Social-psychological adaptation of the applicants of higher education in the conditions of social instability

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SOCIAL-PSYCHOLOGICAL ADAPTATION OF THE APPLICANTS OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE CONDITIONS OF SOCIAL INSTABILITY

Viktoriia Overchuk

Olexandra Shindirovskaya

Vasyl' Stus Donetsk National University

Abstract

It was considered the problem of social and psychological adaptation of applicants for higher education in the first year of higher education in this article. The authors focuse on issues of socio- psychological adaptation, which become especially relevant and need to be revised in view of the transformation processes at the present stage that occurs quite rapidly and change not only the living conditions of people but also moral values, life guidelines, psychological structure of personality. This, of course, leads to the fact that the whole society, social groups, and each individual are forced to constantly and continuously experience the process of socio-psychological adaptation. It is also given the theoretical analysis of the existing approaches in modern science to the study of the problem of social and psychological adaptation of higher education students for studying in higher educational institutions. The concept of social and psychological adaptation is analysed, and it also considered the levels and types of adaptation such as: normal, mixed, deviant and pathological. The analysis of features of each of the specified levels is carried out. The author considers the essence of adaptation from different points of view presented in modern scientific literature. It was analysed the polysemantic interdependence between mental and social adaptation, the formation of the “I-concept” based on the interaction of the individual with society and its correlation with high human self-adaptation. It was proved that the success of adaptation is determined by the characteristics of the environment and mental world of the individual. The course of psychological problems of the personality is correlated with the sequence of stages of mental adaptation.

It was determined that the success of the adaptation process of the first-year applicants depends on some factors, the main of which is the socio-psychological, which is revealed in the essence of the interaction “applicant-environment”.

Key words: applicants of higher education, socio-psychological adaptation, stages of adaptation, socio-psychological processes, socialization, “I-concept”, mental world of the individual. 

Анотація

Соціально-психологічна адаптація здобувачів вищої освіти в умовах соціальної нестабільності. Вікторія Оверчук, Олександра Шиндировська, Донецький національний університет імені Василя Стуса

У статті розглядається проблема соціально-психологічної адаптації здобувачів вищої освіти першого року навчання закладів вищої освіти. Авторами акцентовано увагу на питаннях соціально-психологічної адаптації, які набувають особливої актуальності та потребують перегляду з огляду на трансформаційні процеси на сучасному етапі, які відбуваються досить швидко і змінюють не тільки умови життя людей, але і моральні цінності, життєві орієнтири, психологічну структуру особистості. Це, звісно, призводить до того, що і все суспільство, і соціальні групи, і кожна окрема особистість змушені постійно і безперервно переживати процес соціально-психологічної адаптації. Наведений теоретичний аналіз наявних у сучасній науці підходів до вивчення проблеми соціально-психологічної адаптації здобувачів вищої освіти до навчання у закладах освіти. Проаналізовано поняття «соціально-психологічна адаптація», а також розглянуто рівні та види адаптації - нормальну, змішану, девіантну, патологічну. Проведено аналіз особливостей кожного із зазначених рівнів. Авторами розглянуто сутність адаптації з огляду на різні погляди, що представлені у сучасній науковій літературі. Проаналізовано неоднозначну взаємозалежність між психічною та соціальною адаптацією, формування «Я-концепції» на основі взаємодії особистості із соціумом та її кореляцію з високою самоадаптованованістю людини. Доведено, що успішність адаптації визначається характеристиками середовища та психічного світу особистості. Співвіднесено перебіг психологічних проблем особистості з послідовністю етапів психічної адаптації.

Визначено, що успішність процесу адаптації здобувачів першого курсу залежить від низки факторів, де головним є соціально-психологічний, який розкривається у сутності взаємодії «здобувач-середовище».

