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32Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences 9 (2013 6) 1374-1387
УДК 378.2/.8+364-785,14
Defensive Mechanisms of Behavior
and Conceptual Sets in Socio-Psychological Adaptation
of Children with Intellectual Disabilities
Elena A. Chereneva*
Krasnoyarsk State Pedagogical University
them. VP Astafeva 89 Ada Lebedeva Str., Krasnoyarsk, 660049 Russia
Received 24.07.2013, received in revised form 31.07.2013, accepted 08.08.2013
The article is concerned with one of the urgent issues of special psychology and pedagogy, i.e. psychological defense mechanisms and conceptual attitude of schoolchildren with intellectual disabilities as a factor in adaptation of an individual. The author analyzes socio-and psychological adaptation of children with intellectual disabilities by using a psychodynamic approach to the study of personality - the main indicators of the behavior determinants - defense mechanisms and semantic attitudes of an individual. This allows the author to distinguish the main patterns of socio-psychological adaptation of children with normal and pathological development and to formulate conclusions on the general approach to the personal potential of children with disabilities. The article provides descriptive examples ofstrategies and patterns ofsocio-psychological adaptation of children intellectual disabilities. The examples can be used in the process of training of specialists (bachelors, masters) in the field of general and special education.
Keywords: socio-psychological adaptation, personality, behavior, determination between primary and secondary disabilities, children with intellectual disabilities, the unconscious, psychological defense, conceptual sets of activity.
Introduction to the research problem
The problem of socio-psychological adaptation of children with intellectual disabilities is one of the most pressing problems of not only special, but also general education. This topic is of particular interest from the point of two trends: the first one is the changes of the current trends in the system of national education. Within the frame of the modernization of the education system in the Russian Federation
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* Corresponding author E-mail address: [email protected]
the development of different forms of integrated education of children with health disabilities is one of the trends in development of the education system. On the one hand, this is due to the democratization of society; on the other hand, this is due to the search for the optimal conditions for education, upbringing and rehabilitation of children with disabilities. The second trend is the professional and labor adaptation and integration of adolescents with health disabilities including adolescents with intellectual disabilities.
Formation of socio-psychological adaptation of children with intellectual disabilities is one of the important issues of social and professional adaptation ofchildrenwith intellectual disabilities. The urgency of the problem is conditioned by the major role of self-regulation processes of leading activities in the formation of the individuality of a schoolchild and the education of their active life position, the possibility of full working activity and social integration.
To evaluate the behavior of children with intellectual disabilities we need to consider not only its manifestations, but also their underlying causes. The history of special education has accumulated a significant amount of facts that explain the violation willful and voluntary behavior of children with intellectual disabilities. But, in our opinion, nowadays the science stands still explaining the symptom-consequences of inadequate, improper and destructive behavior of children, seeing only clinical aspects in it. Certainly, the pathology of the higher nervous activity plays an important role in the organization of voluntary act of the activity on the whole, but we should remember that a person is a social phenomenon that reflects the true reality of the individual and collective life.
Conceptual basis of the research
At present, theoretical premises creating the conditions for the successful implementation of long-term development of special education have been formed. They include:
• the problem of the environmental impact on schoolchildren's personalities including those with developmental disabilities. That was considered in the papers by K.A.Abulkhanova-Slavskaia,B.G.Anan'ev, L.S. Vygotsky, L.I. Bozhovich, L.P. Bueva, N.L. Kolominsky, V.I. Lubovsky, A.S. Makarenko, V.A. Petrovsky,
V.A. Sukhomlinsky, K.D. Ushinsky, S.T. Shatsky, D.B. El'konin and others;
• the problem of creating a humane personality-oriented environment in the educational institutions of the general type represented in the works of E.V. Bondarevskaia, N.V. Guseva, P.I. Ivanov, V.I. Mikhalev, V.A. Slastenin and others, as well as special (correctional) institutions highlighted in the works of R.O. Agavelian, I.B. Agaeva, N.I. Verkhoturova, V.V. Korkunov, V.V. Linkov, N.N. Malofeev, A.V. Mamaeva, N.M. Nazarova, E.A. Cherenev, L.M. Shchipitsina etc.;
• the problem of direct and inverse determination between primary and secondary disabilities investigated in the works of L.S. Vygotsky, P.B. Gannushkin, B.V. Zeigarnik, E.S. Ivanov, V.A. Lapshin, A.E. Lichko, V.I. Lubovsky, B.P. Puzanov, K.S. Lebedinskaia, S.Ia. Rubinshtein, E.A. Chereneva etc.;
• development of the concept of social adaptation as a major goal of special education and its implementation in the course of correctivetrainingprovidedinthe works of O.K. Agavelian, A.N. Graborov, T.A. Vlasova, V.P. Kashchenko, N.M. Nazarova, E.A. Chereneva etc.
