Subjective "world'image" at the stage of early adulthood: comparative analysis of conceptual models

Alperovich Valeriya PhD in Psychology Associated Professor at Academy of Psychology and of Pedagogics, Southern Federal University 344065, Russia, Rostovskaya oblast', g. Rostov-Na-Donu, per. Dneprovskii, 116, of. 419 valdmalp@rambler.ru Other publications by this author

Introduction

The problems of constructing and transforming the value-semantic sphere and the subject's ideas about the surrounding world remain relevant in psychology, since they determine his behavior in everyday communication. The situation of transitivity in modern Russian society, reflected in a complex of social phenomena, has long been considered by domestic authors ^[1-7]. The diversity of socio-economic and cultural contexts of the existence of an individual and a group, as well as the experience of rapid changes and uncertainty of the surrounding world are its main characteristics. It is extremely dynamic, since unstable periods are not replaced by stable periods, and is characterized by variability of value, regulatory systems and social structures, accompanied by diversification of patterns and strategies of social behavior. In the understanding of Russian psychologists, the situation of transitivity has several gradations (levels of severity). It is possible to distinguish situations of crisis transitivity, "fluid" transitivity and stable transitivity ^[4]. For example, military conflicts, socio-economic crisis and forced migration distinguish a situation of crisis transitivity; the coronavirus pandemic continues in a situation of stable transitivity. In these social conditions, the problems of constructing ideas of young people and adults about the world around them are actualized. In this regard, the focus of attention remains the study of the phenomenon of the "image of the world" of the individual. He acts as an integrator of these attitudes, representations and behavioral strategies of the subject. The conformity of a person's "world image" to the conditions of uncertainty and rapid variability of the social situation affects the level of expression of her subjective well-being. Thus, it is shown that the functioning of the system of personal identities depends on the congruence of the "I"-the concept of its "image of the world" ^[1].

Images of other people are the main component of the "image of the world". However, in a situation of transitivity in the perception of the subject and the group, the former systems of evaluation and categorization of communication partners are destroyed and formed anew, no longer corresponding to the new social order, violating the usual communicative and behavioral strategies. Therefore, for foreign and Russian authors, it is relevant to study the formation of images of another person, in particular, "man-woman", "happy-unhappy", "unsuccessful-successful", "rich-poor", "friend-stranger", "enemy-friend" ^[8-12]. Systems of interpersonal and intergroup relations are formed and maintained through these constructs in individual and collective consciousness. Binary oppositions "we-they", "friend-foe", "enemy-friend" always, including in the conditions of macro-social transformations in different countries of the world, act as basic parameters of categorization of other people, because they literally contribute to the survival of the subject and the group, conditioning the relations of cooperation and competition. Traditional studies of constructing images of "strangers" and "enemies" in a political context, for example, as ideological opponents, "terrorists" ^{[9; 10]}, as well as economic competitors and members of other socio-cultural groups ^[11]. In modern Russian social psychology, images of "friends" and "strangers", "friends" and "enemies" are usually considered as the most important components of the perception stereotypes of members of other social groups (ethnic, cultural) when studying the mechanisms of intergroup relations ^[20]. In a situation of uncertainty, transitivity, the focus of the subject's attention is his microsocial environment. Thus, V. L. Buijs and G. Stulp ^[8] show the importance of friendly relations in a family environment on the example of Danish women, and A. N. Popper ^[11] ? in a professional environment, on the example of employees of various organizations. A. Barakzai, A. Shaw and M. Scholten ^{[21; 22]} revealed the ambivalence of youth and adult relationships to the most helpful and generous partners are "friends" from their social environment, as opposed to positive attitudes towards less helpful partners, as well as negative components ("accusation") in friendly relations. The dynamics of social representations, mental representations and interpretive repertoires of perception of other people in different categories remains problematic and debatable in line with both cognitive and discursive world and Russian social psychology ^[13-15]. In world psychology, the number of works devoted to the study of the influence of a new complex factor on them ? the coronavirus pandemic ^[16-19] is increasing, in addition to studies of the influence of political, economic and cultural realities on the transformation of these phenomena.

We believe that there are some contradictions in the field of "image of the world" research. Various authors agree that the experience of subjective well-being and the regulation of strategies of interaction with other people is ensured by the stability of the "image of the world". The adaptation of a person to a situation of transitivity implies the variability of the structures of the "image of the world". The subjective "image of the world" is embodied in the language of everyday communication with others. The ideas about other people in different categories are considered, in particular, "friend-friend", "enemy-friend". Empirical studies of images of other people as one of the main components of the "image of the world" expressed in linguistic forms, including metaphorical and narrative, are infrequent.

