Early Maladaptive Schemas as Determinants of Student's Youth Lifestyle

The article is devoted to the problems of studying the life style in psychology and the factors of its formation. The aim of the work is to establish the role of early maladaptive schemes as factors in the formation of certain aspects of student youth lifestyle. Early maladaptive schemes are considered according to J. Young's concept as models of reality perception which were formed in childhood under the influence of traumatic events and represent the perception and interpretation mechanisms of life experience. The empirical research was carried out on a student sample (21-27 years old) of both sexes; the total number of the studied people was 195. The method of early memories analysis and its quantitative assessment by the parameters of social interest, life position questionnaire, self-assessment of personality maturity, method of personality maturity diagnosis, world assumptions scale, diagnosing of interpersonal relationships style, differential emotions scale and J.Young’s early maladaptive schemas (EMS) questionnaire were used in the investigation. The results in six typical models lifestyles constructing were identified: "Avoidance of contact", "Superiority Complex", "Assertiveness", "Mimetism", "Maturity", "Interpersonal dependence". Specific and nonspecific mechanisms of EMS influence on lifestyles has been established. Nonspecific mechanism was revealed only for the "Interpersonal dependence" style. The styles "Avoidance of contact", "Mimetism", " Superiority Complex", "Assertiveness", "Maturity" revealed specific mechanisms, which consist in traumatic foundation presence formed by certain EMS for each style. "Avoidance of contact" is shaped like enhanced autonomy and intimacy avoidance. "Mimetism" is associated with overcoming the inferiority feelings by imitating worthy socially approved behavior. The "Superiority complex" is a protective "mask" associated with the conflict between the inferiority feeling and the Self-grandiosity. Life styles that are mature ("Maturity" and "Assertiveness") have traumatic basis, formed due to fixations in the early stages of personality development, and the ability to achieve mature aspects of personality occurs through various coping strategies.

Teachers’ Constructivist and Ethical Beliefs

Teachers’ approaches and beliefs are key determinants of teachers’ practice. This study was designed to examine whether two aspects of Irish primary teacher beliefs are associated, their views on constructivist practices and their views on two ethical dimensions (idealism and relativism). The views of a sample of 35 teachers were assessed using the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES) and the Ethical Position Questionnaire (EPQ). Significant relationships were found between ethical position and scores on dimensions on the CLES. For example, idealistic teachers valued uncertainty and student negotiation more than teachers with high relativist scores. The results are discussed in the context of continuing professional development and future research.

Attitude to Support the Child's Subjective Position and Posttraumatic Growth in Parents of Children with Disabilities

The paper considers the birth of a child with disability as a crisis and traumatic situation for parents. It focuses on the importance of cooperative orientation in the upbringing process, both for the child’s mental health and social adaptation and for overcoming the crisis and making post-traumatic personal growth in the parents possible. We present results of the validation of the ‘Parental Support of the Disabled Child’s Subjective Position’ questionnaire aimed at identifying the parent’s attitude to recognise and support the child’s independence and constructive initiative in various activities and provide him with the necessary assistance in his zone of proximal development. The factor structure was tested on a sample of 201 subjects (mothers of children with mental disabilities) aged 25 to 50 years (average age 39.6 years) by means of confirmatory factor analysis. As a result, a version that included one scale of 12 points was substantiated (Cronbach alpha 0.8). Converged validity was assessed on a sample of 107 subjects (mothers of children with disabilities) using the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory by R. Tedeschi and L. Calhoun in the adaptation by M.Sh. Magomed-Eminova and the World Assumptions Scale by R. Janoff-Bulman in the adaptation of O.A. Kravtsova. A positive relationship was found between the indicators of the ‘Parental Support of the Disabled Child’s Subjective Position’ questionnaire and the indicators of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, as well as with the basic assumptions concerning the benevolence of the world, self worth and the ability to handle emerging problems. It was also revealed that more emotionally stable parents (with low scores on the Beck Depression Inventory) support their child's subjective position more frequently. The findings are illustrated by excerpts from structural interviews with mothers of children with disabilities.

Lifestyles of Modern Student Youth

The article is devoted to the problem of modern youth lifestyle constructing which is actual and deals with active transformations taking place in the socio-cultural space of Ukraine. The main construct which is the theoretical basis of the study is “lifestyle” as an integral characteristic of individuality which is considered in A. Adler’s approach. Lifestyle is understood as a multidimensional phenomenon that unites different levels and aspects of personality development: early personality’s experience, level of personality’s maturity, features of personality’s emotional traits, stable interpretations of the world, features of social interaction and relationships’ maintaining. The aim of the work was to find out typical patterns of lifestyle constructing by modern student youth. The empirical research was carried out on a student sample (21-27 years old) of both sexes; the total number of the studied people was 195. The method of early memories’ analysis and its quantitative assessment by the parameters of social interest, life position questionnaire, self-assessment of personality’s maturity, method of diagnosis of personality’s maturity, world assumptions scale, diagnosing of interpersonal relationships’ style, differential emotions scale were used in the investigation. Result in six typical models lifestyles constructing were identified: "Avoidance of contact", "Superiority Complex", "Assertiveness", "Mimetism", "Maturity", "Interpersonal dependence". The revealed styles can be presented as a model with three dimensions: "orientation from people – to people" ("Avoidance of contact" and "Interpersonal dependence"); " external orientation – internal orientation "("Mimetism" and "Maturity"); “Self-grandiosity – healthy self-esteem” (“Superiority Complex” and “Assertiveness”). The article reveals the content of each style, provides data on gender differences and the main trends in the life structuring at modern youth space. It has been shown that young women are characterized by a greater tendency to imitate external norms and behavior patterns, which makes them vulnerable to social influences, especially in crisis periods during their life. Modern young men experience difficulties in assimilating masculinity, which leads to models of codependency assimilation in relations with a close social environment and fixes the personality in an immature life position. The revealed patterns do not cover all possible diversity, but determine the main trends in the life structuring in the modern youth space.