Ключові слова: здобувачі вищої освіти, соціально-психологічна адаптація, етапи адаптації, соціально-психологічні процеси, соціалізація, «Я-концепція», психічний світ особистості.

social psychological adaptation deviant

Introduction

The aspect of the problem of socio-psychological adaptation is very important at the present level, as the past and the last decade are characterised by the emergence of various natural disasters, technological catastrophes and social cataclysms, the global pandemic COVID-19 which significantly disturb the adaptation process and lead to maladaptation. The variability of our society, the crisis phenomena caused by this process, the high speed of life, the growth of information and the informatization of society need special attention to the study of the mechanism of their development by man, the search for effective ways of human interaction with the natural and social environment. For the last two years, our society has rapidly entered the phase of information technology. Humanity has faced a rapid growth of information of all kinds, which has greatly complicated the use of traditional forms of communication.

In psychological science of the research patterns, conditions and determinants of human adaptation they are traditionally one of the most important, and several scientific publications are devoted to them. The concept of adaptation is used in various fields of modern psychological science. However, it occupies a special place in pedagogical psychology, where special attention is paid to the creation of favourable conditions for the adaptation of the individual to learning.

Formulation of the problem

The higher education system, like our entire society, is going through difficult times, such as reforming, the introduction of innovative methods, the techniques and approaches to education, the development of new branches, opening of new specialities, changing priorities between professions and trends in higher education, quarantine restrictions caused by the global pandemic, high competition in the educational market of services, outflow of university entrants to foreign educational institutions. A large part of the population experiences mental and physical losses due to the spread of coronavirus infection feels constant fear for themselves, their relatives, confusion, exacerbation of stress disorders, difficulty adapting to new living conditions. The quarantine restrictions, which have been in force in Ukraine for the last year and a half, affect all spheres of human life and force them to continuously adapt to the social changes caused by COVID-19. It requires the new approaches to the problem of adaptation and development of psychological strategies of socio-psychological adaptation not only of a particular person but also of different groups to the conditions and consequences of quarantine. In this context, the problem of students' adaptation to study in higher education institutions, especially those who have just begun their studies. This is due to the need to explain the difficulties of adaptation to the learning environment of higher education students in the first year of study under quarantine restrictions due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. A large number of scientific works are devoted to the study of socio-psychological adaptation, but it is in today's unstable conditions of existence of the individual, these studies are particularly relevant and need the attention of scientists and practitioners.

Analysis of research and publications on the problem

Our analysis of the psychological and pedagogical literature on this problem shows that most of the works of scientists reveal the general problems of socio-psychological adaptation as a specific form of personal activity: B. Ananiev, H. Ball, Yu. Hana, L. Vyhotskyi, O. Leontiev and others; the relation of social adaptation problems and social attitudes: A. Nalchadzhian, Sh. Nadirashvili, K. Rodzhers, І.Festinher and others; socio-psychological problems of youth adaptation to new living conditions and social environment: O. Honcharov, A. Erdniiev, D. Ishchenko, V Kikot, O. Symonenko, T. Sereda and others.

Most psychological and pedagogical research on the problems of young people adaptation to the study at the university presents the features of adaptation of higher education students from the side of its dynamics, content, criteria, types and results: A. Andrieieva, M. Dvoriashyna, A. Kolesova, A. Malevych and many others; factors, including personal, that cause the process of maladaptation, disrupt the adaptation of the first-year students: O. Borysenko, T. Komar, M. Levchenko, B. Rudov, V. Shtyfurak and others. In modern conditions, the adaptation question of applicants of higher education of higher educational institutions to new conditions of studying although several studies have been devoted to it: I. Varava, M. Levchenko, O. Moroz, H. Panchenko, V. Semychenko, V. Skrypnyk-Overchuk and others. Scientists emphasize the importance of studying this problem, underlining that social adaptation cannot be excluded neither from the processes of socialization and education nor from life in general; because it is “a multifactorial and multidimensional process of entering the individual into a new social environment to work together towards the progressive change of both the individual and the environment” [1, p.109].

Presentation of the main research material

The problem of personality adaptation in the broadest sense of this term was interested in a long time by the researchers. Analysis of the scientific literature shows that adaptive mechanisms in adolescence (senior adolescence) are developed not enough: I. Bulakh, T Drahunova, L. Zhezlova, L. Zakutska, V Kahan, I. Kon, M. Kle, O. Lychko, N. Maksymova, O. Novykova, S. Podmazin, H. Prykhozhan, M. Ratter, І.Sabanadze, H. Chulkina, O. Yakovlieva and others. That is why adolescents find it difficult to adapt to new living conditions. In addition, the difficulties of the adaptation process of adolescents are exacerbated by the “crisis” and “critical” of this age stage in personality development. It is expressed in increased anxiety, associated mainly with the peculiarities of self-rating, the need to choose a future profession, difficulties in entering adult life, unpreparedness to perform new social roles, contradictions in the field of communication, etc.

