Perception of the World in a Time Perspective by Forced Migrants with Different Types of Dilemma Solutions

Abstract

Background. The relevance of the study is due to the need for a better understanding of the individual characteristics of decision-making by forced migrants and the relationship of these features with a temporary perspective and long-term orientation. Objective. The research is aimed at studying the perception of the surrounding world in a time perspective by forced migrants with different types of decision-making. Study Participants. The study involved 36 respondents aged 32 to 73 years (Mage = 43; SD = 8.4; 2 men), forced migrants from the Donetsk People’s Republic living with children or grandchildren in a temporary accommodation in the Moscow region. Methods. We used “Dilemmas of choice in difficult life situations” and “Semantic differential” to assess respondents’ perception of the world in a time perspective. Results. Nine categories of decision-making analysis in a difficult situation were identified using the dilemma method based on the created scenarios, which made it possible to identify and characterize three types of decision-making among forced migrants – awaiting, active, and thinking, and to make comparisons between them. The application of the “Semantic differential” method made it possible to detect and characterize the differences and similarities between the types of decision-making in the perception of a time perspective in the present and the future and the absence of differences in the perception of the past. Conclusions. The discovered categories of decision-making analysis in a difficult situation through the dilemma method allow us to identify individual features of decision-making. The most vulnerable from the point of view of adaptation can be considered the expectant type, whose representatives are not ready for changes, control over the situation and responsibility for themselves and their loved ones. The differences between the three types identified in relation to the perception of the present and the future can act as predictors of the success of short-term and long-term adaptation.

Keywords

• forced migrants
• dilemmas
• perception of the world
• time perspective
• semantic differentia