Legal and military psychology

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Modern draftees' value evaluation of the main categories of being

LEGAL AND MILITARY PSYCHOLOGY

Zvezdina G.P., Priymak E.N.

Modern Draftees' Value Evaluation of the Main Categories of Being

In the article the authors touch upon the urgency of studying the value and sense sphere of modern draftees. Features of socialization of the modern youth living in conditions of society's global transformation are shown. They bring forward results of the empirical study of the relation of draftees to the main categories of being, service in armed forces, their understanding of value bases of military activities and their role in the modern world. They distinguish and describe features of draftees' value relation to such categories as patriotism, courage, debt, directly related to military service.

In conditions of transformations and deep changes of the modern global world understanding of youth as a special ontological phenomenon becomes important. Projecting the future of civilization, definition of a vector of cultural development and scientific and technical progress makes studying of youth as a subject of world development necessary.

In any historical era youth had a sticky time because of the uncertainty of its social position. Today's young Russians are in special conditions. Transition to information has changed a mode of life and a world picture, revolution in a social and economic structure has led to the crisis of value consciousness and reconsideration of own place in society.

“Today the person lives in a qualitatively new space of open borders; he/she is influenced by a huge pressure of information that defines deep changes of his/ her perception, consciousness, thinking, the sphere of needs and motivation, emotional and volitional sphere, life rhythms, spaces of activity, conflicts within, ethical and value aspects of being, and also emergence of new needs and new opportunities of their realization” [6].

Youth always reacts to all changes most sensitively, and its value orientations are characterized by instability and they are very influenced by random factors. Now many psychologists and sociologists (E. I. Golovakha, E. M. Dubovskaya, A. Kirillova, I. A. Kudryavtsev, N. M. Lebedeva, T. A. Perevoznaya, O. F. Semenova, A. Tikhomandritskaya, S. S. Bubnova, L. F. Shestopalova) study value orientations of youth, but, despite it, in modern psychological science value orientations of a forming personality remain an important and little-studied problem. draftees armed being

An important step in studying of value orientations was statement of a problem of development of value orientations. A. I. Dontsov, V. A. Yadov, M. Rokich, L. M. Smirnov, Sh. Schwartz, U. Bilski, B. I. Dodonov, E. Shpranger, E. I. Golovakh paid their attention to this problem. Among groups of youth senior schoolchildren and tudents (B. S. Alishev, B. S. Bratus, O. G. Drobnitsky, A. G. Zdravomyslov, M. S. Kagan, V. P. Tugarinov, etc.) are presented in researches of scientists the most. They also pay much attention to studying of the sense sphere of youth: most often these researches are devoted to identification of the age dynamics of a sense forming activity (I. V. Abakumova, I. G. Zhukov, S. V. Kachurovskaya, etc.).

The carried out analysis of the present researches of the value and sense sphere of youth in various social groups showed that in modern psychology of our country there is an obvious deficiency of works on studying of the value and sense sphere of military personnel. In this regard the problem of studying of the relation of draftees to the main categories of being, service in armed forces, their understanding of value bases of military activities and their role in the modern world is of special interest.

The modern army, as well as other spheres of Russian society, undergoes great changes. Swiftness of reforming of armed forces does make it possible for a new character of army to be reflected in the consciousness of military personnel adequately: the officer, the soldier, the recruit that seriously affects his activity and relation to army.

The future soldiers' understanding of the purposes and aims of military service is formed at school and, first of all, at lessons of pre-conscription training of young men, and the relation to army is formed by means of the mass media. Military service involves the use of weapon, military equipment and armed violence in relation to the enemy. According to this an original soldier is a person who has developed not only courage, persistence, tolerance, but also deep skills and abilities to use equipment and arms, modern information technologies skillfully.

The modern army demands a certain psychological and social preparedness of the young man called up for military service. On the one hand, the recruit is a young man of 18-23 years who, according to canons of age psychology, differs by aspiration to self-knowledge of own personality, to evaluation of its opportunities and abilities, differs by a certain inconsistence and maximalism. According to scientists, preadult age is sensitive for formation of value and sense orientations as a steady property of personality promoting formation of world outlook. At this age the majority of people join in the work process. According to American psychologists P. Mussen, J. Conger, J. Kagan and J. Geiwitz at this age the majority of people deal with the choice of career and the spouse, plan their life purposes and start to fulfil them [7].