Statement of the problem
Despite the significant advances of special psychology in the development of theoretical, methodological and practical basis, the problems of systematic comprehensive study of the personality of children with intellectual disabilities haven't been solved yet. All available researches concern with the mechanisms of organization and productivity of mental activity (conscious aspect of mental functioning), but the question of subject-object relationship of a
mentally retarded child's personality is poorly studied. At present, there is lack of researches on the problem of the unconscious psyche, subject's mental determination.
The investigation of personality of children with intellectual disabilities is one of the most undeveloped issues in special psychology. In the 30s of the twentieth century studying the personality of schoolchildren with intellectual disabilities began (L.S. Vygotsky, L.V. Zankov, I.M. Solov'iev), but then it was suspended. In the 1960ies the dynamics in development of children with oligophrenia was studied for the first time from the clinical and psycho-pedagogical point of view (M.S. Pevzner, V.I. Lubovsky, etc.). Since the 1970ies the psychological studies have been expanded. They show certain aspects of the personality of mentally retarded children (G.M. Dul'nev, B.V. Zeigarnik, N.G. Morozova, B.I. Pinsky, V.G. Petrova, S.Ia. Rubinshtein, L.I. Dargivechene, V.A. Varianen, N.L. Kolominsky, O.K. Agavelian, Zh.I. Namazbaeva, N.Yu. Verhoturova, I.B. Agaeva, A.V. Mamaeva, E.A. Chereneva, etc.). Despite significant advances of special psychology in the development of theoretical, methodological and practical basis, the problems of systematic comprehensive study of the personality of children with intellectual disabilities weren't solved. All available researches concern with the mechanisms of organization and productivity of mental activity (conscious aspect of mental functioning), but the question of subject-object relationship of a mentally retarded child's personality is poorly studied. At present, there is lack of researches on the problem of the unconscious psyche, subject's mental determination.
Zankov L.V. (1934) noted that "Personality is an integral unity, violating one of the parts of which results in the restructuring, rearrangement of the whole system." Graborov A.N. (1929)
pointed out that "... each factor (biological and social) in behavior plays a dominant role: biological one complicates behavior and social one determines it. This means that the more complex the structure is the more complex, and more varied forms of behavior we can observe, the simplification of the structure leads to the simplification of behavior."
When solving the problem of socio-psychological adaptation of children with intellectual disabilities, we used a variety of traditional approaches of national science and practice. Continuing the research of the mechanisms of socio-psychological adaptation of children with intellectual disabilities, we have chosen two current trends in personality research - the defense mechanisms of behavior and activity set, which weren't properly considered in special psychology. When analyzing the data in these trends a large number of studies can be distinguished which reveal the determinants of the personal socio-psychological adaptation that will be the basis for finding effective ways to correct behavior problems, overcoming its rigidity, resources for development of personal potential of children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities. We intentionally combine these two meta-categories of psychology as factors conditioning the determination of subject-object relationships serving as indicators of intrapersonal conflicts of an individual.
Methodology
Formation and development of traditions of humanistic, personality-oriented approach in the modern national psychology concerns with studying the problem of human activity as the subject of life and activity, the manifestations of their personality in the interactions with the environment along with the current scientific and practical problems (S.Ia. Rubinshtein, 1973; I.A. Dzhidar'ian, 1988; K.A. Abulkhanova-
Slavskaia, 1991; V.M. Rusalov, 1991; B.A. Viatkin, 1992, 2000; L.Ia. Dorfman, 1993; A.A Volochkov, 2005). In this regard, the study of patterns and psychological factors that potentially reduce the range of manifestations of subject activity, preventing the individual self-realization in the social world is of equal relevance. As one of these factors psychological defense phenomenon is closely associated with the problems of mental regulation, personal formation and socio-psychological adaptation of an individual.