The goals of our research were, firstly, to conduct a comparative analysis of conceptual models reflecting the stability and variability of an individual "image of the world"; secondly, to determine the possibilities of a narrative analysis of this phenomenon on different examples of interpreting events and situations of interaction with other people, in particular, "their" and "strangers" as a significant component of the "image of the world". The research hypothesis is formulated that the personal "image of the world" as a phenomenon with both stability and variability can be studied by referring to speech forms, including metaphors and narratives about interaction with different communication partners. The following research methods are applied: theoretical comparative socio-psychological analysis of approaches to the phenomenon of "image of the world" in Russian and foreign psychology; analysis and interpretation of the results of some empirical studies of biographical narratives.

1. Conceptual models of the "image of the world: psychosemantic approach vs theory of social representations

In Russian psychology, the most developed are activity-based (A. N. Leontiev, S. D. Smirnov) and psychosemantic (V. P. Serkin, V. A. Skleinis) approaches to the structure and content of the "image of the world". This term was introduced into Russian psychology by A. N. Leontiev. In his theory of activity, this phenomenon was an integrator of the cognitive processes of the subject and the system of his activities. It was assumed that the "image of the world" as a whole reflects the real spatial-geographical and social coordinates in which a person lives, and therefore is filled with meanings and meanings of objects and events. In line with the psychosemantic approach, the "three-layer" structure of the "image of the world" is considered, including conscious and unconscious components: "perceptual" "layer" (perception images in everyday communication), semantic "layer" ("picture of the world", a system of meanings, relationships to oneself and with other people) and "amodal structures" (deep meanings of life activity, trust-distrust of the world, etc.). The "Image of the world" integrates the value-semantic and installation systems of the subject, regulates behavioral strategies.

In our opinion, within the framework of activity and psychosemantic approaches, the rapid variability of the surface layer (perceptual images) of the "image of the world" and the relative dynamics of the "semantic" layer ("picture of the world") are recognized, which contribute to the adaptation of the individual to an unstable environment. According to S. D. Smirnov ^[23], the subjective "image of the world", which provides permanent production and verification of cognitive hypotheses about what is happening in a person's social environment, determines the dynamic control of the uncertainty of the surrounding world in order to regulate daily activities. This is how the contexts of perception and interpretation of social objects and processes are constantly changing and expanding. However, in line with these approaches, the "image of the world", designed to ensure the functioning of the "I-concept" and the experience of subjective well-being, remains generally stable.

This provision was revised in the context of the situation of transitivity. G. M. Andreeva pointed out that "in conditions of social instability (its specific form), the process of social cognition is modified, i.e. the process of constructing the image of the social world, given that an important factor in this process is the activity of the subject performing mental reconstruction of this world" ^{[24, p. 257]}. According to G. M. Andreeva, in this regard, it is necessary to refer to the provisions of social constructionism developed by K. Gergen, since cognitive categories function through language: "Only with an adequate command of language can an individual understand, interpret categories, and therefore "choose" those factors that are especially significant in the surrounding world, those influences that which are especially noticeable and significant" [ibid., p. the same]. The author, also appealing to the ideas of P. Berger and T. Lukman, concludes that the social experience accumulated by generations and objectified in language is "changeable, the meanings of words reflect changes, the picture of the world is inevitably "drawn" every time using a different set of words and meanings. This largely determines the nature of cognition of the social world in the era of social change" [ibid., p. 258].

The "image of the world" embodies the processes of understanding and constructing the world in the communication of the subject with other people. According to G. M. Andreeva, the image of the social world inherently includes images of another person consisting of certain repertoires of causal schemes, in particular, conditioned by the historical past of a particular society ^[24]. In this regard, mental representations are also considered as components of the "image of the world" in Russian psychology ? cognitive structures expressing conceptual systems in a person's mind, his system of relations to himself and other people and conditioned by his experience of everyday interaction. Mental representations as ways of social perception are of an interpretive nature; the "image of the world" implements the functions of evaluation, explanation of the environment. In turn, the term "social representations" is applied to cognitive systems consisting of mental representations, in accordance with the theory of social representations by S. Moscovici, widely covered in recent decades in foreign ^{[13; 14]} and domestic psychological literature (T.P. Yemelyanova, I.V. Bovina, etc.).

