against the background of quarantine, assessments of moral standards change. The level of stress ambiguously affects moral decisions. A high level of somatization leads to a decrease in utilitarian personal choices, and a higher level of psychopathological symptoms leads to an increase in utilitarianшchoices. Utilitarian personal choices are more often made by men and younger people. 

Relevance. The article defines the first-ever directions of psychological aid for children infected with COVID-19 in “red zone” in the context of illness of close adult people. 

The goal of the research is psychological state of children infected with COVID-19 in “red zone” in the context of illness of close adults and determination of the required psychological aid. 

Methods and sample. Analysis of 36 clinical cases of 7–17 years old children in the context of illness of close adults, who were in critical condition in intensive care department (first group – 28 children) or in satisfactory condition being treated at home (second group – 8 children). The research included the following: observation of medical records; screening diagnostics, which included the ‘Three Wishes” technique, an adapted method of “Unfinished sentences” (for adolescents), a drawing (any topic); 10-questions questionnaire focused on child's physical well-being, its wishes for organization of everyday life and leisure activities in hospital ward, etc. 

Results.The majority of patients appeared to be in unfavorable psychological state (close to acute stress or unstable state), which manifested itself in three different ways: severe anxiety; over-excitement, impaired mood. These symptoms were constant and illustrative for children whose relatives were in critical condition in the intensive care department. Children, whose relatives were in satisfactory condition and were treated at home were observed during periods when they were influenced by additional stressors. 

Conclusions. Taking into account psychological differences and other factors (such as age, level of psychological maturity, severity of physical condition) provides an opportunity to give children and adolescents in “red zone” differentiated psychological aid. 

Acknowledgments. This research was carried out with the aid of officers of FSAI “NMRC of Children’s Health” of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation and medical psychologists M.S. Afonina, M.B. Rabinovich, V.M. Sklyadneva, M.S. Erotievich, and N.N. Pavlova.

Relevance. Over the past few years, table tennis has undergone significant changes related both to the natural process of its development and to significant changes in the rules of the competition. All this led to the need to make adjustments to the content of competitive and training activities.

The aim of our study is to study the individual psychological characteristics of tennis players that affect their choice of an individual style of activity during the game. To achieve this goal, the following methods were selected.

Methods. Analysis and synthesis of scientific and methodological literature; psychological research methods: “Tapping test” by E. P. Ilyin and proof-reading - Landolt rings; “CRIS” program by V. Sivitsky, E. Zaguzov (for a comprehensive assessment of the athlete’s psychological preparedness); multivariate questionnaire RB Kettella (adolescent-14-factor model); Spearman statistical analysis and graphic representation.

Sample. The study was conducted on a contingent of young table tennis players of both sexes aged 10-16 years of different levels of training (length of service varies from 3 to 7 years) in the amount of 61 people. The subject of the study was the individual psychological characteristics of tennis players (length of service, gender, mental performance), and significant factors affecting success in competitions were identified: leadership, emotional stability, extraversion. The obtained results of the study revealed the following correlations: between psychomotor indicators and mental performance in boys (p <0.05); the relationship between the reaction time to a moving object (RDO) and the coefficient of functional asymmetry of the left and right hands in tennis players of both sexes is functional (p <0.05). As statistically significant factors: for boys - this is group cohesion, for girls - “extraversion” (need for communication).

Results. In tennis boys, length of service is correlated with leadership and emotional stability (p <0.05). Thus, age, length of service and gender can contribute to successful performance in competitions, however, it should be borne in mind that effective athletes are characterized by realism, adequate goal setting, and maintaining a stable self-esteem for the failure factor (O.V. Matytsin, 1990).

Relevance.Professional sport has become more complex and risky activity in the last decades. Consequently, scientific and applied multi-disciplinary field of sport trauma attract more and more attention. Together with swift development of sport medicine and rehabilitation theoreticians and practitioners pay attention to the differences of physical and psychological readiness to resuming of sport training and competing activities. 

Objective.The article deals with the problem of psychological rehabilitation after sport trauma. Major types of interventions are discussed. Fear of re-injury is considered to be one of the key difficulties after sport trauma. 

Methods.The article presents the case of a gymnast with a strong fear of re-injury. Characteristics of psychological traumatization are depicted. Consulting scheme is based on the theory and practice of trauma in the works of Pierre Janet. 

Results.Three stages of counseling included 1) stabilization of personality and mitigation of acute psychophysiological stress symptoms; creation of a narration about trauma; 2) re-processing of traumatic memories and desensibilization; 3) reintegration and return to sport and competing activity. A number of methods were used to achieve the goal of each stage: cognitive-behavioral interventions, analytic interventions, art techniques, biological feedback, self-determination interventions. The dynamic of 10 sessions is analyzed. 

Conclusions were made on the necessity of psychological guidance, which should start shortly after trauma and be provided during the whole rehabilitation period in a systematic approach, including a sportsman, a coach and parents.

Relevance. The individualization of education, the rapid expansion of the sphere of digital knowledge and the risks associated with cyber-socialization put the problem of a professional psychological organization and pedagogical “accompaniment” of individual trajectories of education for children and adolescents.

