Vìsnik Dnìpropetrovsʹkogo Unìversitetu: Serìâ Psihologìâ (Apr 2016)

THE NATURE OF ETHNICAL IDENTITY AND PSYCHOLOGICAL POTENTIAL CONNECTION IN ADOLESCENCE

  • N. V. Frolova,
  • N. V. Hrysenko,
  • H. V. Ilina

DOI
https://doi.org/10.15421/101609
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 22, no. 9/1

Abstract

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Вackground. The question of preserving psychological well-being in today’s world with its globalization is becoming actual and important. Person’s successful functioning is impossible without the implementation of his mental capacity that is both resource development and the core of the identity, which contributes to its preservation in the time of crisis and changing environment. Finding the ways of its implementation and formation is an important issue nowadays. Objective of the study is to investigate the relation between a teenager’s ethnic identity and his psychological potential. Method: theoretical (analysis and generalization of the theoretical approaches to personality assessment); empirical (quasi-experiment for non-equivalent groups); statistical (Mann-Whitney test, correlation analysis); data interpretation (analysis, synthesis, systematization of data). Sample: 2 groups of participants with high and low levels of ethnical identity. Total is 60 teenagers aged 12‒15 years. Results. Adolescents with a high level of ethnic identity formation also possess a high level of psychological potential. The type of positive ethnic identity is associated with individual self-actualization rates. Positive ethnic identity is correlated to the flexibility of individual communication, rapport, and spontaneity. Interesting patterns of relation between meaningfulness of life and the type of ethnic identity are revealed. Positive ethnic identity is significantly related with the meaningfulness of life and its components. Conclusion. Successful formation of psychological potential is related to the degree of implementation of its main features: self-preservation and implementation. Teenagers with high levels of ethnic identity perform vitality, awareness, and life self-actualization. Teenagers with a high level of ethnic identity formation are also characterized a high level of psychological potential.

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