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VALUE-SEMANTIC SCOPE OF PERSONAL SPACE OF _UNIVERSITY STUDENTS_
Dr. Natalia N. Mozgovaya, Southern Federal University, Rostov-on-Don, Russia
E-mail: [email protected] Dr. E.A. Suroedova, The Don state technical university, Rostov-on-Don, Russia E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: The analysis of theoretical and empirical works on psychology of the personality and axiological sphere of students' activity of the university has been carried out in this article. During the empirical research of formation of the axio-logical sphere of students of the second - fourth courses of Pedagogical Institution of the South Federal University they have got the definite results. These results helped to find out not only dynamics of these processes, but also the development of personal space components. The analysis of this problem revealed that a person values have the basic impact on all components of a personal space of the subject. The personal space of a man is at all stages of ontogenetic development. During a person's studentship it is the most noticeable. They have also found some connections between the students' values and their personal space formation and development.
Key words: components of personal space of a man, values and meanings, systems of values, activity spheres, students.
1. INTRODUCTION
New demands are placed on the modern higher education by the Russian society. They involve not only the formation of knowledge and abilities with the studying youth, but also their personal formation, development of such qualities, that would let new generation fulfill oneself as much as possible in the developed social and economic as well as in professional environment of university. Moreover, as practice shows, it isn't enough for a modern person to become just the subject or the personality. These days he or she has to grow out of it and form something new that is personal space.
2. MAIN PART OF THE STUDY
The personal space is characterized as a difficult, integrated psychological formation, being the result of a person's subjectness development (Mozgovaya, 2002). On the one hand, it provides a personal and identity security, possibility of self - presentation, self - protection from manipulative and any negative kinds of influences from other people. On the other hand, the personal space contributes to formation of the whole complex of moral and ethical, personal and significant and also individual and peculiar traits of a person.
Existence of both psychological space of a person and personal one is a significant and indisputable fact. However, this evidence is rather illusive because any attempts to introduce it face invincible obstacles, the main of which is its changeability. The phenomenon of psychological field is obviously lost in a circle of complicated psychological person's reality. Possibly, its most accurate definition is that of "escaping" phenomenon, "disappearing" in those numerous transformations, it faces on different stages of person's ontogenetic development (Mozgovaya, 2010).
Introduction of the concept of "personal space" into scientific usage in XX century is connected with the name of a German sociologist Georg Simmel (Pisachkin, 1997). Almost during the same year K. Levin began to use this concept. In his "space theory" the concept of "psychological life space" was represented. The concept included objective physical and quasi - physical, objective social and quasi - social factors (Levin, 2000).
K. Levin has given his characteristic of a personality as a certain differential integrity, where its own personal field is a significant part. He regarded maintenance of a personal space or that of «free life movement» as one of lemmas of creating of positive personal relationship. K. Levin considered, that the psychological field border allows keeping of personal integrity, adjusting the processes of "facts" interpenetration, while a person and the environment interact (Pisachkin, 1997).
B. D. Parygin, the Russian psychologist has the same point of view asserting that a person, as well as community, in case of having developed consciousness strives for protection of own integrity, autonomy, originality from independent external influences of the whole system of psychological barriers. The sense of harmonious individual development consists in independent identity balancing and in relation with others. Self-fulfillment is peculiar to a person. It involves alienation of others and identification with others. (Parygin, 1999).
Psychological space "I" and psychological space of other person are not identical though interpenetrating, allowing autonomy of each from these formations. They join each other on account of psychological distance that appears depending on what a person thinks about himself and others (Abramova, 1998).
The problem of a psychological distance is most deeply elaborated in works of gestalt-psychologists, who investigated contacts of the subject with the external world, considering the common between an organism and environment to be the border of their contact. According to F.S. Perlz, this border has the psychological events: our ideas, acts, our emotions which are the form of our experience and result of a meeting of these events with the out world on the border. Thanks to the contact with the out world a person gets experience, forms his own viewpoints and world outlook, organizes his individual scale of values and senses (Mozgovaya, 2002).
An interesting point of view about the borders of personal space belongs to M.M. Bakhtin, who considered that the contact "I am another" defines the development "I am for myself'. He believed, it's not the thing inside, but that on the border of one's own and another's consciousness, "on a threshold" causes development and defines "I". Each internal experience appears on the border, meeting another one, and all the essence of it is in this intense meeting. According to M. M. Bakhtin the beginning of another's consciousness defines the border of one's own consciousness. That is the border "I" is defined through the border of "threshold" of another person's "I" (Mozgovaya, 2002).