Objective. Identification the invariable elements of activity to support individual learning trajectories.

Methods. Analysis of literature; synthesis of theoretical and empirical (case study) methods.

Results. According to the comparative analysis of the approaches to the mentoring organization, the structures of the activities of the tutor, the curator (facilitator), the coach, as well as the essential and formal limitations of the various approaches in solving the problems of accompanying individual learning paths identified and described. It was founds that the compared approaches have fundamentally different attitudes towards the subject of activity. Academic tutoring is more effective in modern educational environments in comparison with curatorship and coaching. The stages of accompanying the individual trajectory of learning, carried out within the framework of psychological counseling for adults, were determined empirically.

Conclusions. The acts of transformations in the structure of the activity of an academic tutor fully correlate with the stages of tutoring humanistic counseling, and can be transfer to work with children, taking into account the specifics of each particular age and personal characteristics of the pupil. A general orientation of the activity on accompanying the individual training trajectory has been develop, which can become the basis for training mentor specialists and be used in the work of tutors.

Based on the critical examination of existing models of the psychological analysis of the lesson (PAL), we suggest a model of PAL, developed from the positions of the activity approach (A.N. Leontiev, P.Ya. Galperin, N.F. Talysina, V.V. Davydov, D.B. Elkonin). As the critical review shows, the basic models of the PAL in traditional didactics are related to the evaluation of the degree of implementation in the lesson of conditions for the effective functioning of students' mental processes. This model is based on the idea of a quality lesson as a lesson that maximizes the use of various types of mental processes (processes of thinking, memory, attention, imagination, etc.). From the point of view of the activity approach, psychological analysis should presuppose an assessment of the extent to which the activities that children realize in the lesson are adequate to the goals of the lesson set by the teacher. So a quality lesson is a lesson in which students carry out activities psychologically adequate to the goals set. The article proposes five criteria for the PAL, which correspond to the principles of the activity approach: 1) the specifics of setting the objectives of the lesson, 2) the adequacy of the actions performed by the students, the stated goals; 3) the features of action means, 4) the features of control and feedback and 5) the features of assessing the performance of students' actions. An example of a lesson analysis scheme developed on the basis of the proposed model is given.

The article concerns the problem of developing online technologies for adolescents’ career guidance and professional consultation with regard to their huge interest in computer programs (games and other entertainments) on the one hand, and the apparent lack of science-based computer methods of professional self-determination, on the other hand. We analyze the positive and questionable aspects of the design and the practical use of online technologies in professional counseling compared to existing technologies used in the professional consultation. We also consider the capabilities and limitations of these online technologies in solving the basic problems of vocational guidance (information, diagnostic, moral and emotional support of the client, assistance in decision-making and career planning). For example, the development of the author's methodology of “Choose and Go” designed for adolescents’ online use, shows the problem facing the designers of such software products, solutions to these problems. The basic ideas of this methodology are: comprehensive assessment of select work on the basis of full consideration of the psychological structure of the work; the use of expert assessments of the extent to which components of professional activity correspond to the official list of the integrated groups of specialties; the use in the modes of the real and online professional counseling; the account not only the desires of a teenager, but his/her current and potential abilities.

This article is devoted to the investigation of the role, which the systemic reflection plays in the organization, initiation and direction of the process of professional becoming. Reflection is considered as the most important regulative component of personality, which opens to the human the possibility of self-regulation and self-management that allows him to be an active subject of professional becoming. We distinguish three types of reflexive processes, which support the subjective orientation of the process of professionalization and open to the specialists the opportunity to “problematize themselves”. “Problematization of oneself ” on the basis of personal preferences and meanings, which are extracted from the direct experience of prior psychotechnical work, orients the specialists regarding the future steps of professionalization. We discuss the psychotechnical tools, which open the possibility of reflection for working out significant aspects of professionalism. We give self-reports of students who analyzed their professional possibilities by the proposed psychotechnical means.

The aim of this article is to display the perspectives of synthesis of two modern branches in business consulting: social pathopsychology and beatotherapy. The integration of these branches is possible due to introduction of the new subject of psychological organizational space, which has intangible and tangible representations. Social pathopsychology and beatotherapy are used to assess unconscious aspects of psychological organizational space and to detect some crucial for organizational functioning patterns. The hypothesis states that decoding of unconscious patterns can change the following psychological characteristics of organizational space: mental features of organizational space, organizational relations and organizational actions.

In the article there are the ethical principles that should guide the psychologist in working with different cultures, victims in an emergency situation. There is an attempt of comparative analysis of the main provisions of the ethical code of the Russian psychological society and the ethical code of the European Federation of psychological associations. Conclusions: 1. Psychologist helping people in the emergency area should have high qualification and special training. 2. A record of all specific duties in the emergency area contributes to aid effectiveness and maintains the occupational health specialist. 3. Knowledge of and adherence to ethical principles in working with people in the emergency area is not less important and mandatory for the psychologist than professional knowledge and skills.