The following methodological tools correspond to the activity and psychosemantic approaches to the "image of the world". For example, the method "Semantic differential" is used to study the semantic "layer", and the method "Scale of basic beliefs" by R. Yanoff-Bulman (adapted by M. A. Padun and A.V. Kotelnikova) ? in order to study the deep "layer" of the "image of the world" ^[25]. The method of "Social beliefs" by J. Dakkit is also used ^{[20; 26]}. O. A. Gulevich and colleagues ^[20] emphasize that social beliefs are considered as attitudes regarding the properties inherent in other people, their behavior and the subject's reaction to it. Ideas about the world are also studied using a modified self-report "My World: 20 out of 80", which assumes the respondent's choice of 20 characteristics that would describe his "world", then 5 main characteristics from the selected 20 characteristics ^[27], content analysis of free essays on "How I imagine the world" ^[28]. In the understanding of S. Moscovici and his followers, social representations, in addition to the stable "core" ("universal" elements of content), have an unstable "peripheral" part (elements of content dependent on the social context) ^{[13; 14]}. G. M. Andreeva noted that within the framework of this theory, the construction of an "image of the world" occurs in constant communication. Consequently, unlike the activity-based and psychosemantic approaches, which recognize that the "image of the world" is to a certain extent objective (but not reflective), the theory of social representations implies that its nature is constructive, it is created in the social interaction of group members. In the theory of S. Moscovici, social representations are considered as a form of knowledge about the world developed by a social group in everyday communication, schemes of interpretation of social phenomena and processes. Social representations, due to their structure, can be embodied in various variable speech forms, including idioms, metaphors and biographical narratives. A narrative is a sequence of interrelated events in a story. Over the past four decades, psychological traditions of narrative analysis have been formed, which are extensively considered in foreign and domestic literature, so we will not dwell on them in detail and give examples of some studies. From our point of view, narrative psychology allows us to study the dynamism of the phenomenon of the "image of the world" in subjective perception, since narratives are created in everyday communication.

2. Interpretations of everyday social reality in personal narratives in foreign and Russian studies

According to D. McAdams ^[29], the internalization and construction of the narrative "I", a person's stories about himself, ensure the unity of his perception of his own life. We believe that these processes also influence the integration of the "image of the world". The narrative captures "ordinary" (habitual, "canonical") and "atypical" life situations and phenomena for the subject. This statement is illustrated by current research examples of young people and people at the stage of early adulthood. At the present time, due to the spread of coronavirus in different countries of the world, foreign and Russian psychologists are turning to the problems of subjective understanding of a new, unusual social reality embodied in narratives. C. Chimpen-Lopez and al. and F. Burrai and al. ^{[16; 17]} show how narratives become a resource for overcoming difficult situations, formed as a result of lockdown and the need for self-isolation. C. M. Heilferty et al. ^[19] found that in student narratives about the coronavirus pandemic, this period is perceived not only as a "challenge" and a forced change of lifestyle, but also as the emergence of "new opportunities". M. V. Chudinovskikh et al. ^[18] performed a comparative narrative analysis of the experience of remote work in the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic, interviewing employees Russian and Italian enterprises. Life stories allow respondents to express the level of subjective well-being, to comprehend the new conditions of isolation and the need to acquire other professional skills. Psychology borrowed from linguistics the term "frame", denoting speech constructions in which "typical", stereotypical social situations are fixed. S. A. Khakhalova ^[30] investigated the actualization of the "preservation" frame relative to the concept of "health" in the subjective mental model of the world under the influence of the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic. The author shows that new interrelations between the concepts of "health" and "self-isolation" have formed in the present period. B. Fisher-Yoshida and J. C. Lopez ^[31] emphasize the influence of transformations of cultural and socio-economic contexts mediated by social narratives on personal narratives. The biographical narratives of young people reflect new discursive contexts and social practices. For example, H. Steenkamp, A. L. Nel and Q. Chen, R. M. Russell ^{[32; 33]}, as well as I. Yu. Suvorova and colleagues ^[34], having conducted a narrative analysis of the identity of students, including Russian and Chinese, demonstrated how their actual life stories about the period of study at the university emphasized based on the uncertainty and tension of the socio-economic situation in different countries, N. K. Radina and A.V. Porshnev ^[35], having studied the "I" narratives of representatives of the "generation Z", "digital generation" (study participants under 30 years old), found that the strategies described in them for subordinating youth to difficulties are stereotyped, and scenarios for overcoming difficult life situations are individualized. A. A. Poretskova and T. V. Slavgorodsky-Kazanets ^[36] in an empirical study show how the identity of members of youth virtual communities in popular online games is constructed through narratives. Narratives provide positioning, self-perception of gamers in the gaming space. In connection with the research topics, examples of which are given in this article, and the conclusions of the authors of these works, we also made an attempt to consider the features of the "image of the world" of individuals at the stage of early adulthood through a narrative analysis of the situations of their interaction with communication partners as "their" and "strangers", "enemies" and "friends".

