Problems of Psychology in the 21st Century

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Authors: Editorial Board

Cover page, Vol. 1, 2012, PPC

4-5

Authors: Irena Gailienė

Market economy initiates competition process development as a driving force and as an outcome. Due to increasing economy development pace, one can predict that in the 21st century these processes are going to be more and more intensive. Competition should be considered in different aspects, because it penetrates not only into production, work, but also into social, interpersonal relations, has an influence on person’s maturity. On the one hand, competition conditions encourage the development of personality adaptive abilities, professional, social and personal competence development, lifelong learning and others, however permanent participation in competition hides in itself quite a lot of negative tendencies. Thus, competition raises great challenges for personality and for society, to overcome which is really necessary. One can find successful communication, good interpersonal relation conditions in humanistic psychotherapy, where three essential requirements are raised for the psychotherapist: authenticity, empathy and unconditional acceptance of the other (Rogers, 1951). It seems that not much is necessary: to audit the scale of values, giving priorities to human values, to be authentic, emphatic, to be able unconditionally accept the others; because they are valuable just only for that they are people, however, it occurs that at present it is very much.

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Authors: Adolfas Juodraitis, Liuda Radzevičienė

After the experience of alienation, insecurity, distrust and dismay in the family, getting into institutional care teenager is forced to feel it once more, on the other hand, new environment and intermittent situation in the care institution leads teenager to look for new ways for social interaction and often these ways are limited due to the peculiarities of teenager’s psychosocial development. It is complicated for youngster to master new and unusual forms of social interactions that are based on common activities and result planning, social activity and responsibility, because stereotypes of teenagers’ behaviour and reactions in the different situations cannot change so fast. The lack of social skills disturbs optimal development of social networks, determines low level of self control, decreases ability to solve conflict situations constructively, so usually they are forced to use known behavioural strategies (to behave aggressively and provocative in order to get advantage). In such situation the demonstration of advantage gets a specific attribution and transforms to the manifestations of concurrent aggression that are evident more and more often. Concurrent aggression determines complicated and difficult relationships between teenagers, institutional staff as well and with environment in general. The paper presents research which aim is to define concurrent behaviour among teenagers who are placed in the institutional care. With the authors’ permission approbated check list of self evaluation YSR 11/18 (Youth self report, Achenbach, Rescoria, 2001) was used and 14 – 17 years old 126 teenagers from different care institutions of Lithuania took place in the research. Approbated check list YSR 11/18 (Žukauskienė, Malinauskienė, 2008) consists of 20 statements that reveal social and behaviour (activeness) competences and 122 statements that let for the researcher to assess problems in behavioural and emotional performance. Six scales were used: anxiety/depression, withdrawal/depression, rules breaking, aggressive behaviour and scale of attention and social problems. The data of quantitative research point out those statistically significant correlate results of behaviour and emotional problems; the strongest ties among the teenagers group were set up between aggressive behaviour and breaking of the rules. The results of correlation analysis proved that anxiety/depression scale of teenagers placed into the institutional care closely correlates with social problems, and social problems are in tight relations with aggressive behaviour and lack of attention and lack of attention correlates with aggressive behaviour, as well. In qualitative research 6 interviewers were involved. Applying method of narrative research the subjective point of view of teenagers on striving for domination, manifestations of aggression signs and factors that determine such their behaviour was done.

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Authors: Mario Ulises Martínez-Quintana, Julio C. Penagos-Corzo

The purpose of this study is to compare the features of Open Source and Open Access movements against those of the classic publishing model. It is argued that scientific dissemination is hindered by the continuous rise of academic journals prices, while the quality of research may be impaired by conflicts of interest arising from the commercialization of scientific knowledge. This study also shows some dissemination tendencies in English and Spanish Psychology journals. It is hinted that standard publication and editorial dissemination processes do not appear to be adjusting quick enough, to follow the technological and social changes required by the current scientific production. The authors of the present study conclude that Open Access scientific publishing could ensure a higher efficiency in the distribution of scientific knowledge in comparison to the standard publishing model. In addition it is conjectured that Open Access publishing might also reduce the incidence of conflicts of interests.

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Authors: Nadia Rania, Paola Cardinali, Chiara Cifatte, Laura Migliorini

Several studies have investigated the conditions for adolescents’ adjustment in multicultural contexts. Self-esteem is commonly considered as an index of well-being and of the psychological adjustment of adolescents. Literature on self-esteem maintains that a good level of self-esteem depends on the quality of the subject’s intimate relations with family and friends. In a globalized world the personal and relational impact of the management of cross-cultural contacts with the majority and minority groups is becoming increasingly relevant. This study explores the relationship between the constructs of support, self-esteem, well-being and cultural self-efficacy. The research project used a quantitative methodology through the administration of a self-report questionnaire. There were 312 participants, with a mean age of 15 years (20.5% immigrants). The results show that young immigrants have higher levels of cultural self-efficacy than Italian adolescents. However, in Italian adolescents, cultural self-efficacy correlates with family support. Italians who choose not only Italian friends but also foreign friends have higher levels of cultural self-efficacy. Opportunities for deeper investigation of cultural self-efficacy in the social context are discussed.

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Authors: Аlla G. Portnova, Alexander M. Bogomolov

This paper presents a theoretical analysis of the problem of determining the integral parameters of the psychological development. The publication touches the main factors, mechanisms and natural laws of mental development, presented in the works of foreign and Soviet / Russian researchers. The effects of psychological development are considered as qualitatively unique functions and properties of varying degrees of complexity, the acquired person in life and manifest themselves at different levels of personality organization. The authors make an attempt to systematize the classification of the products of psychological evolution of the individual in the ontogenesis and individual way of life. This paper outlines approaches to systems analysis of the phenomenon of maturity of personality, understood as an integral characteristic of the level and quality of psychological development. The authors differentiate between the concept of personal and adaptive maturity , based on major regulatory units, goals, strategic factors and structural properties.