Features of usage of copying strategies by workers of the socionic sphere in under stress

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UDK 159.9.07

Features of usage of copying strategies by workers of the socionic sphere in under stress

Kashirina E. V.

In the article psychological features of formation of coping strategies of employees of the socionic sphere undergoing professional stress are considered. Special attention is paid to features of usage of coping strategies by workers depending upon their experience. The analysis of the research results of coping behavior features among workers with different work experience is presented. There has been proved the necessity for further implementation of practically oriented programs aimed at preservation and revitalization of compensatory, protective, regulatory mechanisms that provide stress resistance, employability, efficiency and development of an employee's personality during professional activity.

Keywords: psychological defense, coping behavior, coping resources, coping mechanisms, professional stress, stress resistance, professional activity.

Каширіна Є.В.

ОСОБЛИВОСТІ ВИКОРИСТАННЯ КОПІНГ-СТРАТЕГІЇ ПРАЦІВНИКАМИ СОЦІОНОМІЧНОЇ СФЕРИ В УМОВАХ СТРЕСУ

У статті розглядаються психологічні особливості формування копінг- стратегій працівників соціономічної сфери, що піддаються професійному стресу. Особлива увага приділяється особливостям використання стратегій подолання в залежності від досвіду працівників. Представлений аналіз результатів дослідження характеристик копінг-поведінки працівників з різним досвідом роботи. Продемонстровано необхідність подальшої реалізації практично орієнтованих програм, спрямованих на збереження і активізацію компенсаційних, захисних, регулятивних механізмів, що забезпечують стійкість до стресу, можливості працевлаштування, ефективність і розвиток особистості під час професійної діяльності.

Ключові слова: психологічний захист, копінг-поведінка, копінг-ресурси, копінг-механізми, професійний стрес, стресостійкість, професійна активність.

Каширина Е.В.

ОСОБЕННОСТИ ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИЯ КОПИНГ-СТРАТЕГИЙ РАБОТНИКАМИ СОЦИОНОМИЧЕСКОЙ СФЕРЫ В УСЛОВИЯХ СТРЕССА

В статье рассматриваются психологические особенности формирования копинг-стратегий работников социономической сферы, подвергающихся профессиональному стрессу. Особое внимание уделяется особенностям использования стратегий преодоления в зависимости от их опыта. Представлен анализ результатов исследования характеристик копинг-поведения испытуемых с различным опытом работы. Продемонстрирована необходимость дальнейшей реализации практически ориентированных программ, направленных на сохранение и активизацию компенсационных, защитных, регулятивных механизмов, обеспечивающих устойчивость к стрессу, возможности трудоустройства, эффективность и развитие личности во время профессиональной деятельности.

Ключевые слова: психологическая защита, копинг-поведение, копинг- ресурсы, копинг-механизмы, профессиональный стресс, стрессоустойчивость, профессиональная активность.

Problem definition. Currently the problem of studying the mechanisms of psychological defense of workers during their professional activity is particularly acute due to the increasing demands on the part of a society for a teacher's personality and his or her role in the training process. Professional activity of employees is emotionally intense and socially responsible form of activity, so it certainly has stress- producing character [7]. It is clear that employees, who is regularly in a stressed state, cannot fully perform their duties.

The presence of a large number of stress factors in a professional activity raises high demands to such a professionally meaningful integral characteristic of a teacher as stress resistance. Preservation or elevation of stress resistance of an education employee's personality is connected with searching, retaining and appropriate usage of resources which help to overcome the negative consequences of stress [6]. A special category of stress resistance resources under occupational stress is a character and means for overcoming stress situations are strategies and models for overcoming behavior or coping strategies [3].

Identification of relation between a teaching experience and a choice of coping strategies by an employee in stressful situations will help to take a fresh look at the problem of an educational process, to discover principles and mechanisms of the formation of a mechanism of defensive behavior and a level of stress resistance during professional activities, and besides it will help to approach the problem of preserving the psychological and somatic health of education employees more closely. stress coping professional experience

Analysis of recent researches and publications. According to scientific researchers of stress, psychological adaptation of a man takes place mainly through two mechanisms: psychological defense and coping behavior [1]. If coping behavior can be used by an individual consciously, can be chosen and changed depending on the situation, psychological defense mechanisms are unconscious and they become maladjusted in case of their fastening [5]. R. Lazarus regards psychological defense as a passive coping behavior [4]. Coping behavior is implemented on the basis of coping resources (personal adaptation reserves for optimal adaptation to stress situations) and coping strategies (means for stress overcoming).

