DETERMINATION OF THE LEVEL OF SELF-ACTUALIZATION AMONG ERASMUS+ FELLOWS
DETERMINATION OF THE LEVEL OF SELF-ACTUALIZATION AMONG ERASMUS+ FELLOWS
Boris Vayderman
student, Peoples' Friendship University of Russia,
Russia, Moscow
Maria Kushchazli
candidate of psychological sciences, Assistant of the Department of Psychology and Pedagogy, Peoples' Friendship University of Russia,
Russia, Moscow
Every year, the European Erasmus+ program provides funding for undergraduate and graduate students to study abroad. As a rule, scholarship holders get the opportunity to study at universities in one of the countries of the European Union. This empirical study was conducted among a sample of students studying at the University of Lithuania under the Erasmus+ program. At the time of the study, 42 fellows from different European countries were at the Mykolas Romeris University during the spring semester of 4.5 months, from January to June 2022. This research is relevant because from the point of view of a psychological, empirical approach, it is necessary to understand the level of students' commitment to constantly changing living conditions in the stages of active spread of coronavirus infection. This work is aimed at identifying the current level of self-actualization of students from the countries of the European Union.
The study of the conditions of self-development, self-realization, self-actualization, realization of the inherent potential and mechanisms of personality formation remains relevant for a long period of time both in foreign and domestic psychological science. Aristotle also spoke about the possibility of a person to improve himself and offered practical recommendations. There is still no single approach to the definition of self-actualization in psychological science. Among the foreign approaches, humanistic and existential theories should be noted for the definition of the term self-actualization. For example, among the scientists of the humanistic direction should be attributed K. Goldstein, K. Rogers, E. Fromm, A. Maslow, and among the representatives of the existential direction can be noted J. Bujenthal, R. May, E. Shstrom and G. Allport. [3]
All these areas of foreign psychology are united by a common idea of self-actualization, where they considered it as a system of internal resources inherent in a person by nature and manifested throughout life. Ideas about self-actualization within the framework of Russian psychology are based on the postulates of humanistic psychology. At the present stage, the self-actualization of personality is identified with the development of personality as a subject of vital activity, the formation of a life strategy (S.L. Rubinstein, K.A. Abulkhanova-Slavskaya), as a subject of responsibility, morality and faith (B.S. Bratus), as a subject of development and self-development (L.M. Popov), as a subject of self-regulation and self-government (O.A. Konopkin, N.M. Peisakhov), as a subject of self-realization (D.A. Leontiev, L.A. Korostyleva, S.I. Kudinov), etc. That is why the application of the principle of humanistic orientation makes it possible to study personality as an integral system, taking into account the peculiarities of the relationship of personality properties in the integral structure of individuality. [2]
According to the theory of K. Rogers, a self-actualizing personality constantly strives to achieve the best version of himself and develops in all necessary directions in order to eventually achieve the desired result, the highest level of self-actualization. However, in the modern world, where there is still a significant problem, in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, people are faced with external factors that are not always possible to control. Factors such as the high possibility of infection, restrictions in many areas of life directly affect the ability of a person to achieve a high level of self-actualization.
Taking into account the above factors, it is necessary to understand that conducting research, measurements in the framework of identifying the general psycho-emotional state of people is a decisive decision. Measurements and research are necessary for several aspects. First of all, it is important to soberly assess the current psychological state of people. The availability of data on the current level of stress resistance, well-being, anxiety allows not only to find the main approaches to therapy and intervention, but also contribute to the prevention of severe consequences of this exposure.
The XXI century in world history will always be associated with the pandemic and the fight against coronavirus infection, which claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. This phenomenon leaves behind natural consequences, which manifest themselves in a reduced level of psychological well-being, an increased level of anxiety and a low level of stress resistance.