This paper provides a definition of persistence with systematic approach. It is represented intervention program for the persistence development for the low-educated cadets of the educational institutions of the Emergency Ministry of Russia. It is held a controlling measure of the persistence level in group of low-educated cadets on the modified measurement of persistence test and it is found that 10 structural parameters of persistence from 16 significantly have changed: after intervention studies the regulatory and dynamic and regulatory components increased all “inharmonic” variables and “harmonic” variable such as energy. In terms of content and stylistic aspects of productive and reflectiveevaluative components it is increased the “harmonic” (substantive scope, operational difficulties) and “inharmonic” (awareness, emotional difficulties) characteristics, and it is decreased the importance of egocentricity. This is due to increased difficulties in the implementation of persistent behaviors associated with the fact that cadets have understood more widely these characteristics and set it to subject realization.

The manuscript described the basis issues of Roger’s diffusion of innovations theory, the variety of empirical data on applying this theoretical approach in promotion of protective health behaviors and prevention of health risk behaviors. Also author presents the main results of longitudinal research conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of group behavioral intervention for popular opinion leaders as part of international research project to prevent HIV/STD among students living in dormitories in St. Petersburg, Russia. The study was funded by National Institute of Mental Health (USA) — NIMH Collaborative HIV/STD Prevention Trial.

The article presents the results of investigation of a study of motivational readiness and competency of the graduate teaching high school for future careers. Th e main indicators of readiness: 1) presence of a positive professional motivation (PM); 2) positive expert opinion leaders about the practice bases of formation and manifestation of student competence in the implementation of professional activities; 3) the successful delivery of the student fi nal examinations. Trends in the PM of students during the period of teaching practice were identifi ed with the help of “Motivation techniques of professional activity” by K. Zamfi r in the modifi cation of A. Rean. To determine the success of the internship was used developed by the authors “list of expert assessments”, which includes job practices and competencies generated in the process of learning activities. These procedures allow tracking of the respondents (n=9) identify a positive trend in the change of PM and competence exhibited by them in the course of teaching practice. It is concluded that the possibility of using this technique in any pedagogical high school and has a profi le of preparation, “Applied Psychology in Education”.

Proxymology is a new approach based on a multidimensional analyze of patients and caregivers surrounding. In Parkinson’s disease, human surrounding depends on duration of the disease, autonomy of patients, and sometime of associated cognitive disorders. Patients’ quality of life is altered with the disease progression as well as their caregivers’ quality of life. Specific needs of caregivers in Parkinson’s disease are discussed.

The paper analyzes influence of different forms of test interpretation on the decision-making among HR specialists. The empirical results did not confirm most of the “simple” hypotheses initially formulated by the authors, and some more complicated patterns were derived. The main factors influencing perception and use of test results were as follows: the conditions and circumstances of the decision making process, the value of test results for the decision making, and the individual differences between HR specialists who analyzed test results. On the basis of acquired empirical results some new experimental hypotheses and ideas of prospective studies were formulated.

The article considers problems in zoopsychology and comparative psychology teaching that Russian universities are facing nowadays. The teaching of this discipline by lacking special interdisciplinary qualifications lecturers often leads to misapprehension of the subject by students. The problem is also aggravated by growing opposition between two major paradigms in treatment of the human nature (socio-cultural and biological approaches) and increased biologization tendencies in human behavior interpretations manifesting themselves in direct analogies with behavior models of animals belonging to various taxons.

The essence of a prejudice that determines the practice of so called specialized education at schools is that it is considered that a choice of professional specialization made during adolescence period guarantees further professional development in the defined direction. In fact, as we see in biographies of successful professionals, professional development is a nonlinear process, which specifically takes place in an effort to overcome situations of uncertainty, and is characterized as an intermittent (“start-stop”) process.

A comparison between image of psychology in contemporary public opinion and the actual state of affairs in psychological science is made. The discrepancy between rate of development of applied fields of psychology and its support from fundamental research are revealed. The meaning and significance of general psychology (and of works by members of General psychology department, in particular) in overcoming this discrepancy is shown.

The article presents g. gonzalez’s integrative model of alcohol and drug abuse prevention on campus. This theoretical structure bases on models such as health belief model, social learning theory and problem behavior theory. it focuses on different elements — the individual level, the level of the environment and the level of interaction between the individual and the environment. we present concrete activities included in the integrative model, analyze the effectiveness of preventive programs among university students and the experience of using the model at the University of Florida. gonzalez’s model can be used to assess the effectiveness of prevention programs.

The paper analyses theoretical and methodological principles of neuropsychological assessment of preschool children and the most used psychometric methods of preschooler evaluation. Russian battery for preschoolers’ neuropsychological assessment, qualitative analysis and scoring of results was adopted in Portugal. The Portuguese version of this battery follows Luria’s principle of interaction with the examined child with the aim to determine the zone of his proximal development.

Neuropsychological testing in 7—10 children with learning and behavioral dif- ficulties is described. All children were school studying and visiting Center for children intellectual development. Several syndromes of higher cortical functions violations are sorted out.

The cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy is a recognized method of treatment addictive personality disorder. the special place is given to self-efficiency, situations of high risk of failure, to formation and an effective utilization of skills of successful psychosocial adaptation (skills of effective interaction including development with a social environment, empathy development, formation of the positive «I-concept» and communicative skills).