On the other hand, the modern recruit is a person who was born at the turn of the century, during global transformation of social values and increase of a role of information agents of socialization. “Today, the multichannel system of socialization of youth is formed. Here the process of development of values and norms of society takes place differently in comparison with that was characteristic for traditional society with its intergenerational continuity and hierarchy, the strict role structure distributed between agents of socialization. The family, school and other educational institutions, groups of contemporaries, professional groups are the main agents of socialization, but it is necessary to consider that modern society is a society where information revolution has overthrown many ideas of the world, society, people, education, youth, its roles in society. Growth of influence of the mass media as an agent of socialization became the main symptom of the process of socialization around the world” [4].

Thus, features of modern youth are defined by its intermediate social position, psychological characteristics of this age period, type of social structure, culture and regularities of socialization peculiar to these society, discrepancy of different types of maturity - physical, intellectual, sexual, civil and labor. Achievement of identity is a new formation at this stage of age development. The social and psychological content of this life period is defined by a situation of multiple social choice in which a young finds himself.

For the purpose of studying features of draftees' value and sense sphere we have carried out the empirical research. Young men - draftees - at the age from 18 to 24 years, 121 persons, took part in the study. The average age of examines was 20,7 years. According to the education qualification the examinees were divided into the following groups: 21,9% of young men have received secondary education; 3,1% of young men have received post-primary education; 28,1% of examinees have received specialized secondary education; 9,3% - secondary professional education, 9,3% - uncompleted higher education and 28,1% have received higher education.

By means of a “Value spectrum” technique we have carried out the research of the group of draftees, young men at the age from 18 to 24 years. This technique belongs to category of Repertory Grids with the specified constructs. A. Maslow's highest ontological values are these constructs. This technique, according to D. A. Leontyev, provides “more direct access to the sense sphere in comparison with the traditionally used sense differential …” [3].

Examinees' answers on the “Value spectrum” reflect respondents' characteristics of various objects according existence (absence) of various values. The technique makes it possible to analyze results according to some criteria (a number of values inherent in each of estimated objects; the frequency of choice of various values for the characteristic of objects; the qualitative analysis of the specificity of evaluation of objects which are especially interesting for our research, such, as “life”, “death”, “present”, “past”, “future”, “patriotism”, “courage”, “debt”, etc.).

Let's consider the obtained results in more detail. Thus, to the category of life they attribute such characteristics (values), as good (12,5%), sense (15,6%), perfection (15,6%), completeness (6,2%), truth (6,2%) and the values which have obtained by one choice: beauty, ease, need, simplicity, uniqueness, integrity.

The category of labour has smaller value dispersion and greater unanimity in choices. Thus, the greatest number of choices corresponds to a dyad workneed (37,5%), vitality (18,8%), order (12,5%), self-sufficiency (12,5%), perfection (9,3%).

The category of love has the greatest density at determination of values. More than a half of respondents define love as beauty (31,2%) and unity of opposites (28,1%), and further in the line of descent: good (12,5%), sense (9,3%) simplicity, perfection, justice, uniqueness, integrity.

The category of death is more connected with completeness (37,5%), 9,3% -unity of opposites and 9,3% - ease, no more than 5%: vitality, truth, beauty, simplicity, perfection, uniqueness.

Concerning death it is possible to distinguish respondents who attribute it to truth, uniqueness, perfection, beauty. In our opinion, here there is an operation of the mechanism of idealization of the relation to life and death, imparting the romantic relation to death. It is a marker of the value of life and the noncritical relation to the fact of death.

The category of “human” more reflects such values, as uniqueness (25%), good (18,7%), unity of opposites (15,6%), perfection (9,3%), vitality (9,3%), by 6,3% - self-sufficiency, completeness, simplicity, justice, integrity (3,1%). Young people understand the human being as a unity of opposites than as an integrity self-sufficiency. May be this is connected with age features of examinees.

There are interesting results by the category “patriotism”. Young men attribute this category to 13 values from 18 presented, thus, none of the designated values was included into the priority group in this group. Patriotism is connected with truth (9,3%), order (9,3%), sense (6,3%), integrity (3,1%), uniqueness (6,3%), perfection (3,1%), vitality (3,1%), completeness (6,3%) and such values, as ease (6,3%), unity of opposites (6,3%), simplicity (3,1%), need (3,1%). In this group of respondents there is no unity in perception and understanding of such category, as patriotism.