In 2021-2022, a lot of empirical studies were conducted to support this position in the definition of the term "self-actualization". For example, in the work "Diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder in the era of the pandemic" B.O. Vayderman gives the following results according to the method "Mississippi scale for assessing post-traumatic reactions (civilian version)" as interpreted by N.V. Tarabrina. The sample consisted of 50 respondents aged 18 to 22 years, undergraduate students of the Philological Faculty of the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia.
In the general sample, which included men and women, the average value for the severity of post-traumatic reactions is 91 points on the Mississippi scale. Which indicates an overestimated value of post-traumatic reactions in respondents. It is interesting to single out the first-year students who demonstrated particularly high indicators, such as 115, 123, compared with the undergraduates of the correspondence department. The post-traumatic reaction of the latter is equal to a more or less moderate value of 75, 80 points. When comparing the results between the male and female samples, it can be concluded that men are in a calmer and moderate psychoemotional state than women. The indicators of the first are 82, and the second - 94. These results indicate a more sensitive susceptibility of the female component of the sample to the conditions of self-isolation. The analysis of the results by age parameters revealed no obvious differences. Post-stress reactions are equally evident in respondents aged 18 and 22. [1, p. 33]
Based on the results obtained by the method "Mississippi scale for assessing post-traumatic reactions (civilian version)" in the interpretation of N.V. Tarabrina, the following conclusions can be drawn. The overall sample demonstrated an increased level of post-stress reactions, which is most likely due to the recent transition to a hybrid learning format, when, in addition to distance learning, students had the opportunity to attend university in a partially full-time mode. As for comparing the results of the sample by gender, women were more susceptible to post-traumatic reactions, unlike men who showed more optimal results on the Mississippi scale, characterized by a moderate psycho-emotional state. It was not possible to identify strong differences in age parameters, since respondents of all ages showed approximately the same results. [1, p. 33]
This paper presents the results of a theoretical and empirical study aimed at identifying the level of self-actualization of students of the European Union in the context of the spread of coronavirus infection in 2022. The aim of the study is to determine the current level of self-actualization of students in France, Italy, Lithuania, Romania and Germany. The sample consisted of 42 respondents, students of the Mykolas Romeris University in Lithuania, undergoing a semester internship under the Erasmus program. The main tool for determining the level of self-actualization was the "Shostrom Personal Orientation Questionnaire (short form developed by Jones and Crandall)".
The purpose of this study is to identify the current level of self-actualization of students from the EU countries. The hypothesis of this work is that the current level of self-actualization of students in the EU countries is an average value that characterizes a moderate degree of self-realization bordering on high, due to sufficient time for adaptation in a mixed learning environment.
Before directly describing the results of the empirical study, it is worth noting the format in which students from 5 countries of the European Union studied in the 2022 academic year. The generally accepted hybrid format, consisting in conducting remote lectures and classroom seminars, allowed students to comfortably attend lectures online from any place convenient for them, for example, at home or in the library. As for the seminars, in this case, students had the opportunity to attend face-to-face classes, participate in group discussions and take part in joint projects within the walls of the university.