We see the same ideas with M. Buber, who put his thought, that the subtle personal space "I" is formed in the plane "I-you". It requires filling by another "I", the closer spatial contact of a person with other people, the more the person we depend on other people in his activity, the less freedom of choice in his activity ways he has . Such understanding of spatial contact tells us about availability of the external control and person's activity connection (Suroedova, 2009).
Thus, the personal space of a subject has a complex psychological structure, being formed by a person reflected components' interaction. According to N. N. Mozgovaya's viewpoint, the personal field carries out a number of complex functions: protective (guarding), representative, regulating, identifying (Mozgovaya, 2010). A number of significant components are indicated by the author in a personal space:
- Spatial (psychological distance, location of partners on communication and interaction, personal space of each of the partners);
- Physical (personal things, an apartment, etc.) and corporal;
- Individual (mental properties and features of an individual, personal style in a way of life, etc.);
- Role (statuses and roles);
- Moral (personal freedom, rights, world outlook, etc.);
- Cognitive (knowledge, conceptions), etc.
N. N. Mozgovaya also supposes that a personal space of a man exists in all stages of ontogenetic development. But it flourishes during the student years of a person. The analysis of the study of a personal space development let specify the conditions of this phenomenon appearance in a student's age: acquisition of the new social status - a student; keeping away from the usual home conditions, school, parents, friends; showing self-sufficiency in money and opinion matters, freedom to control yourself; stabilization of one's own "I" identification; protection of a personal territory and space as keeping of individuality and personal identity; development of an authentic authorship in determination and realization of one's own viewpoint on life and way of life; already formed internal position in relation of history of your people, culture, traditions and denomination, etc.; formed idea about the personal liberties, awareness of your rights and duties, etc. (Mozgovaya, 2002)
The peculiar significance in personal space is given to senses and values of a subject, which being in youthful age undergo overestimation and are in constant progress and dynamics. Values and senses sphere develops due to many factors influences on a forming personality, but it's no doubt an important role is given to communication and personal relationships that penetrate all educational environment of a Higher School (Belousova, 2006).
In an early youth some personal moral ideas on the world outlook level are formed: about life meaning, happiness, a person as the supreme value. An individual becomes capable to make his moral choice. Taking in the values of his environment and then turning them into the objects of values and motivation of his behavior, a person becomes an active subject of social activity.
Values are the interdisciplinary notions, which are the object of concern of philosophers, cultural studies scholars, sociologists, psychologists and teachers. The research of the system of values was made by the following foreign researchers: Sh. Schwarz, M. Weber, F. Znanetskiy, A. Maslow, K. Rodgers, M. Rockich, G. Allport, T. Parsons, U. Thomas, V. Francle, Z. Freid, A. Fromm, J. Holand, A. Schpranger and others.
The problem of values is studied by the general psychology, social psychology, age and pedagogical psychology as well as in philosophy, social science and other sciences about a man. Thus, the theoretical conception of V. Francle is based on the recognition of the sense of the basic fundamental formation that determines a person's behavior and attitude. The sense develops through the system of values (creativity, personal concern and attitude).
In home science the problem of values is shown in the research of: A. G. As-molova, B. G. Ananieva, B. S. Bratus', M. I. Bobneva, O. G. Drobnitskiy, B. I. Do-donov, A. G. Zdravomyslov, B. V. Zeygarnik, M. S. Kon, N. I. Lapin, B. F. Lomov, N. I. Miasitschev, N. I. Nepom-niatschaya, N. S. Rozov, N. S. Stolovich, S. G. Jakobson, R. H. Shakurov, V. A. Ja-dov and many others. The youth's values in conditions of Russian society reformations are analyzed in the researches of: R. L. Rosenbergs, N. A. Nizovskich, E. M. Rakhkovskaya, O. N. Jurechko, 1995; V. V. Kozlovskaya, 1995; S. A. Baklushan-skiy, V. S. Sobkin, 1996; A. V. Prokop, M. V. Shmulevskiy, 1997; I. V. Abakumova, R. H. Shakurov, M. G. Rogov, S. P. Dyrin, A. V. Kiriakov, 1998 and others.