Results of evaluation of courage have lesser dispersion in values. The greatest preference is given to a dyad courage-uniqueness (15,6%). Probably, respondents consider this category as seldom meeting in modern life and therefore give it the uniqueness status. Also courage is attributed to perfection (9,3%), beauty (9,3%), justice, integrity, self-sufficiency have obtained 6,3% each, and vitality, good and need have obtained 3,1% each.

As for debt, the greatest preference is attributed to need (15,6%), self-sufficiency (12,5%), justice (12,5%), completeness (9,3%), order (9,3%). Sense, perfection, good obtained single elections.

Thus, by the categories “patriotism”, “courage”, “debt” which are especially realized by young men when they serve in the army there is a wide value dispersion in this sample. By these results it is possible to draw a conclusion that the category of patriotism is the least comprehended by the modern young men and the least value defined.

The researcher A.I. Subbeto notes that, proceeding from the social nature of values, they designate those “importances” which express the relation of the person's survival and the human environment: society, people, nation, state, nature.

“Each society carries “the obligation turned to the future”, in the form of a “public ideal”. The “public ideal” is not only an image of the best social structure, but also a value model of the future (which is, as a rule, described by such social values as “justice”, “mutual aid”, “freedom”, “equality”, “harmonious development”, “spirituality”, etc.) In this context “ideal” always enters a “value gene pool” of the nation, people, ethnos, local civilization. If to analyze the history of Russia as the development of the Eurasian civilization, it is possible to define a value archetype of the Russian culture and cultures of other people of Russia, where such values as Homeland - Fatherland, native land (a “birthplace”, “there's Russian spirit, there's smell of Russia”), feat (selfless devotion), service (to the people, the country, the state), community, collectivism (Alexander Nevsky's call “For your friends”), conciliarism, brotherhood, mutual aid, friendship, love, family, honoring of parents and ancestors, social justice, equality, truth, work had a high priority [5].

Results of research testify to the effect that patriotism which young men attribute to ease, simplicity and need is at the same line with justice, perfection, integrity, truth. Young men have no clear awareness of patriotism as the value of Homeland; their public ideal is insufficiently formed. Today this public ideal is not clearly presented at the level of the state and society.

The end of the XX century in Russia was marked by growth of a negative attitude to Armed Forces, loss of military service prestige. The mass media have played a great role in formation of a negative image of army. In view of the fact that the value world of the modern young man is more characterized by a mediatization, young men are ready to perceive alien norms and values, to perceive information uncritically [2].

The relation of society and the mass media towards Armed Forces in many respects determines a moral and psychological condition of the military personnel, thus, and the combat readiness of forces, efficiency of their solution of problems, and also the attitude of rising generation towards it.

If to appeal to the analysis of priorities of school education, it is possible to note that only 6%-7% of graduates, students and parents point to the importance of patriotism, love for native country as a direction of school education and upbrining. 16% of respondents note the importance of this criterion for teachers.

This data indicate the lack of systemacy and purposefulness in education of civic consciousness and patriotism of the modern rising generation.

Interesting results are obtained by the category “growing” reflecting the status of youth in modern society. The greatest number of choices is given to the growing-vitality dyad (18,8%), then in a descending line: growing-truth (12,5%), growing-perfection (9,3%), beauty (6,3%), order (6,3%), integrity (6,3%), need (6,3%), completeness (3,1%), justice (3,1%). A third of respondents did not attribute any evaluation to the “growing” category. According to D.I. Feldstein, in the modern world they do not fix and attributively designate the growing process, the growing person's public value; there are no “special rituals of stage-by-stage fixing of growing. Today in our society, on the one hand, many “taboos” are reduced; on the other hand there is no trust to growing people, their “exclusion” outside the limits of narrowly children's affairs and cares” [6].

Thus, on the one hand, we observe wide value dispersion, on the other hand - discrepant society's requirements to youth complicate the process of its entry into adult life.

Evaluation of such categories of life as the past, the present and the future, has the features in the studied group of respondents. The past and the present are attributed to 13 being values; the future is attributed to 10 being values. Concerning the past by the following dyads obtained the equal quantity of choices: past completeness (12,5%), past-ease (12,5%), past-simplicity (12,5%). Other values are unity of opposites, vitality, completeness, need, self-sufficiency, sense, justice, uniqueness, integrity obtained single choices.

Concerning the present they attribute order (15,6%), ease (9,3%), sense (9,3%) to it, and by 6,3% they attribute to truth, beauty, completeness, self-sufficiency, integrity; uniqueness, justice, good, unity of opposites, vitality obtained single choices.