Successful socio-psychological adaptation of a first-year student can be characterized as a process of relationship between the individual and the group, in which the individual without external and internal conflicts productively performs his leading educational and professional activities; satisfies his basic sociogenic needs, fully meets halfway those role expectations set by the reference group, experiences a state of self-affirmation and free expression of his creative abilities.

Depending on how the process of socio-psychological adaptation occurs, there are different levels.

1. Normal adaptation. Normal can be called such an adaptive process, which leads to stable adaptability in typical problem situations without pathological changes in the individual structure and at the same time without violating the norms of the social group in which its activity takes place. Normal adaptation can be of two types: protective and unprotected. Normal protective adaptation is the actions of the individual, which are realized through protective mechanisms (aggression, rationalization, projection, regression, the formation of feedback, etc.) if these conditions have not become pathological. Unprotected adaptive processes are different in that they begin in non-frustrating problem situations, which require the individual to make rational decisions. They are carried out without the participation of known protective mechanisms through unprotected adaptive complexes. To achieve adaptability in the event of the occurrence of problematic non-frustrating situations, cognitive processes of personality, goal-setting processes and group socio-psychological mechanisms are used. These problems can be solved through various forms of social activity (for example, comfortable behaviour, but without the involvement of protective mechanisms), the process of communication and information exchange, intellectualization of individual life experience and others.

2. Mixed or medium type of socio-psychological adaptation of the individual.

Mixed, protective and unprotected type is carried out in those problematic situations in which it is partially frustrated, but at the same time faces constructive tasks with the expectation of social roles. Cognitive abilities and social experience are effectively used here. In this case, the individual may show protective aggression as a desire for self-justification, accusation of others. In the case of a protective adaptation, it is a set of unprotected mechanisms and in the third case; it is mixed (protective - unprotected) complexes [2, p. 185-186].

3. Deviant adaptation is a type of adaptation, which secures the fulfilment of individual needs in a particular group or social environment, at the same time, the expectations of other participants in the social process are not justified by such behaviour. It can be non-conformist; it is a process of personal adaptation, through which it overcomes the intragroup problem situation in unusual ways for members of this group, and as a result, it falls into a conflicting relationship with the group norms and their carriers; it also can be innovative or creative. This is an activity, in the process of which, the individual creates new values, carries out the innovations in this or that branch of culture. This type of deviant adaptation is the most powerful factor in progress, the main means of preventing stagnation and regression.

4. Pathological adaptation is a socio-psychological process, which is carried out fully or partially through pathological mechanisms or forms of behaviour and leads to the formation of character pathological complexes, which take out the individual behaviour beyond normal.

In general, based on the generalization of research on the adaptation problem, we can conclude that socio-psychological adaptation is a process, which arises in response to significant novelty in the surrounding world. It is a process of interaction between the individual and the environment, in which the individual must take into account the characteristics of the environment and actively influence it to provide the fulfilling of his needs. The process of interaction between the individual and the environment is to find and use adequate means and ways to fulfil basic needs.

Such adaptation in the modern scientific literature is represented by different views on its essence [3, p. 237]. From the standpoints of the assessing levels of intragroup adaptation of the individual, the following types of social adaptation are distinguished:

1. The level of formal status-role structure.

2. The level of interpersonal informal structure.

Based on this, we can talk about the difference between the individual adaptation at the level of the formal status-role structure of the group and the adaptation at the level of interpersonal relations. Particular interest is the conflicts that arise at these two levels, as well as the mechanisms and strategies by which they are resolved [4, p. 460].

Thus, social adaptation is interpreted as a kind of interaction of an individual or social group with the social environment, in the process of which the requirements and expectations of its participants are agreed upon. Thus, social adaptation is considered in two terms: the constant process of active adaptation of the individual to the environmental conditions and the result of this process [5, p. 155-156].