Chinese Ethics: An Empirical Study of Idealism and Relativism

The purpose of this empirical study is to examine the relationships between ethical views of certain Chinese demographics and to consider different trends that may affect academic and business considerations in the future pertaining to East-West interaction. This study utilizes Forsyth’s Ethics Position Questionnaire (EPQ) to assess the ethical views of 401 Chinese undergraduate students in a rural province of Central China. Regression analyses are applied to investigate the following hypotheses: In a new Chinese context, the EPQ is applicable for assessing the ethical views of Chinese undergraduate students in rural China. Rural Chinese undergraduate student EPQ results are demonstrative of, and, in view of prior studies, are predictive of changes in Chinese ethical considerations. Rural Chinese undergraduate student EPQ results reflect long held Eastern worldview approaches however, in view of prior studies, there is some increasing similarity with Western EPQ outcomes. The findings of this study support the acceptance of the first and third null hypotheses. The practical implications of this study include an understanding that China, though it is rapidly equating with Western levels of market technology and sophistication, continues to resist Western ideals and ethics. Rather, the blending of Western and Eastern principles will continue to evolve and the Chinese worldview will continue to be dominated by the goals and needs of the Chinese State in a reflection of the millennia old culture. The value of this study is that it updates data relating to Chinese ethical approaches in a fast-changing Chinese and global marketplace. Secondly, it clarifies the different considerations and approaches needed when Westerners are dealing with Chinese counterparts in academia and/or business. Lastly, it posits current and future trends likely to affect East-West relationships in these realms.

Ethical Ideology of Managers in Banking Sector in India

The present paper presents the analysis of ethical ideology of managers working in banking sector in Punjab, India. For the purpose of understanding ethical ideology of managers Ethics Position Questionnaire (Forsyth, 1980) is administered to 274 managers working in ten banks in Punjab state of India. Managers are then classified into different ethical ideologies as per Forsyth’s ethical taxonomy (Forsyth, 1980). The results found that most of the bank managers are situationists and very few are absolutists. It is also found that none of the managers fall in the exceptionist or subjectivist group. It shows that there is probability of most of the Indian Bank managers using less of universal moral rules and more appraise the current situation and use it as the basis for making a judgment.

How Ethical Ideologies Relate to Public Attitudes Toward Nonhuman Animals: The Japanese Case

How ethical ideologies relate to public attitudes toward nonhuman animals is an increasingly prominent topic, yet it has been largely unstudied, particularly in Asian countries such as Japan. Using the Ethics Position Questionnaire (EPQ), Animal Attitude Scale (AAS), and Animal Issue Scale (AIS) in the present study, we examined how ethical ideologies and human demographics relate to public attitudes toward animals from a Japanese cultural perspective. The results of a questionnaire (N = 900) distributed throughout Japan indicate that public attitudes toward animals were positively associated with idealism and negatively associated with relativism. These findings are similar to those from China, but partly in contrast with those from the United States, where relativism was unrelated to attitudes toward animals. Our findings add to a growing recognition of how individual philosophy relates to public attitudes toward animals in Asian countries.

Moral Identity and Its Links to Ethical Ideology and Civic Engagement

The study explored the role of moral identity (internalization and symbolization) in the civic engagement (attitude and behaviour) of youth through ethical ideology (idealism). A total of 217 individuals ( M = 22.5, SD = 3.4) comprising of 104 girls and 113 boys completed three scales, namely, moral identity scale, ethics position questionnaire (EPQ) and civic engagement scale. The results showed that moral identity internalization significantly predicted civic engagement attitude and moral identity symbolization significantly predicted civic engagement behaviour. Furthermore, idealism partially mediated the relationship between moral identity and civic engagement (attitude).

Ethical Ideology of Business Students in India: An Empirical Study

This study examines the ethical ideology of business students in the state of Punjab, India. This study uses Ethics position Questionnaire (Forsyth, 1980) to determine ethical ideology on basis of two dimensions-idealism and relativism. The sample consists of 160 postgraduate students studying in three universities in Punjab. It is found that most of the students are idealistic in their ethical orientation and fall into situationist category. It is also found that the difference of idealism and relativism scores between male and female students is not significant.

Assessment of the Ethical Orientations of Turkish Teachers

Students’ development in terms of values, moral education and character is crucial for the culture of any society. Considering that these are gained through family and school, school principals and teachers can be the key players. Even if teachers do not deliberately act as models or ethic agents, or their main purpose is not merely ethical education, they still affect the students directly and indirectly. Therefore, exploration of their ethical decisions and what orientations guide them in making those ethical decisions is highly important. In this regard, teachers’ ethical orientation is worth measuring. In this study, Ethical Position Questionnaire [1], which has so far been commonly used to explore ethical orientations of a variety of professionals and cultural groups was translated into Turkish; and validity and reliability study was applied on teachers. Research group consisted of 251 primary school teachers working in state schools located in Kocaeli province, Turkey. To identify the construct validity of Ethical Position Questionnaire (EPQ), factor analysis was conducted. The analysis revealed that EPQ is two factor-structured and these factors explain 45% of the variance. Cronbach’s Alpha internal consistency reliability assessed for the total items of Turkish version of EPQ was .81 and for the first subscale –idealism-, for the second scale –relativism- was found .84 and .86 respectively. In conclusion, The Turkish version of Ethical Position Questionnaire was identified as a valid and reliable research tool to assess ethical positions of primary school teachers.