3. Narrative analysis of the interaction of subjects with "their" and "foreign" communication partners

In connection with the research topics, examples of which are given in this article, and the conclusions of the authors of these works, we have attempted to consider the features of the "world image" of individuals at the stage of early adulthood through a narrative analysis of the situations of their interaction with communication partners as "their" and "strangers", "enemies" and "friends". We have developed various parameters for the analysis of the "image of the world" in the narrative based on the author's empirical research: the relationship of the objects listed by the respondent and aspects of the "image of the world", perceptivity-conceptuality, stability-dynamism, differentiation-undifferentiation, emotional assessment, description of spatial-geographical or social aspects, description of the "I" in the narrative, the sphere of formal or informal communication, in which the plot develops, the presence of "own" and "foreign" communication partners as the heroes of the narrative, the description and evaluation of their behavior and roles in interaction with the subject, the author of the narrative ^[15]. The purpose of our empirical research was to determine the features of the "image of the world" of subjects who differ in their ideas about interaction with "their" and "strangers" people. The subject of the study was the types of "world image" presented in the narratives of the respondents. The hypothesis of the study was formulated that the differences in the subjects' perceptions of "their" and "strangers" people may be related to the differences in their narrative "images of the world". The "fluid" social uncertainty contributed to the growing interest of sociologists and psychologists in studying the characteristics of youth, i.e. subjects of adolescent, youth, student age, persons at the stage of early adulthood. These subjects experience age periods of self-esteem formation, a system of attitudes towards themselves and other people, an "image of the world", the construction and primary implementation of professional plans and career prospects, react more flexibly to social transformations, and are ready to choose and modify social positions. Therefore, employees of educational organizations and industrial enterprises of Rostov-on-Don, as well as students of the Southern Federal University aged 25-35, became the empirical object of the study. 140 respondents made up stories about their "world". Then the parameters of narrative analysis noted above were applied to these stories. It is concluded that the differentiated "image of the world" revealed in the texts of the study participants is saturated with various emotional assessments of the authors and filled with spatial-geographical and social objects. It should be noted that the inclusion of heroes in the narrative, i.e. communication partners perceived as "their" and "strangers" (relatives, colleagues, neighbors), is an integral characteristic of each narrative. The four types of "world images" presented in the respondents' narratives differ in the emotional involvement of the authors in the situation of communication with "their" and "strangers" people, positivity, negativity or ambivalence of the holistic perception of the surrounding world, hyperbolization and stereotyping of the positive and negative properties of "their" and "strangers" people, the degree of awareness by the authors of the influence of their their own ideas and attitudes to their "images of the world". In narratives, a positive "conceptual" "image of the world" is associated with positive qualities attributed to communication partners, and an ambivalent "perceptual" "image of the world" is associated with negative or ambivalent qualities of other people. This proves in favor of the hypothesis about the interrelationships of the features of ideas about other people and the characteristics of the subjective "image of the world" presented in narratives.

Conclusions and conclusion

The scientific novelty of the research presented in this article is as follows. A comparative analysis of research interpretations of the subjective "image of the world" in foreign and Russian social psychology, from the positions of which it is characterized by both relative stability and variability, is carried out. Conclusions are drawn that the dynamism of the individual "image of the world" in the social situation of transitivity is expressed by the conceptual model of mental representations. Their systems make up social representations reflected in various speech forms, including metaphors and narratives. The possibilities of narrative analysis of the subject's representations of other people in his "image of the world" are revealed by the example of some empirical studies of biographical narratives. Young people's narratives allow them to comprehend and interpret social phenomena, both new, unusual, and ordinary, corresponding to social expectations, including interaction with "their" and "other people's" partners. This is consistent with the conclusions of colleagues whose work is covered above. According to Russian psychologists, collective memory and the value system influence the content of the "nuclear" components of social representations ^[37].

The author's narrative model of analyzing interaction with communication partners in the "image of the world" of modern youth consists in the following provisions. The narratives reflect the stereotyped and individualized components of the subjective experience of communication, which make up the "nuclear" and "peripheral" structures of social representations of other people in various guises. Narratives, being stories about significant life events, demonstrate the dynamics of personality representations. The range of mental representations of communication partners in the perception of subjects, based on frame structures, for example, "friend-foe", provides a variety of their ideas about these people.

In conclusion, it can be noted that the role of the "image of the world" phenomenon in the subject's interpretations of social phenomena and processes is ambiguous. In the works of foreign and Russian authors, to whom we have addressed in this article, the interrelationships of the "image of the world", the system of personal relationships and strategies of interaction with other people are considered. We adhere to the fact that the resources of adaptation, resilience, and creativity of the individual are provided mainly through not so much stable components as dynamic components of its "image of the world".