The relation of these components determines the nature of the behaviour, depends on the purpose and value orientations of first-year students, the ability to achieve them in the social environment.

Despite the continuity of the process, social adaptation is associated with periods of radical change in the activities of the individual and his social environment. The main types of the adaptation process, which are characterized by the predominance of active influence on the social environment, and the type, which is determined by the passive, convenient acceptance of the goal and value orientations of the group, is formed depending on the structure of needs and motives of applicants. An important aspect of social adaptation is the acceptance of the social role of the first-year student. This is due to the attribution of the social adaptation concept to the main socio-psychological mechanisms of socialization of the individual. The effectiveness of adaptation largely depends on how well the young person perceives himself and his social connections. Disfigured or underdeveloped self-image leads to disorders of social adaptation, the extreme expression of which is isolation, immersion in yourself and solitude.

That is, social adaptation is a constant process of active individual adaptation to the conditions of the social environment, as well as the results of this process. Scholars interpret the socio-psychological adaptation of the individual more broadly. Thus, A. Furman defines and explains socio-psychological adaptation as the process and result of the active adaptation of the individual to the changing environment using the most various, individually interiorized and exteriorized means (actions, deeds, activity); component of the effective attitude of the individual to the world, the leading function of which is to master the relatively stable conditions and circumstances of his existence; component of comprehension and performance of typical and non-standard tasks and problems due to the actualization of intellectual and personal potential of the person, socially accepted or situationally possible way of the individual behaviour, the act, joint activity. This is specifically manifested in the presence of such psychological phenomena as assessment, understanding and acceptance of the environment and oneself, their structure, requirements and tasks [6, p. 85].

Thus, ambiguous interdependence exists between mental and social adaptation. Personality, entering into numerous social relationships, forms not only a set of ideas about the world but also about themselves, mentally distinguishes the attitude to his inner world and his individual characteristics. That is, the individual accepts himself, forms self-rating and asserts attitudes as semi-conscious and emotionally coloured readiness of the subject to perceive the world and himself in it in a certain way (positively or negatively, constructively or destructively). All these mental processes are internally organized in the form of such a complex personality formation, as his “I-concept”, which includes four components, in particular: cognitive component “self-image”; evaluation component it's the self-rating and behavioural component it is the reaction or specific action [7, p. 58-59].

It is worth noting that the “I-concept” arises and forms because of the interaction of the individual with society. Positive “I-concept” correlates with high human self-adaptation. This means that his inner world is dominated by self-care, self-esteem, self-acceptance, self-rating, and belief in success, optimism, trust and inner freedom. The introduction of the “I-concept” as a component of the psychological structure of personal adaptability is quite natural, considering that the “I-concept” is a principal form of ontogenetic human development and it characterizes not only the system of self-perception but also the potential action, active living and the creation of the environment and owns “Self-concept”.

It can be concluded that the success of adaptation is determined by the characteristics of the environment and mental world of the individual. Any violation of the system balance “personality - environment”: lack of mental (abilities, personality characteristics) or physical (features of functional systems) applicant's resources to fulfil current needs; inconsistency of the needs' system (lack of a clear hierarchy); fears related to the likelihood of realizing significant aspirations (goals) in the future; new environmental requirements can be a source of anxiety. Anxiety is denoted as the feeling of an insurmountable threat, the nature and timing of which are unpredictable, as a feeling of diffuse fear, as indefinite anxiety, as a result of expecting frustration of basic needs.

Anxiety is an indicator of unmet needs [8, p. 85]. If the level of anxiety does not exceed the average, then it determines the purposeful behaviour. Its positive dynamics indicate the adequacy of the used means and methods.

The course of psychological problems is interesting to correlate with the sequence of stages of mental adaptation. Thus, according to A. Holtsev, in the normal conditions of existence, a person is characterized by a stable mental adaptation, which can be considered synonymous with “norms”, “health”. By stable adaptation, the author understands those “regulatory reactions, mental activity, system of relations, etc., which arose in the process of ontogenesis under specific economic and social conditions, and the functioning of which within the optimum does not require significant neuropsychological stress” [9, p. 267-268].

