A comparative study of subjective conditions for introspection in school students experiencing problems in various areas of life
The article looks into the structure and unique features of students’ self-concept (including both pro-social and anti-social teenagers) that serve as subjective conditions for their introspection, including their self-interest, self-understanding and expectation of positive attitude of others. Significant differences have been identified in groups of adolescents with different social orientation, sex and age. The article also identifies a connection between various facets of self-concept and problematic experiences of prosocial and anti-social students.The hypothesis of this study is as follows: factors that pose a challenge to students’ introspection, such as a low interest in their Self, a weak understanding of their intentions, strengths and weaknesses, an expectation of a negative attitude of others towards their Self, are reflected in students’ acute problematic experiences in a number of areas of life and hinder their social integration.Study participants included 260 regular secondary school students and 151 evening secondary school students in Saint Petersburg. Total sample size was 411 individuals (boys and girls). All the respondents were between 14 and 16 years old.Pro-social adolescents have been found to have a higher level of such indicators as self-interest and expectation of a positive attitude of others, which reflect a sense of self-worth and the value of their Self for others, than anti-social adolescents. Anti-social adolescents, in turn, generally demonstrate a lower level of understanding of their personality than their pro-social peers.It is shown in the article that optimal subjective conditions for introspection are created by the age of 15 in both groups of adolescents (at a significant level for pro-social adolescents, at a tentative level for anti-social ones). The sample also demonstrates a gradual decline in the level to which teenagers understand their own personality (up to 16 years of age).It is shown that the components of self-concept with a negative modality form negative correlations with students’ problematic experiences, in particular, in such areas as “School,” “Future,” “Own Self,” “Relationship with parents,” “Relationship with the opposite sex” and others and set the tone for their behavior’s social orientation.