- Кулаєва, Тетяна Валеріївна (orcid.org/0000-0003-0298-1060) (2023) Psychological features of the experience of loneliness in adulthood Masters thesis, ДЗВО «Університет менеджменту освіти».
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Text (Дисертація Т.Кулаєва зі спеціальності 053 "Психологія")
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Abstract
Kulaieva, T. V. Psychological features of the experience of loneliness in adulthood. – A qualifying scientific work, manuscript. A thesis for the scientific degree of PhD in specialty 053 Psychology. – State Institution of Higher Education “University of Educational Management”, Kyiv, 2023. The thesis aimed to theoretically substantiate and experimentally study of the psychological features of experiencing loneliness in adulthood, the author's theoretical model of experiencing loneliness in adulthood is proposed, as well as a psychological program to promote the constructive experience of loneliness in adulthood. The object of research is the experience of loneliness in adults, and the subject is the psychological factors of the constructive experience of loneliness in adults. The purpose of the study was to justificate theoretically and to study empirically the psychological features of experiencing loneliness in adulthood. In today's crisis conditions, the number of psychological problems of the individual, which require an urgent solution, has increased significantly. Among these problems, a special place is occupied by the experience of loneliness, which, in particular, is caused by global social crises, such as COVID 19 and related changes in the educational system and the redistribution of jobs on the global labor market, as well as military actions in various parts of the world (Ukraine , Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia) and the social and humanitarian disasters caused by them. According to the theoretical analysis of the literature, the main theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of the experience of loneliness (psychoanalytic (psychodynamic), phenomenological, sociological, existential, interactionist, cognitive, intimate, etc.) the needs of the individual in communication and the quality of his social environment. Conducted the experience of loneliness reaches its highest level in adulthood (although the origins and roots of this experience can be found in the individual's adolescence, and in some cases in his childhood), when a person decides most of his life goals, such as creating a family, professional and personal realization, building a "community", i.e., social resource-supporting connections. So, it is very important to consider certain specifics in the experience of loneliness for an adult personality at each life stage of adulthood. In the structure of adult loneliness, three main components (cognitive, affective and conative (behavioral)) and two poles of a person's perception of loneliness (positive and negative) are distinguished, which are included in the author's theoretical model of experiencing this phenomenon. The cognitive component of experiencing loneliness is determined by the degree of awareness, understanding, and evaluation of the situation of loneliness. According to the content characteristics of the cognitive component of loneliness, the peculiarities of perceiрing oneself as a person who has or does not have sufficiently close relationships, the ability (inability) to find a source in alone being, satisfaction or dissatisfaction with self-realization, etc. The affective (emotional-valuable) component of loneliness is represented by feelings such as frustration, experiencing one's own isolation, or, on the contrary, the presence of close, trusting, warm relationships with others, primarily with one's own family or romantic partner. The conative (behavioral) component is represented by an avoiding the situations of loneliness as well as inability to be alone with oneself, and on the other side, a tolerant attitude to solitude, autonomy, the ability to resist the pressure of public opinion and the development of one's own standards of behavior. The deficit (negative) and surplus (positive) poles correlate with the dual nature of the phenomenon of experiencing loneliness in adulthood. At the same time, we associate the transformation of the negative experience of loneliness into a positive one and its correction with strategies of overcoming behavior (coping strategies) of an adult personality The transformation of the negative experience of loneliness into a positive one and its correction was associated with coping strategies (coping strategies) of an adult personality. This approach opens up wide possibilities for the use of psychotherapeutic work, when there is a need to turn a negative into a positive, ensuring the transformation of a person's negative psychological state into a neutral or positive one. In order to empirically study the features and factors of experiencing loneliness in adulthood, a diagnostic complex of determining the levels and components of experiencing loneliness in adulthood was selected and tested using part of the research methods in the author's adaptation. According to the results of the empirical study, the uneven development of the components of the experience of loneliness was revealed, which proved the feasibility of a comprehensive study not only of the general indicator, but also of the components of loneliness. It was established that the weakest in the structure of loneliness are the cognitive component (only 20% of adults demonstrated a high level of it, which indicates a generally low level of self-awareness and psychological awareness among the subjects) and the affective component (40% of the subjects have a low level of the component, intensively represented by such feelings , such as frustration, experiencing one's own isolation, lack of close, trusting, warm relationships with others, primarily with one's own family or romantic partner). According to the results of the cluster analysis using the K-Means Cluster procedure, the distribution of the subjects according to the general levels of the constructive experience of loneliness was revealed, and it was established that the majority of the subjects demonstrated a low (36.3%) and below average level (12.6%) of this indicator. In the end of the ascertaining stage of the empirical research, based on the results of the correlation analysis of the levels of the constructive experience of loneliness according to the author's model and the levels of loneliness detected according to the author's adaptation of the methodology of D. Russell and M. Ferguson "The Loneliness Scale" (UCLA Loneliness Scale), a weak (ρ = - 0.2) but statistically significant feedback relationship between these indicators on levels p < 0.01. Therefore, the lower the level of constructive experience of loneliness demonstrated by the subjects, the higher the level of loneliness they reveal. This, in our opinion, testifies to the empirical confirmation of the author's theoretical model of the constructive experience of loneliness. According to the data established by variance analysis, gender-age characteristics of the experience of loneliness among adults were revealed. Women generally feel