The Personal Orientation Inventory (POI) questionnaire was developed by Everett L. Shostrom in 1963. It is based on the ideas of self-actualization by Abraham Maslow (whose student was Shostrom) and other psychologists of the existential-humanistic direction. The scales of the questionnaire characterize the main areas of self-actualization, which is interpreted as a person's desire for the fullest disclosure and realization of his personal potential. The higher the score on the scale, the more pronounced this or that personality trait is, which is a component of self-actualization. [4]
One of the generally accepted scales for measuring self-actualization is the short SISA index of 15 points (Jones & Crandall, 1986). The CSA was developed based on the longer Personal Orientation Inventory Index (POI) (Shostrom, 1964) and is designed to provide a shorter and simpler scale that correlates significantly with POI. The SISA scale includes 15 statements that relate to a person's beliefs, attitudes, feelings and emotions. Agreement with statements under numbers 1, 3, 4, 7, 10, 12 and 15 is considered a manifestation of self-actualization. Similarly, disagreement with the remaining paragraphs (2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13 and 14) is considered a manifestation of self-actualization. A self-actualizing answer of four options is equal to four points, decreasing to one point for a non-self-actualizing answer. For example, four points would be scored if the topic was marked "agree" for item 1, and one point would be scored if it was marked "disagree". The maximum possible score for the SISA inventory is 60 points. It is customary to distinguish 3 main intervals that characterize the level of self-actualization of the individual. Thus, the interval from 15-25 points can be characterized as a low degree of self-actualization. The average degree of actualization will correspond to the interval from 26 to 45 points. If the respondent demonstrates from 46 points to a maximum of 60, such a person can be defined as demonstrating a high degree of self-actualization. It is believed that an individual who has scored more than 50 points on the SISA scale shows self-realization. [5]
42 respondents took part in an empirical study aimed at identifying the current level of self-realization. The sample was recruited from students from EU countries undergoing an international internship Erasmus+. Each of the participants is a member of the European Union. Thus, the conducted research makes it possible to identify the level of self-actualization among students in 2022. The empirical study was attended by students from the following countries: France, Germany, Lithuania, Romania and Italy. In percentage terms, it can be determined that the percentage of students from Italy is 23.8 percent, Germany - 21.4, France - 16.6, Lithuania - 14.2, Romania - 9.5 percent.
According to the data obtained, the average level of the indicator is 42 points, which in the author's interpretation is called the average degree of self-actualization. As for the extreme values, the highest score, and therefore the highest degree of self-actualization, was achieved by a student from Lithuania, whose score was 55 points. The lowest value on the SISA scale is 33 points. This value is characterized similarly to the previous one, as an average degree of self-actualization.
As a result of the analysis of the results, it was revealed that the average level of self-actualization of students of the European Union have an average level of self-actualization according to the method "Shstrom's Questionnaire of personal orientation (a short form developed by Jones and Crandall)". When identifying the main differences in indicators between the male and female samples, no differences were found, since the average value for the male sample was 42.5 points, while the female sample showed an equal value of 41.7 points.
A comparison between students from different countries did not reveal any significant indicators indicating differences in the level of self-actualization. Thus, it can be assumed that the current situation associated with the spread of coronavirus infection does not play a decisive role in the context of student self-realization. All students are well acquainted with the rules of hygiene and use respirators and hand disinfection daily in classrooms, gyms and throughout the university, where there is a factor of interaction with other students and teachers.
In conclusion, it is worth noting that, based on the results of the empirical study, it was possible to confirm the hypothesis initially put forward that the current level of self-actualization of students in the EU countries is an average value that characterizes a moderate degree of self-realization bordering on high, due to sufficient time for adaptation in a mixed learning environment. Students from countries such as Germany, France, Italy, Romania and Lithuania are not experiencing difficulties in the educational process in the 2022 academic year.
References:
- Vayderman B.O. Diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder in the era of pandemics. Diagnostics in medical (clinical) psychology: traditions and outlook (by the 110th anniversary of S.Y. Rubinstein). Scientific publication. Collection of materials of the Third All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference with international participation on November 25-26, 2021/edited by N.V. Zvereva, I.F. Roshchina. - M.:, 2021. - 374 p.
- Kudinov S.I. Experimental and theoretical aspects of the study of basic personality traits // Personal development of a specialist in the conditions of university education // Materials of the All-Russian Scientific and practical Conference. - Tolyatti, TSU, 2005. - pp. 95-98.
- Leontiev D.A. The development of the idea of self-actualization in the works of A. Maslow // Questions of psychology. - 1987. - No. 3. - pp. 150-158.
- Shostrom, E. L. (1964). An inventory for the measurement of self-actualization. Educational and Psychological Measurement 24(2), 207-218.
- Shostrom, E. L., Knapp, R. R., & Knapp, L. (1976). Validation of the Personal Orientation Dimensions: An inventory for the dimensions of actualizing. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 36(2), 491-494.