Psychology to practice

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.