Moreover, one of the possible ways revealing the determinants of mental and personal spheres of mentally retarded child is the theory of set by D.N. Uznadze and the theory of activity by L.S. Vygotsky, A.N. Leont'ev and A.R. Luria. Above all, the initial statements of these conceptions are fundamentally new: in order to explore the world of psychic phenomena (conscious and unconscious) we should go beyond them and find a unit of mental analysis, which would not belong to the field of mentality itself (A.G. Asmolov). However, the whole experience of the development of activity theory in general psychology (A.N. Leont'ev, 1983; S.L. Rubinshtein, 1973) shows that only a system analysis of an individual realizes their life in a society can lead to the opening of the comprehensive characteristics of multi-level mental phenomena. This idea is extremely precisely expressed by A.N. Leont'ev. He believes that: "The involvement of living organisms, the process systems of their bodies, their brain in a subject and subject-discrete world leads to the fact that the systems of these processes is empowered with content different from their own content, the one that belongs to the objective world. The problem with this "empowerment" generates the object of psychological science!"
The underlying trend of the development of modern society is the system complexity of society and its increasing pressure on an individual,
increasing dramatic effect of social relationships, stress overloading the psyche. Informational oversaturation of the world requires from a person particularly intensive development of the personal structures that are the most effective tool to ensure social environment.
The theoretical analysis of the problem of socio-psychological adaptation of a person indicates that one of the adaptive systems of a person is psychological defense. The studies show that psychological defense determines subjective comfort of an individual in all situations of tension, pathology, in professional and domestic activities (S. Freud, A. Freud, A. Adler, K. Horney, E. Erikson, R. Lazarus, R. Plutchik, F.V. Bassin, A.A. Nalchadzhian, F.V. Vasiliuk, V.M. Volovik, G.V. Grachev, R.M. Granovskaia, E.S. Romanova, L.R. Grebennikov, V.A. Tashlykov, I.M. Nikol'skaia, V.I. Zhurbin, E.I. Kirshbaum, I.L. Bazenkov, M.K. Burlakova, L.D. Demina, A.N. Mikhailov, V.S. Rotenberg,
A.A. Nalchadzhian, K.R. Aidinian, P. Cramer, R.Q. Ford, S.J. Blatt, G.C. Gleser, D. Ihilevich,
B.L. Gheen, J. Lindy, M. Grace, M.J. Horowitz, D.S. Weiss, C. Marmar, E.K. Koplik, U. Kragh, K.R.Parkes,L.I. Pearlin,R.Plutchik,H.Kellerman, B. Westerlundh). If a person experiences such inner feelings as anxiety, fearfulness, worry metaphorically associated with the feeling of their disadvantages, these feelings have a destructive effect on the mind, cause complex problems in interpersonal relationships, social and professional inadequacy. The situations of conflict, trauma, stress correlate with the phenomenon of psychological defense, which has the unconscious nature, the mechanisms of which just aim to reduce the emotional stress associated with the conflict, to prevent disorganization of behavior, consciousness, psyche. From this point of view, the consideration of a person in one of their invariant manifestations, i.e. the formation of defensive behavior, is an important scientific
task included in the fundamental problem of an individual.
Beginning with the works by S. Freud, the problem of psychological defense was and still has been the subject of attention from a variety of psychological schools and trends (S. Freud, 1991, 1997; A. Freud, 1999; K. Horney, 1997; E. Fromm, 1990; W. Reich, 1999; F. Pearls, 2003; N. McWilliams, 1998; F.V. Bassin, 1988, 2000; B.V. Zeigarnik, 1986; F.E. Vasiliuk, 1984; V.I. Zhurbin, 1990; V.V. Stolin, 1983; E.T. Sokolova, 1989; E.I. Kirshbaum, 2000; E.S. Romanova and L.R. Grebennikov, 1996; G.V. Grachev, 1998; L.D. Demina, 2000). Despite the disagreements that exist between researchers in understanding the phenomenology of defense mechanisms and their role in the ontogenesis and social adaptation of an individual, the majority of authors, however, support the point of view according to which the effect of psychological defense can inhibit personal development and self-realization in the social world under certain conditions. In Western psychology it is represented in the works by S. Freud (1991, 1995, 1997, 1998), A. Freud (1997, 1999), A. Adler (1997, 2002), K. Horney (1997), G. Sullivan (1999), E. Fromm (1989, 1990 , 1998),
E. Erikson (1996, 2000), W. Reich (1999), F. Pearls (2003), C. Rogers (1994), etc. Among the Russian psychologists there are V.A. Tashlykov (1992, 1999), V.S. Rotenberg (1984, 1989), F.E. Vasiliuk (1984), E.I. Kirshbaum (2000), etc. who share this idea.