3. METHOD
The purpose of the study was revelation of some connection between students' values and their personal field development. In the course of the empiric study,
connected with students' values and senses development, who study in the 2d - 4th course of the Pedagogical University, some results were got. These results let find out not only their dynamics, but also the development of personal space components.
A high rate of standard ideals characterizes sophomore psychologists. That is they evaluate all values rather high. It characterizes an inconsistent and intra conflict orientation of a person. However, more important here are security and charity, social contacts, which are expressed in good relationship with colleagues, interest in your own harmony and good feeling to your relatives. So one can tell that during this period young people experience diffusion of personal field that, so to say, extends, comes in touch with and then mixes with the fields of other people. Sophomores' personal field doesn't have clear limits, because they need much communication, recognition, understanding and interpersonal contacts.
The basic sphere of sophomores' life is the sphere of "Education and training". This fact lets us tell, that these respondents identify themselves as students, the task of whom is studying and getting professional skills and knowledge. That is the development of the following personal space components takes place at this stage: University, as spatial, knowledge, experience and skills as cognitive, student's status as role and individual.
4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Third-year students - psychologists pay more attention to the pleasures of life, individual priorities. They experience egoistical orientation, which is expressed in domination and leadership. The most significant value in this period of studying is hedonism and achievement. This fact allows us to state that at this stage formation and development accent is made on an individual and moral component of personal
space. The main spheres of life are "Training and education," "Professional life".
For the fourth year students - psychologists a high level of standard ideals is typical. That characterizes an inconsistent and intra conflict orientation of the personality. The most significant is the sphere of professional life. It allows us to say that fourth year respondents have an introduction to their profession and a self - identification not only with a role of the student, but already the professional in his or her sphere with the prevalence of spiritual needs over material. That is there a further development of such components of personal space, as role and moral.
So, we can tell that the 2d - 4th year students - psychologists have dynamics of values, in the course of training in Pedagogical University value of students undergo some transformations. By the end of studying (fourth year) the respondents become more benevolent, responsible, and indulgent, then they were in the second year. The need for interaction with close people also increases. Friendship and personal well-being acquire a great meaning. Being the fourth year students - psychologists became more disciplined, polite, reserved with more respect to their parents and seniors. They follow traditions and standards of behavior with special responsibility. During the years of studying in Pedagogical University, the respondents have the increase in values rates, stimulation, traditions and conformity each year.
Students become more constrained in their behavior. They pay considerable attention to keeping their traditions and social norms. The formed in the course of their professionalizing universal values become a great significance for graduates. There is a dynamics in students' personal person. Different components of personal space dominate and are transformed in different periods. However, it's worth saying that values and meanings literally penetrate all components, becoming thus a core both for the personality and for her space (Suroedova, 2009).
The data of sense communication of Pedagogical University students' values researches prove that, values and meanings get into all life spheres of a person and are shown in personal space (Belousova, 2002). During the empirical research, the students were asked to convey the meaning of their personal value that is the main for them. All the texts went through processing and content analysis. Let us give an example of the content analysis of texts about value "health".
During the content analysis of respondents' texts about value "health" 20 semantic units were singled out. Then they were grouped: the first group contained all semantic units expressing assessment and attitude to the value of health; the second group included the semantic units, related to a person's activity development; the third group contained the semantic units, belong to the emotional sphere of a person (Suroedova, 2009).
1. The assessment of value and expression of attitude to it. All participants of the experiment (100%), compiling the sense of value "health", assess it and express their attitude to it with the following into words and expressions: "important, very important, the most important", "main", "the most great value", "takes the first place", "is of great importance". These data allow us to say that such a value as "health" is central and main for examinees. In addition, importance of health is noted not only concerning itself, but also for all people. According to students' opinion, the value "health", being the main in the valuable and semantic sphere of the research's participants also has a close connection with other values. For example, the respondents specify that health influence the existence and quality of such values as "work, profession", "study", "kindred, relatives, family". Thus, the value "health" being the most important and central with these respondents, so to say "feeds" other values, supports them, has a certain impact on them, and defines their existence and quality with a person.
