Value-Intentional Mechanisms of Socio-Psychological Adaptation to the Conditions of the Military Educational Environment in Adolescence

Objective. The paper is devoted to the study of the value-intentional mechanisms and strategies of socio-psychological adaptation of young men to the conditions of the military educational environment.Background. The system of values and orientation of the individual is considered as a central element of the process of socio-psychological adaptation. The significance of value-motivational factors in determining certain types of human social behavior (creativity, aggressive and pro-environmental actions, political activity, etc.) has been shown in several studies. At the same time, specific value-intentional determinants, and mechanisms of socio-psychological adaptation to various conditions of the professional and educational environment remain practically unexplored. The task of the present study was to identify informative value-intentional mechanisms of adaptation to the conditions of the military educational environment. Study design. The process of socio-psychological adaptation of young men to the conditions of a military institute was used as an experimental model. The respondents' value system was assessed in the longitudinal study for three times: upon admission (Stage 1), one month later (Stage 2), and one year after admission (Stage 3) to the institute. The effectiveness of the process of socio-psychological adaptation was determined at the 2nd and 3rd stages of the study. Participants. 120 young men took part in all stages of the study. The respondents were in the same social conditions of the educational military-professional environment during the entire period of the study: their regime of educational activities and leisure, as well as the nature of professional and interpersonal relationships were similar. Measurements. The S. Schwartz survey was used for the studying of the value system of the individual (“Schwartz Value Survey” (SVS) and “Portrait Value Questionnaire” (PVQ). The multi-level personality survey “Adaptiveness” (A.G. Maklakov, S.V. Chermyanin), methods “Neuro-psychic Adaptation” (I.N. Gurvich) and “Self-assessment of the Psycho-emotional State” SUPOS-8 (O. Mikshek, modified by V.A. Kulganov) were used for assessing of the adaptation efficiency. Statistical data processing was carried out using the SPSS 22.0 program: a statistical analysis of differences was carried out according to the Wilcoxon's T-test and Mann-Whitney U-test; correlation, factorial, regression types of analysis were applied. Results. It has been established that young men with high and low efficiency of adaptation to the conditions of the military educational environment implement, respectively, group-centric, and egocentric value-intentional strategies of socio-psychological adaptation. Each of these strategies is represented by different value-intentional mechanisms. Conclusions. The egocentric value-intentional strategy of socio-psychological adaptation among respondents with its low efficiency is implemented by the following mechanisms: an increase in the importance of egocentric motives to the detriment of group-centric ones; restructuring of the value hierarchy at both levels of value representation with increased intentions for sensual pleasures, independence and social dominance; the formation of the value opposition "security-independence" with the equal magnitude of competing motives in it; the emergence of a mismatch between the value-normative and motivational-behavioral levels of value representation. The main mechanisms of the group-centric value-intentional strategy of socio-psychological adaptation among respondents with its high efficiency are: maintaining the stability of the hierarchy of the value system with dominance at all stages of adaptation of attitudes towards safe-friendly and conformal relationships in a social group; restoration by the end of the adaptation process of consistency between the value-normative and motivational-behavioral levels of value representation; the formation of a dynamically stable value opposition "achievement-kindness" with the equal magnitude of the motives involved in it.