The question of defensive mechanisms is most developed in clinical psychology (S. Freud, A. Adler, C. Rogers, E. Erickson,
F.V. Bassin, V.M. Volovik, B.D. Karvasarsky, V.A.Tashlykov, V.A. Abramov, K.P. Aidinian, F.B. Berezin, M.M. Kochenov, I.I. Kut'ko, T.J. McGlynn, G.L. Metcalfe, A.N. Mikhailov, R.K. Nazyrov, I.M. Osadchy, A.M. Prikhozhan, V.S. Rotenberg, Iu.S. Savenko, G.K. Ushakov, S. Ferenczi, R.S. Lazarus, D. Hamburg, I. Adams,
R.A. Emmons, etc.) This agrees quite well with the idea of L.S. Vygotsky that "the essence and the nature of phenomena studied by psychology opens up in its purest form in their extreme, pathological demonstrations" (L.S. Vygotsky, 1927). Identification of the specific forms of psychological defense is the starting point in formation of a person-oriented therapy and for studying the pathogenesis of mental and psychosomatic disorders.
We must also acknowledge the outstanding Georgian Soviet scientist, the founder of the Georgian school of psychology D.N. Uznadze, Russian psychologist who understood the critical importance of the personality on the whole in order to understand particular mental functions. D.N. Uznadze proposed the theory of set, according to which any act of the individual's behavior is based on an unconscious set, a special mental process, which is a modification of a person in general. In other words, when an individual has some need and there is a proper situation, the whole personality transforms in the way that directs the activity of the person to satisfy this need. The most important merit of Uznadze to be considered is the fact that he created an experimental method to identify patterns of the set's effect, the method of the fixed set.
In addition to the experimental works that show the influence of different factors on the rigidity (Kezheradze, Chrelashvili; Eliava Gersamia, etc.), the attempts were made to analyze theoretically rigid behavior. So, Norakidze and Grigolava associate rigidity with the typological characteristics of the set, E.A. Gersamia explains the rigidity of oligophrenics through an assimilative effect of previous sets. Chrelashvili and Eliava came to the similar conclusions in regards of normal individuals. The work presented below attempts to study theoretically and experimentally rigidity (based on the theory of set). It should be said that
despite the above-mentioned works the problem of rigid behavior still remains a fertile field for researches both theoretically and experimentally. The importance of these works is beyond all doubt. Imposing any patterns of rigid behavior, its causes contributes to the fighting against this undesirable phenomenon.
Central ideas of the Uznadze's theory of set are of great importance for studying the personality of children with intellectual disabilities in special psychology. Not individual acts of the mental activity, but subjects themselves interact actively with the reality. The subject's behavior and vital activity derived from the presence of their needs. To meet the needs a particular situation is necessary. The presence of the needs and the situation provokes special condition that characterizes their inclination, orientation, readiness to perform certain actions. This state is the set.
In the theory of set developed by D.N. Uznadze (2001) and his followers (A.S. Prangishvili, 1966; B.I. Khachapuridze, 1962; A.E. Sherozia, 1979; I.T. Bzhalava, 1968; D.T. Amiredzhibi, 1986; I.G. Grigolava, 1987; A.T. Kintsurashvili, 1971; V.G. Norakidze, 1975; I.V. Imedadze, 1989; N.I. Sardzhveladze, 1989; Sh.N. Chkhartishvili, 1971, 1978, etc.), the set is understood as a consistent state of an individual (psycho-physiological, mental), the personality mode, readiness to act in a certain way.
