Young Adults in Subjectively Difficult Situations. A Qualitative Research of the Ways of Confronting Problems in the Work Environment

Abstract

The subject of the article is the functioning of contemporary young adults in situations subjectively difficult for them. The aim of the research was to reconstruct and analyse the ways of dealing with young adults in situations perceived by them as difficult. The research involved 122 people aged 20–35. The data was collected using a follow-up interview and a questionnaire. The studies were conducted using a research paradigm defining phenomena as a process (a processual approach), revealing its complexity of the phenomenon and internal mechanisms as well as their genesis (analysis aimed at reconstructing the diversity of its internal structure using qualitative analyses and one of the methods of data mining – Quinlan’s C4.5 algorithm). An empirical model was obtained showing the spectrum of ways of coping with difficulties encountered by young people in their everyday life: from (1) withdrawal or submission, or (2) controlling the area of activity by imposing/adopting rules, to (3) going beyond self-protection with minimising failures, or (4) perceiving confrontation with problems as a natural component of life.