In foreign psychology fundamental researches of coping are presented in the works of such scholars as D. Amirhan, T. Wills, R. Lazarus, L. Merfi, R. Mors, M. Seligman, S. Folkman, E. Fraydenberg, S. Hobfol and others. The theory of "coping" by R. Lazarus is the most developed and generally accepted.

In native (Soviet) psychology the beginning of the researches started in the 90's of the twentieth century and was presented by the works of L.I. Antsyferova, V.I. Holovanevskaya, R.M. Granovskaya, I.K. Muzdybayeva, S.K. Nartova-Bochaver, I.M. Nykolskaya etc.

In modern studies the problem of coping behavior is being considered in the following aspects: personal behavior in difficult extreme situations (L.V. Vinogradova, O.V. Libina, I.G. Malkina-Pyh), social and personal determinants for the choice of coping strategies (I.V. Golovanevskaya, L.I. Dementiy, T.L.Kryukova), the influence of the features of professional activity on an individual's behavior (N.Yu. Volyanyuk, T.A. Danilova, O.N. Yezhova, L.M. Karamushka, L.A. Kolesnychenko, K.I. Kornyev, G.V. Lozhkin, V.L. Malygin, N.V. Rodina). A special place to that problem was given in the works of such Ukrainian scholars as T.V. Zaychykova, S.D. Maksymenko, S.V. Malazoniy, O.L. Markovets, J.A. Pluzhnyk, S.A. Syvohrakova, O.I. Sklen, D.M. Kharchenko, V.M. Chernobrovkina etc.

The aim of the paper is to identify the dominant coping mechanisms in the structure of the professional activity of education employees under occupational stress depending on their teaching experience.

Presentation of the basic materials. Taking into account the above mentioned actual problems of the subject, we have analyzed coping strategies which are preferred by education employees under occupational stress, and divided them according to the work experience.

At that time the features of occupational stress overcoming by education workers were analyzed.

The total sample compiled 187 persons aged 25-54 years. According to the experience the teachers were divided into three comparable groups: from 8 months to 15 years ( the 1st group, 76 persons), from 16 to 30 years (the 2nd group, 68 people) and more than 30 years of teaching experience (the 3rd group, 43 people).

Mechanisms of coping strategies are stable personality's constructs and, therefore, changes can be traced only in a long-term dynamics of educational activity that was why such an interval had been chosen. The average length of work experience for the sample was approximately 14 years.

We used the following methods for studying that problem: the method of diagnosis of emotional burnout level of V.V. Boyko; coping test of R. Lazarus (adapted by T.L. Kryuk, O.V. Kuftyak, M.S. Zamyshlyayeva); the method of determining the mental "burnout" of A.A. Rukavishnykova; social profile, consisting of 6 main questions in which respondents were asked to indicate: full name, sex, age, place of work and position, as well as to mark the number of complete years of teaching experience.

We carried out a statistical analysis to identify the features of coping strategies' selection under occupational stress by education employees with varying work experience.

Significant differences were found in such coping strategies as "distancing", "self-control", "search for social support", "admission of responsibility", "evasion and escape", "positive reevaluation". Appeal to "distancing" by the respondents of the 2nd and the 3rd groups in various stressful situations, involves some cognitive efforts to reduce its significance. At the same time, a frequent usage of the given coping mechanism has a nature of quite a passive adaptation, because the constructive solution of a problem is absent. Frequent appealing to this coping mechanism facilitates progress of the maladjustment process in the professional environment of education workers. "Distancing" helps individuals to save their emotional and intellectual resources. The prevalence of such a coping in the respondents of the 2nd group can be explained, first of all, by the experience of response to various stressful situations, which is formed in the professional environment. Obviously, "distancing" takes a leading position in the second group in a certain age range, thus providing a passive adaptation to society and preservation of the psychic of an employee's personality.

Predominance of "self-control" in teaching staff of the 1st and the 3rd groups indicates the highest intensity of usage of this mechanism for solving emotionally stressful and problematic situations. If one draws parallels between unconscious mechanisms of psychological defense and conscious coping strategies, "self-control" can be compared with "intellectualization", which occurs when a person uses common sense solution of various problems in life.