more lonely than men, and the level of loneliness in women decreases with age. Although between the ages of 20 and 40, women show a decrease in the level of loneliness, and men - on the contrary. As for the socio-demographic characteristics of loneliness in adults, their dependence on: the composition of the parental family, the presence of children, and the place of residence was revealed. Men who grew up in single-parent families demonstrate a higher level of loneliness than men from full-parent families (p<0.05). On the contrary, women from full-parent families have a higher level of loneliness than women who grew up in single-parent families. As for the place of residence, the level of loneliness of men practically does not change, or changes slightly, depending on whether a given man lives in a city or a village. On the other hand, women who live in the city feel much more lonely than women from the villages. At the empirical stage of the research, it was also established that there is a significant number of adults who do not possess constructive coping strategies. Therefore, it can be assumed that there is a direct connection between the experience of loneliness as an adult and coping strategies (coping strategies) that this person directly uses when experiencing stress, including when experiencing loneliness. At the second stage of the empirical study, based on the results of a cluster analysis of the data obtained according to the author's adaptation of the methodology of R. Lazarus and S. Folkman , the distribution of the studied adults into groups was revealed, depending on the prevailing strategies of coping behavior: "flexible", "avoidant" and "socially oriented" types (according to the author's definition). At the same time, according to the results of ANOVA, statistically significant differences (p < 0.01) were found in the choice of strategies of coping behavior in adulthood depending on gender, place of residence and composition of the parental family. A psychological program of promoting the constructive experience of loneliness in adulthood, which containing three modules, was developed and tested. Module 1 "Experience of loneliness in adulthood, the essence and theoretical approaches", is aimed at increasing the level of awareness of the researched about loneliness as a dual state associated with coping behavior programs characteristic of an adult personality. Module 2. "Loneliness and overcoming behavior of an adult personality: psychological diagnosis and conditions of development"- psychodiagnostic, which provides awareness of both one's own level and peculiarities of experiencing loneliness, as well as coping strategies inherent in the participants of the program. Module 3. "Development of the ability to constructively experience loneliness in adulthood" is aimed at practicing the skills and abilities to identify one's own non-constructive programs of coping behavior, mastering constructive coping strategies, as well as improving communication skills and the ability to manage one's own emotional states. The effectiveness of the author's program of psychological support for the constructive experience of loneliness in adulthood is proven, as evidenced by the positive, statistically significant dynamics of the levels of the general constructive experience of loneliness of the participants of the experimental group in general and for all components of the experience of loneliness, in particular, in contrast to the control group. The scientific novelty and theoretical significance of the research is that: for the first time: • developed a theoretical model of the constructive experience of loneliness in an adult, which consists of three components (cognitive, affective and conative (behavioral) and two poles of a person's perception of loneliness (deficit and surplus), which contain a complex of relevant qualities; • a statistically significant relationship at the trend level between the level of loneliness according to the author's model of loneliness and the general level of loneliness determined according to the standard classical questionnaires was proved; • a systematic analysis of the connection between the features of experiencing loneliness and strategies of coping behavior in adulthood was carried out; • a comprehensive system of measures aimed at promoting the constructive experience of loneliness in adults, taking into account their personal characteristics, was developed, a psychological program to promote the constructive experience of loneliness in adulthood was theoretically substantiated, tested and implemented in the educational process; • trends in the development of the components of loneliness in adults are determined (uneven level of development in the majority of all the components of loneliness studied, and a relatively insufficient level of the cognitive component), gender-age and socio-demographic features of experiencing loneliness in adulthood); • clarified the essence of the concepts: "loneliness", "experiencing loneliness", "constructive coping strategies", "overcoming behavior in adulthood"; • provisions on the psychological foundations of the constructive experience of loneliness by adults during global social and economic and cultural crises were further developed. The practical significance of the research lies in the fact that the obtained empirical results, psychodiagnostic tools and a program to promote the constructive experience of loneliness in adulthood can be used in institutions of higher education when teaching psychological disciplines, in particular in the process of training pedagogical workers and practical psychologists, in the system of psychological services of institutions of higher education in the organization of appropriate corrective and developmental procedures, can be used in the work of practicing teachers, practical psychologists for more effective construction of the educational process and work with education seekers. Also, the results of the study can be used in the system of psychological support of the population displaced during the war, in particular, in conducting psychodiagnostic procedures and trainings to maintain psychological health and adapt to new conditions of stay. The completed dissertation research does not exhaust all aspects of the problem of the constructive experience of loneliness in adulthood. Perspectives for the further study of the problem of loneliness can be pointed as an in-depth analysis of the phenomenon in terms of the connection between the general level of loneliness and the elements of the structure of the phenomenon, as well as further improvement, testing and further integration of psychological support programs for Ukrainians, who have lost important social network during the Russia to Ukraine invasion and were also forced to change their place of residence and social environment, to define and provide appropriate conditions for psychological support of adults with a high level of loneliness, etc. An in-depth study of the socio-demographic factors of experiencing loneliness is important, especially those that contribute to the unconstructive experience of loneliness due to gender stigmatization of a single adult.
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