In the event of changes in environmental and social conditions, a person is forced to change the adaptation nature, that is re-adapt to different plans, starting with the perception of surrounding people and objects and ending with the value orientations and world view. When a person is unable to readapt, neuropsychiatric disorders are common. The form of adaptation depends on changes in the external or internal environment. The process of adaptation can be directed either to changing the external environment or changing the internal environment. In the first case, it is a modification of behavioural activity, where anxiety is reduced by an appropriate change of the situation. Such change in the situation may be the result of effective influence on it, blocking those forms of activity, which are accompanied by emotional stress. In the second case, anxiety is removed due to personality reorientation (intrapsychic adaptation) [10, p. 95-96].

Scientists in psychological research pay special attention to disorders of adaptation and highlight such trends in the functioning of a purposeful system as adaptability-maladaptation [11, p. 20].

For first-year students, changes in the environment, new, more complex learning conditions create an element of the situation novelty, which becomes a source of origin for their oriented needs. Under the influence of the last, adaptability or maladaptation is formed.

Non-adaptability can also act as maladaptation in cases of constant failure to try to achieve the goal or in the presence of two or more equivalent goals. It may testify to the individual immaturity, neurotic disorders, disharmony in decision-making; it can also be the result of an extreme situation.

Disadaptation depends on psychological defences, features of the “I-concept” of the individual, the social roles it performs [7, p. 52-53].

It was found that different types of adaptive interaction between the individual and the environment are interrelated levels of functioning of socio-psychological adaptation. In particular, psychological analysis at the level of the subject corresponds to adaptation as a process, and at the level of the individual - adaptation as a result. When it comes to adaptive processes, structure and dynamics of adaptive activity, we should talk about the adaptability, inadaptation and disadaptation of a person as a subject of his life. However, when there is a formalization of mental processes in the form of states and complexes (fear, depression, neuroticism, etc.) it will be correct to use the terms such as “adaptability”, “inadaptation” or “disadaptation of personality”. There is a certain conditionality in the proposed delimitation of concepts. However, in theoretical terms, it has a significant advantage, as it allows a more differentiated presentation of the palette of real human interaction with the environment. It is clear that both the levels of psychological cognition (horizontal section) and the levels of socio-psychological adaptation (vertical section) are closely related, intertwined and complemented each other. Thus, in each individual, the real picture of his mutual adaptation to the world involves almost all the “dimensions-characteristics” of socio-psychological adaptation [6, p. 105].

The higher the level of personal development of a first-year student is the greater the environment on which he focuses in his behaviour, goes beyond his immediate environment. At the same time, it expands “not only horizontally, but also in time and content” [12, p. 49].

In addition, in the process of socio-psychological adaptation of the first-year students to new learning conditions, it is necessary to take into account the external and internal factors, such as:

- features of the educational process (features of the influence of the education organization, forms of control, schedule of classes, independent work, correspondence of the volume of educational load on morph functional possibilities of first-year students (dynamics of mental working capacity, somatic and physiological features); social ties and environment (stressful situations);

- Individual psychological features of applicants (features of temperament; adaptive capabilities at the cognitive, emotional and evaluative levels and regulation of behaviour; the level of anxiety, self-rating, the ability to self-management; communication skills).

An important feature is to take into account the direction of educational activities of young people and its impact on their personal growth, the formation of “I-concept”.

Thus, a sign of social maturity of a first-year student is the ability clearly and accurately to manipulate the skills of behaviour and communication. The success of acquiring differentiated social skills depends on the ability to gain social experience and on the psychological type of young person. Difficulties of socio-psychological adaptation of the individual arise in those social situations in which it has acquired adaptive forms of behaviour. A first-year student may find himself in a problematic situation when he attributes to other participants in the social process uncharacteristic typological features and begins to act following his biased expectations.

As a result, we concluded about the prospects and expediency of continuing the further search in the direction of revealing the psychological features of socio-psychological adaptation of higher education students in the first year of study and ways to accelerate it to new learning conditions, especially in distance learning.

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