2. A person's life activity and development. In process of sense delivering 50% of student note, that the value "health" influences their ability "to study", "to work", "to build a career", "to support themselves ". In speech the frequency of use of the keywords ("study", "work", "career", "financial security") says that these words aren't simply connected with the value "health". These are not only the words entering respondents' "semantic fund" or "semantic space", but the words, being used by the respondents for denotation of values. Frequency of the values use of the words "study", "work", "career", "development" in experiment participants' stories also tells that they are strategically significant in activity and self-realization of a person. It should be noted that the value "development" is considered by respondents together with study or work and profession, and is an integral component of these values. As the experiment participants (25%) specify the value "health" is closely connected with a person's development. Thus, according to respondents the value "health" influences such components of personal space (Mozgovaya, 2002) as cognitive, physical and role. For some part of respondents having such a value as "health" (25%) is connected with the opportunity "to have a rest", "to have fun", "to travel", "to meet their friends". In this case, we can say that possessing the value "health" influences such a vital aspect of people as interpersonal communication, friendly relationship. That is the value "health" determines the existence and formation of a personal space spatial component. Thus, the qualitative analysis made it possible for us to state the following: the value "health" gets the centricity characteristic in interconnection with the main types of a person's activity (study and work), with the sphere of communication and relationship and person's development that is, specifies cognitive, physical, spatial and role components of a personal space.
3. Emotional sphere of a person. For examinees' the centrality and importance of the value "health" is shown in interrelation with the emotional sphere of a person, his health. 41% of the interrogated young people consider that existence of health allows people "to look well", "to feel good (normally, intact, and confidently)", and "to feel harmony and relief". Consequently, the interrogated ascertain a connection between existence of health and well-being and a person's mood that is the value "health" effects the formation of individual and moral components of a personal space. During the content analysis of protocols' texts, the following was stated: the respondents, revealing the meaning of the value "health", determine the role (functions) of health in human life.
4. A half of respondents (50%) tell that «it is difficult to live without it, there will be nothing without it ", and 33% of interrogated consider that possessing the value "health" helps "to achieve result" and a person "will be able to do everything". Also during the process of sense rendering the respondents, specify a close connection between the value "health" and the important parts of a person's activity and their success: study, work, communication, development. These data allow us to tell about an instrumental role of the value "health", about health as a means of achievement of aims and results.
5. According to the respondents, the value "health" needs support, care, consideration, etc. This information is known to have been handed down within several centuries and was recorded in speech stamps, proverbs and sayings. For example, the majority of respondents (75%), telling about this value, use the following verbs: "to look after", "to care", "to treat", "to take care of', "keep", "think of', "to worry about", "to pay attention to". In these expressions one can note a person's att i-tude to the value "health". These data allow us to state the terminal function of health — health as the sense one should strive for.
6. Young people note that it is necessary to look after not only your own health, but also "a state of this value" with relatives, friends and children. These statements allow us "to see" the attitude of respondents towards other people, close ones and relatives, through the attitude to the value "health" with important people. In other words, the people showing care about health of their relatives automatically include them in their psychological situation. Or, the importance and value of "another" in a person's life (of experiment participants), determines its valuable attitude to another's health. As the content -analysis of respondents' messages revealed, the value of one's own health is equated to another person's value of health and sometimes is estimated above your own health (it is peculiar to women). It allows to single out the function of expression of attitude to other people through maintenance of value of health.
7. 8% of respondent note that they possess this value, and 25% say: "I have problems with it ".
5. CONCLUSION
Thus, it was stated that in examinees' messages about the value "health" three groups of keywords and expressions (semantic units) are used: assessment of value and attitude to it, life activity of a person and his development, emotional sphere of a person. In the process of sense rendering all participants of the experiment disclosing the sense of value "health", first of all, highly appreciate this value and regard it as significant and necessary, thereby, giving it a leading value, in the valuable and semantic sphere. Besides, through revealing of sense of the value "health" as a leading and main value in human life, strategically important values of a subject and at the same time their close interrelation with health disclose. Strategically important values for the respondents of this selection
are: work (profession, career), study, communication, development. Also it was established that, The value "health" was also stated to perform some functions for the majority of the study's participants: instrumental (a value is necessary for...), terminal or sense bearing (it is necessary to strive for it), and attitude's expression to important people.
Thus, the presented above data of empirical research allowed to reveal that a person's values have a forming impact on all the components of a personal space. Values play a significant role in development of all spheres of life activity of a person and leave "a mark" on the components of a personal space.
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