Taking into account the constant tension of teaching work, constant interaction with different groups of people - colleagues, schoolchildren, educatees, students' parents, administration of institutions - coping strategy of "self-control" in the 3rd group dominates over the 2nd group. It can be explained by the fact that most of the respondents of the 3 rd group (who have more than 30 years of work experience) are in retirement. Unfortunately, social and economic situation in our country does not allow education workers "enjoy" deserved rest, and rivalry with young professionals in the modern labor market requires self-control, assimilation of new technologies, modern equipment etc.

The dominant position of the strategy of "self-control" in the 1st group of the respondents can be explained by the fact that they are mostly young professionals with up to 8 years' work experience, who are proving their professionalism, gaining authority among colleagues, administration, educatees and pupils.

At the same time conscious and frequent appealing to this coping mechanism can lead to some "callousness" and over-straining of a teacher's personality in a variety of everyday and professional situations.

Coping strategy "search for social support" is one of the most powerful coping resources of an individual. It should be mentioned that first of all social support is a protection that prevents diseases in crisis and stressful situations, makes a subject believe that he or she is loved, valued, cared about, considered to be a member of a social network and has mutual obligations with it [3]. The highest intensity of coping mechanism "search for social support" may be connected with the fact that the teaching staff of the 2nd and the 3rd groups believe that appeal to families, friends, relatives, close social circle is an important source of support for themselves and a means of solution of family, household , economic and social issues. Taking into account an average age in this group (40 years) and the system of relations that had been formed at a working place, in the family, among colleagues, friends social support is a necessary and important attribute of education worker's activity at this age. Less high rates of "search for social support" in the first group can be explained by the fact that young professionals without having enough resources of "social support" have to rely more on themselves, on their knowledge and skills. It applies not only to the professional activity but also to other aspects of life of the respondents in the first group. However, it should be noticed that social support can make not only positive but also negative effect. The latter is primarily connected with an inappropriate care assistance, which can lead to lack of control and helplessness.

The strategy "admission of responsibility", which turned out to be more expressed in the respondents of the 3rd group in this case, means a recognition of their role in a particular problem and is accompanied by attempts and actions for its solution. That is why employees of the 3rd group should be a so-called pattern for young teachers of the first group.

Comparison of coping strategies "evasion and escape" in the 1st, the 2nd and the 3rd groups is of particular interest. These strategies are generally unconstructive, because a problematic situation cannot be solved with their help. More active usage of such a mechanism by young professionals can be, unfortunately, explained by irresponsible attitude to occupational choice in some cases. Having faced with the difficulties during professional activity, such specialists even choose to leave the profession. Negative consequences of evasion strategy are particularly great in case of long-term stressors.

We can separately note the preferential usage of coping "positive reevaluation" by the representatives of the 3rd group. This principle means that some efforts should be made to give a positive means to a problematic situation.

Conclusions. Thus, the analysis of the results of the conducted study of coping behavior mechanisms among education employees with different work experience allows us to formulate the following conclusions.

Education employee's work experience affects his or her coping behavior. At the initial stage of professional activity such coping strategies as "admission of responsibility", "positive reevaluation" and "search for social support" are not actively used, but with increasing of the duration of the professional activity the frequency of usage of these coping strategies increases. Teachers more rarely reevaluate their own strength positively and they plan to solve problems that have risen with work experience from 15 to 30 years. It can be connected with the beginning of professional crisis, even professional deformation. However, as the diagram shows us, after passing of the professional line of 30 years the frequency of these coping - strategies increases again.

Basing on the foregoing, the need for timely external support, which would strengthen personal resources, promote socially adaptive, efficient functioning of a teacher in professional activity, becomes evident. Two aspects are important for education employees in the profession, the first of which is the ability to prepare for a difficult situation, and the second one is the ability to act in it (in the situation), if it has already risen [7]. Therefore there is a practical need for studying not only the psychosocial and personal factors of occupational adaptation and professional working capacity of teachers, but also for implementing practically oriented programs, aimed at preservation and revitalization of compensatory, protective, regulatory mechanisms within psychological services, which ensure working capacity, effectiveness and personal development of education employees under all conditions of professional activity.

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