The analysis of the unconscious of mentally retarded children from the standpoint of the theory of activity allows, first of all, to identify problems and trends. In this mainstream the phenomena of classes distinguished by A.G. Asmolov have been studied (the problem of transferring and acquiring of experience; the problem of determination of activity, the problem of voluntary regulation of higher forms of behavior and automation of various types of external and internal activities, the problem of searching
for the sensitivity range). Secondly, it allows to identify four qualitatively different classes in the stream of these phenomena (supraindividual, supraconscious phenomena, unconscious motives and conceptual sets of personality, unconscious mechanisms of regulation of activity ways, unconscious reserves of the senses) and indicate the genesis and function of the different classes of phenomena in the subject's activity. The need for comprehensive characteristics of the unconscious as a form of mental reflection, in which the subject and the world are one indivisible whole, and the classification of unconscious phenomena is so that the often encountered opposition of all three heterogeneous phenomena coexist with the complete loss of their specificity, making it difficult to progress on the hard way of their studying. Meanwhile, only identifying commonalities and specificities of these "concealed" outlines of consciousness, according to L.S. Vygotsky, allows to find adequate research methods, to reveal the function in the activity regulation and thus not only complement, but also change the existing picture of the activity conceptions, consciousness and personality of a mentally retarded child.
Discussion of the results
During the study we noted that schoolchildren with intellectual disabilities have common with the norm and specific for this category of children patterns of functioning of psychological defense mechanisms and conscious strategies of controlling behavior. We also noted that children with intellectual disabilities have predominant inefficient mechanisms of conscious psychological defense, while the conscious strategy of coping with problematic situations are not well developed.
The common parameter, which is the basis for the formation of the defensive (unconscious) mechanisms of behavior, is the social experience of individuals that determines the orientation
of a personality, while the biological factor (physiological characteristics, preservation of the brain) is a feature that allows to develop the specific form of socio-psychological adaptation. And the level of intellectual disability affects on the development of only conscious defense mechanisms.
It seems promising to study the mentally retarded child's personality as a hierarchical system of sets, since the concept of the set is one of those which "makes it possible to reveal the basic regularities of the subject's activity as a whole" (A.S. Prangishvili, 1967).
To understand the mechanisms of socio-psychological adaptation of children with intellectual disabilities we will rely on first the unconscious driving forces of activities, which have always been the central object of study in traditional psychoanalysis. They are involved in the regulation of activities acting as conceptual sets. In accordance with the basic structural units of activity (activity, action, operation) there are levels of conceptual, target and operational sets, as well as the level of psycho-physiological mechanisms of set (Asmolov, 1979). The functions of the sets are an important factor in the regulation of any level of activity. We can now talk about these features as research evidences due to fundamental research by D.N. Uznadze and his school.
General function of the sets at any level in the regulation of activity is characterized by the following three points: a) the set determines the steady targeted character of the activity course and serves as a mechanism of stabilization of an individual's activity that allows to keep its focus in the continually changing situations; b) the set makes the subject free from the necessity to make decisions and to control voluntarily the course of activity in the standard previously encountered situations c) the (fixed) set can act as a factor which determines the inertia, stagnation of
activity dynamics and complicates the adaptation to new situations.
While studying of conceptual sets of children with intellectual disabilities we highlight important features:
1. The major regularity is the formation by the same laws as that ones of normally developing children.
2. Unconscious and fixed sets of mentally retarded children are formed in an active interaction with the social environment and managed by leading needs of an individual.
Describing the conceptual sets of mentally retarded children we distinguish their specific features that appear in an unstable targeted activity, stagnation of the sets, which determines the rigidity of behavior. The weak stability of the conceptual set makes difficult the process of making decision and controlling voluntarily the course of activity in standard situations.
We highlight that children with intellectual disabilities can not set a goal on their own and don't realize their goals sufficiently. They have poor motivation of action, inability to plan their activities and to choose the way of activity. They are also characterized by inability to control strong-willed processes, lack of initiative, inability to act in accordance with future goals. They have difficulties in controlling theirbehavior to do a particular task and to plan their actions. The actions and behavior of schoolchildren with intellectual disabilities are characterized by lack of independence, lack of initiative, lack of purposefulness and purposiveness, inability to exercise volitional efforts and to overcome the encountered difficulties. They choose more intimate, meaningful (at the conceptual-personal level) motives and goals for their activities. This is evident in the cases where they do not feel the need for this actions. Thus, having usual apathy, lack of initiative behavior the same children can experience the contrast
perseverance, unrestrained and invincibility of individual desires.
