Сategories of analysis within activity-oriented counseling

This paper aims to provide an analysis of the theoretical and methodological grounds of Activity-oriented models of psychological counseling practice, along with an author's model of counseling interaction between a psychologist and a client within the framework of Activity theory. In contrast to majority of psychological theories, Activity theory has not yet been fully reflected in psychotherapeutic and counseling practice. As a consequence, we can see the gap in the relevant methodology of psychological care, despite of multiple theoretical and empirical research, conducted within Activity framework. The structure and procedure of Activity-oriented counselling is based on major categories of Activity theory, developed by S. Rubinstein, A. Leontiev, F. Vasilyuk, G. Schedrovitsky, namely: i) unity of consciousness and activity; ii) experiencing as a form of personal activity; iii) categories of activity analysis. Since the subject of counseling is the problem situation experienced by a client, the main purpose of psychological counseling is to convert the problem into achievable tasks, which requires setting a clear logic and sequencing stages of consultative process. It is shown that the consultant guides the client through a series of stages, which involve consistent changes. Those stages include following: situation scanning; positional analysis; problematizing and capturing of contradictions, repositioning and designing of new activity schemes. Activity-oriented counseling offers a comprehensive, context-sensitive method of client`s life story exploration and highly structured procedure, which allows psychologist and the client to retain its overall meaning and logic. Certainly, an active approach in the psychological practice of counselling requires further methodological developments: in particular, the development of protocols of counseling sessions and non-parametric methods of diagnosis of client advancement.

Social and psychological determinants of suicidal behavior

The article is devoted to the coverage of socio-psychological factors of the emergence of suicidal behavior in pre-adult age. The article provides theoretical and methodological substantiation and empirical verification of the correlation of suicidal behavior in pre-adult age with psychological personality traits, identifies socio-psychological features of such behavior, as well as provides an empirical analysis of individually-psychological factors of suicidal ideation. The author formed a phased model of the emergence of suicidal behavior, described its main stages, among which were identified: the inability to adapt to changes in the social environment, conflict in the microenvironment, social and psychological maladaptation, the emergence of deviant behavior, intractable intolerance. There were also three groups of factors that provoked the emergence of suicidal behavior in pre-adult age: general psychological features of suicides; personal factors; family factors. Selected 3 valid diagnostic methods are aimed at: research of manifestations and stages of development of suicidal behavior; research of the relatives’ presence of persons who have attempted or succeeded in suicide; research of personal psychological states that highly likely influenced the suicidal behavior. The sample was divided into three groups. Separation criteria were stages in the development of suicidal behavior. It has been empirically proven that presuicidal behavior is conditioned by a multitude of influences. The most common of them are: the appearance of expressed anxiety, frustration, aggression, rigidity, as well as changes in the attitude to one's life and death.

Factors prolonging the period of sobriety in young patients with alcohol use

Alcohol beverages became a regular part of the everyday life of society. This is particularly true for those in social environments when alcohol is using for socializing. Due to this fact, it is easy to fail to notice the health and social damage caused by alcohol drinking. In the pilot study we examined the feasibility and initial efficacy of a brief intervention on reducing risky drinking among emerging adults in Ukraine. Patients were evaluated in 3 months after the brief motivational intervention (BMI). We included patients who successfully completed the pilot study (all of them had an opportunity to visit our clinic after completing the study for free if necessary). We had 2 groups of participants: (1-st group - young patients of Railway Clinical Hospital, with risky drinking (AUDIT-C> 5); and, 2-nd group - students of the National Medical University OO Bogomolets, with risky drinking (AUDIT-C> 5). All participants were evaluated using set of tests (Structured Interview (personal data, substance use, substance use treatment history, medical history), AUDIT-C, RAPI, DMQ, Quality of Life Scale (O. Chaban, 2009), BSSS, PHQ-9, GAD-7, BPAQ-SF) in 4 years after taking part in a pilot study when they obtained BMI. We also evaluated many factors including the frequency of participants’ visits to our clinic after completing the pilot study. Participants from the university setting were significantly younger, and single (as opposed to married), with fewer children comparing to participants in the hospital setting. Regression analyses were conducted, separately for each setting, predicting alcohol outcomes (consumption and consequences). In both settings, the brief intervention group (BI group) showed significantly less alcohol consumption and consequences after 4 years period compare to the control group (p<0.001). However university group showed more cases of sobriety disruption during this period. Among the BMI sample showed lower level of depressive and anxiety symptoms according to PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scales, relative to the control group. Also, the brief intervention group showed a higher level of quality of life relative to the control group. Also the aggression level was different in BMI and control groups (control group showed higher level of aggression). However, there are some differences between patients and students samples with BMI in the results of quality of life scale. This result can be related to the quality of sobriety period in these groups and to the presence of higher level of aggression (including indirect aggression - guilty feelings, according to BPAQ-SF) in students sample. The data obtained indicate that BMI are promising for reducing risky drinking among emerging adults in the Ukraine in both settings (patient hospital and university).