Young men are more unanimous concerning the future. 21,8% of respondents connect their future with sense; 9,3% of respondents connect their future with vitality, perfection and ease; completeness, truth, beauty, need, self-sufficiency, justice obtained single choices.

In psychology the meaning of life is understood as one of central motives, or even a complex of motives which induces us to certain actions and purposes. “The person focused on the search of sense in own actions can construct the future prospect, construct and compare various variants of behavior, set and acquire goals, look for and find the sense of own actions and own life. He/she is oriented towards the future and can make own choice” [3].

F.E. Vasilyuk's notion of sense is also closely connected with time perspective. He notes that though the sense is “out of time”, it is embodied in a time form as the “sense future” [ibid, p. 129]. It is obvious that the sense cannot exist out of a context of personal development, prospect, the future, which F.E. Vasilyuk figuratively designates as a “house” of sense. According to F.E. Vasilyuk, the “sense future” is a reflection of the relation of sense to the real, reality [1].

It is impossible to imagine the future without sensemaking. The image of the future is a category where the result of judgment of being is embodied; only by means of images of the future it is possible to impart sense to social reality.

The results of the carried out research testify to the existence of significant distinctions in draftees' evaluation of some of the distinguished categories:

? life: sense, perfection, good;

? death: completeness; unity of opposites, ease; ? person: uniqueness, good, unity of opposites;

? the past: completeness, ease, simplicity;

? the present: order, ease, sense; ? the future: sense, vitality, ease;

? patriotism: truth, order, sense, ease.

Modern young men, on the one hand, are guided by sense and meaning of the main categories of being, on the other hand, almost each category contains ease. Probably the emphasis on ease, on the one hand, may testify to young men's orientation towards comfort, development of personal responsibility, and on the other hand, to understanding of that the modern army is technological, and the modern soldier is, first of all, an operator operating modern military equipment.

Concluding the carried out research it is possible to note that modern draftees who, being influenced by information agents of multichannel socialization, have rather indistinct general value field. The greatest value dispersion is observed in relation to categories of patriotism, courage, the past, the present playing an important role in understanding of a serviceman's role and understanding of value bases of military activity.

References

1. Vasilyuk F. E. Psikhologiia perezhivaniia (analiz preodoleniia kriticheskikh situatsii) [The psychology of experience (the analysis of overcoming of critical situations)]. Moscow, MSU Publ., 1984. 200 p.

2. Zvezdina G. P., Priymak E. V. Sluzhba v armii v sisteme tsennostnykh orientatsii iunoshei prizyvnogo vozrasta [Military service in the system of value orientations of young men of military age]. Rossiiskii psikhologicheskii zhurnal - Russian Psychological Journal, 2013, V. 10, no. 2, pp. 32-40.

3. Leontyev D. A. Novye gorizonty problemy smysla v psikhologii // sb. Problema smysla v naukakh o cheloveke (k 100-letiiu Viktora Frankla) [New horizons of the problem of sense in psychology. The problem of sense in the humanities (commemorating the 100^th anniversary of Victor Frankl)]. Materialy mezhdunarodnoi konferentsii (Moskva, 19-21 maia 2005 g.) / pod redaktsiei D. A. Leont'eva [Materials of the international conference (Moscow, 19-21 May, 2005) / under the edition of D.A. Leontyev]. Moscow, Smisl Publ., 2005. 280 p.

4. Popov A. V. SMI kak agent sotsializatsii rossiiskoi molodezhi v informatsionnom obshchestve. Diss. cand. sots. nauk [The mass media as an agent of socialization of Russian youth in information society. Cand. soc. sci. diss]. Rostov-on-Don, 2009.

5. Subetto A. I. Tsennosti v sisteme obshchestvennogo intellekta. «Tsennostnaia voina» i zashchita tsennostnoi samoidentifikatsii rossiiskoi tsivilizatsii [Values in the system of social intelligence. “Value war” and protection of value self-identification of Russian civilization]. Akademiia Trinitarizma - Academy of Trinitarism, Moscow, 2003, p. 5.

6. Feldstein D. I. Sovremennoe Detstvo: problemy i puti ikh resheniya [Modern childhood: problems and ways of their solving]. Vestnik prakticheskoy psikhologii obrazovaniya - The Bulletin of Practical Psychology of Education, 2009, no. 2(19).

7. Mussen P., Conger J., Kagan J. and Geiwitz J. Psychological development: A Being Span Approach.

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