Along with uncritical thinking, acting and behaving inherent to mentally retarded children, they are characterized by easy suggestibility, uncritical perception of someone's advice. This fact suggests that the conceptual sets of children with intellectual disabilities are destroyable and unstable. At the same time they may show stubbornness being given certain instructions, as well as long resistance to reasonable arguments. They can act contrary to what they are asked for. We found that children with intellectual disabilities prefer personal meanings, "significant-for-me" of certain events in the world that the core of unconscious motives and conceptual sets.
Defensive mechanisms of behavior and fixed sets appear in the form of conscious (or driven to automatism unconscious) forms and algorithms of behavior. For example, when comparing schoolchildren with intellectual disabilities and schoolchildren with normal development, we observed that all the schoolchildren, normal and disabled, have a positive social orientation. The exceptions are those children (of any age and at any level of intelligence) that have destructive behavior caused by the social environment, e. g. conflicts with parents, rejection of peers, teachers, etc. We provide below some examples to illustrate the implications of defensive mechanisms of behavior and strategies to resolve internal conflicts during the socio-psychological adaptation of the personality of children with intellectual disabilities.
Example 1. Alexander F. 12 years old. The clinical diagnosis is F 80 (mental retardation). He has no parents and no relatives. He is in the custody of the state since he was born. The child has changed several government training and schooling institutions. After the babies' orphanage Sasha was sent to children's orphanage with a
high level of financial sponsors' support. The boy had a lot of material privileges ensuring the formation of special social needs (good clothes, toys, technical equipment, etc.). The child was in the orphanage from 4 till 9. After that, he was transferred to another orphanage with lower social welfare, where he was until 11. Because of the learning difficulties he was trained according to the program of VII type, which program material he also failed to cope with. At age 12 he was transferred to a special (correctional) school of VIII type that he did not like, in his opinion first because of the low social welfare. He tries to hang together with their peers and older children who are socially successful. He behaves aggressively, demonstratively, petulantly. He is a conflicted, spontaneous negative leader. He connects all his failures with the social disadvantages ("poverty" as he says). On the background of higher intelligence compared with the peers he has significant learning difficulties caused by formed defensive mechanisms.
The analysis of patterns of social interaction showed that the schoolboy has primitive interaction algorithms revealing the essence of the consumer behavior. They don't include meaningful and creative aspect of his activity. All the people around him are used or viewed through the prism of social welfare guided by the motives of activity - "personally-significant-forme."
Projective technique to study emotional and personal aspects identified significant problems in the emotional sphere, the presence of deep perceived conflicts, fears, defense mechanisms. The neurotic reactions on the environment are firmly formed. The projection of the future is presented in the positive dynamics, but with the obvious transference of mental problems.
Behavioral problems in this case are the result of a destructive forming of basic needs, as well as the disintegration of the Ego.
Example 2. Dima P. 11 years old. Clinical diagnosis is F 70 (mild mental retardation), a pupil at special (correctional) schools of VIII type. He is being brought up in a happy family. His mother and father have university education. They have jobs and live in their own apartment. The child is good-natured, positive, supportive for the teachers, makes friends with calm peers and children of younger age.
The study of patterns of social interaction revealed that the child has clearly formed algorithms of his behavior in school and extracurricular activities (according to his capabilities). The child knows what he will do after school, what kind of help he should provide to his mother and grandmother, how he will take a walk, etc. It should be noted that the child has an average school performance but a positive motivation for learning. Dima is aware of the problems in his educational activity, but he is quite optimistic about their solving.
The study of his emotional and personal sphere determined that the child has no apparent conflicts, fears and anxieties. His emotional sphere has no firm frustrating situations that lead to the formation of conflict with the environment, destructive behaviors.