The system of personal values in the life of oncologically ill youths

Personal values in a neoplastic disease have been the subject of numerous psychological studies. The study presented here shows differences in personal values selected by oncologically ill youths (50 people) and healthy youths (40 people), aged 18-20. Results reveal that the value of good health constitutes the most essential difference between the ill/healthy groups. Chronic diseases are diagnosed in people of all ages. Some are flowing smoothly, others are stormy. Some last from birth, others appear unexpectedly at different times of life. The disease violates the spiritual and mental order, because the patients can’t meet their needs, desires, dreams, plans as much as they would like. They are experiencing anxiety, depression, irritability, emptiness and other emotional states. The medical literature defines long-term illnesses as permanent, irreversible, progressive changes that cause damage to the system, permanently reducing its effectiveness and productivity, mainly in acute and chronic conditions, as the same long-term pathological process. Favorite work, profession and successful family life are the most significant values for ill people. Ill people choose the mentioned values more frequently than healthy people. This result is a rebuttal of the assumptions made, so it should be noted that it may be a consequence of the activation of the safeguards (in particular the objection), and it is generally a plausible and expected fact. It would be worthwhile in future research to extend the study group in order to verify and compare the findings.The results can also be influenced by the choice of subjects, their age, stage of treatment, specific cancer, such as bone cancer, too small research group and others. In the future, to test and compare the results, it is worthwhile to prepare a retest and increase the number of subjects, to introduce groups of subjects with other cancers, and to pay attention to the age, emotions and treatment stage of the patients being studied.

Gender features of social and psychological adaptation of migrants in the United States

In order to investigate the gender characteristics of migrants adaptation, we tested 60 married people who moved to the United States within one year. All respondents have higher education, are capable, belong to the middle class, have real estate and cars, at least one of the spouses works. All respondents moved to the United States on very favorable terms. The techniques we selected allowed us to conduct this research remotely via Google Form on the Internet. For our study, we chose the following techniques: Maskulinity-Femininity Test (S. Bem), Marriage Satisfaction Questionnaire (T. Romanov and G. Butenko), Socio-psychological Adaptation Questionnaire (C. Rogers and R. Diamond), SAN Test, "Big Five" Questionnaire. We found out that only masculinity correlates with adaptation: the higher is masculinity, the higher adaptation is. Further correlation analysis revealed that masculinity has the highest direct correlation with internality, that is, a person's belief in his/her power to determine his/her life abroad. Other masculine traits that have an impact on adaptation include self-acceptance, desire for domination, and emotional stability. We were surprised by the lack of correlation between masculinity and acceptance by others. Since the discovered correlation hasn’t shown a connection between masculinity and femininity, we can train masculinity without paying attention to gender. We have found that the masculine traits that enhance the adaptation process in the new country are internality, positive self-perception, desire for domination, and emotional stability. That is why we counted on our 3-day training. Our training is similar to personal growth training as it primarily develops self-regulation skills, emotional competence, self-perception, acceptance by others and will power. In addition, through mini-lectures, the participants can learn about the stages of adaptation, the concepts of cultural shock and acculturation, which will help them to understand those new processes they face in a new country and simplify such a complex and stressful process as adaptation.

Commercial organization staff's customer centricity: the level of development and relationship with staff's communicative and emotional

The article analyzes the results of empirical research related to the levels of development of the main components and index of staff's customer orientation in commercial organizations. Among the commercial organization staff's customer orientation components, which were found to be at low levels, the most developed component was "'following customer orientation standards and using special technologies". It was followed by much less developed "organization's customer orientation policies and staff empowerment" and "staff' customer orientation training and encouraging". Only one in four respondents had a customer orientation index at high level. Commercial organization staff's communication and emotional characteristics were shown to have statistically significant positive relationships with some of staff's customer orientation components and customer orientation index (increased levels of staff's customer orientation-relevant characteristics corresponded to the increased levels of each of the staff's customer orientation components and index).