The comparison of these two examples let us state that the social situation is crucial to the formation of defensive mechanisms and strategies of behavior, conceptual and fixed sets of children with intellectual disabilities. In the analysis of these facts one should take into account that intelligence is important in the formation of the content of sets, but the social environment determines its dynamics.
Unconscious motives of behavior determine both the content and dynamics of the set. It is common knowledge that the motives of children with intellectual disabilities are unstable, it's difficult to form socially important motives. These features, and many scholars pointed that
out (M.S. Pevzner, V.G. Petrov, S.Ia. Rubinshtein, E.A. Chereneva, etc.), are caused by intellectual defect. But some facts of our research show that the leading line in the formation of socially important motives of children with psychical or mental retardation is the social factor. We should note that it's not necessary to be optimistic in thinking that the proper education process may develop high levels of need-motivational sphere, yet the intelligence "sets the standards" (meaningful), and society organizes dynamics. But we assert our statement that the behavioral program (even mechanically developed) allows a child with intellectual disabilities have behavior patterns that turn into the conscious component of behavior. Developing in a child (with any level of intelligence) diligence helps to form the need to work in the future.
Forming algorithms of behavior and social interactions in children of any age depends on a given stereotype from the outside, on the features of its maintenance. For example, cleaning, greeting familiar people, compliance with the safety rules, habit to be neat, etc. are social competencies that are laid in childhood (as a rule to 5 years old) by a teacher (mother), and regardless of intelligence they will form the behavior in the future. If these patterns are not developed for some reason, then for changing the patterns the life of an individual must be significantly "psychologically shaken up". The shift of needs will be followed by changes in behavior patterns. Therefore, to evaluate the unconscious motives of activities we should draw attention to the dynamics of the need-motivational sphere, whether an individual wants to motivate (consciously) their activity. The higher and more complex the form of behavior is, the more awareness and self-motivation they have.
Thus, summing up the notions of the defensive mechanisms of the behavior, the features of unconscious motivators, their essence
in children with intellectual disabilities in the process of socio-psychological adaptation, we list the main features of the dynamic conceptual systems of a personality: 1) the derivation from the subject's activities and their social position in the system of public relations; 2) focus on the object of activity: the meaning is always addressed to someone or something, the meaning is always the meaning of something.
Conclusion
Thus, on the basis of theoretical and experimental studies the following conclusions can be made.
1. Schoolchildren with intellectual disabilities have common with normal children and specific for this category of children functioning patterns of
mechanisms of psychological defense and conscious strategies of controlling behavior.
2. Inefficient mechanisms of conscious psychological defenses prevail among children with intellectual disabilities, while the conscious strategies of coping with problematic situations are not well developed.
3. The common parameter, the basis for the formation of the defensive (unconscious) mechanisms of behavior is the social experience of individuals that determines the orientation of the personality, while the biological factors (physiological features, the preservation of the brain) is an opportunity that allows coping strategy to resolve the internal conflict.
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Защитные механизмы поведения и смысловые установки деятельности при социально-психологической адаптации детей с нарушениями интеллектуального развития
Е.А. Черенёва
Красноярский государственный педагогический университет
им. В.П. Астафьева Россия 660049, Красноярск, ул. Ады Лебедевой, 89
В статье затрагивается одна из актуальных проблем специальной психологии и педагогики -механизмы психологической защиты и смысловые установки у школьников с интеллектуальной недостаточностью как фактор адаптации индивида. При анализе социально-психологической адаптации детей с нарушениями интеллектуального развития автор использует психодинамический подход в изучении личности - основных индикаторов детерминант
поведения - защитных механизмов и смысловых установок личности. Это позволяет автору выделить основные закономерности социально-психологической адаптации детей при нормальном и патологическом развитии, сформулировать выводы об общих подходах развития личностного потенциала у детей с ограниченными возможностями здоровья. В статье приводятся примеры описаний стратегий и моделей социально-психологической адаптации детей с нарушениями интеллектуального развития, которые могут быть использованы в процессе подготовки специалистов (бакалавров, магистров) в области общего и специального образования.
Ключевые слова: социально-психологическая адаптация, личность, поведение, детерминация между первичными и вторичными нарушениями развития, дети с нарушением интеллекта, бессознательное, психологическая защита, смысловые установки деятельности.
