Motivational and semantic relations of a person in professional activity

Kamalova Oksana Maksimovna Postgraduate student of the Institute of Foreign Languages of the Patrice Lumumba Peoples' Friendship University of Russia 117198, Russia, Moscow, Miklukho-Maklaya str., 9, building 4 mak-kom25@mail.ru Other publications by this author

Karavanova Lyudmila Zhalalovna Doctor of Psychology Professor, Department of Social Pedagogy, Institute of Foreign Languages, Peoples' Friendship University of Russia 117198, Russia, Moscow, Miklukho-Maklaya str., 9, office building 4 karavanova-lzh@rudn.ru Other publications by this author

The ongoing changes in the political and economic sphere of society have a significant impact on the effectiveness and satisfaction of a person with their professional activities. The success of an organization largely depends on the motivational and semantic attitudes of its employees towards professional activity.

The study of motivational and semantic relations of personality is currently becoming a necessary condition for improving the effectiveness of the organization. Understanding what motivates employees, what meanings they put into their work, allows us to develop strategies and management methods that contribute to improving labor productivity.

Improving psychological support in the organization will allow timely assistance to a person in realizing and accepting the personal and social values of a particular profession, in understanding their professional purpose, in achieving professional heights and serving society. Favorable motivational and semantic relationships of a person contribute to the effective work of an organization, while negative ones can have a negative impact on the psychological state of an employee, leading to a decrease in human performance and making erroneous or ineffective decisions in professional activities.

Considering that the professional development of a personality includes several stages – from studying the theoretical foundations to mastering the skills of practical implementation of professional knowledge and skills, the ongoing study of motivational and semantic relations of a personality in professional activity will allow us to understand what motives and values underlie a person's professional activity.

The works of domestic and foreign scientists show that the motivational and semantic sphere of personality is the leading one in the regulation of human activity and behavior (V.S. Ageev, F.E. Vasilyuk, L.S. Vygotsky, A.N. Leontiev, D.A. Leontiev, A. R. Luria, A. Maslow, V.N. Myasishchev, B.A. Sosnovsky, etc.).

Motivational and semantic relations of a person represent a complex system of interrelations between motives, meanings, values, and goals of a person, determining his behavior and professional orientation. An integral part of a person's professional activity is professional motivation, which is a combination of four important interrelated functions:

- motivating function (encourages a person to achieve their goals);

- guiding function: helps you choose the most effective ways and methods to achieve your goals);

- regulatory function (in accordance with the set goals, it allows you to control the process of professional activity);

- semantic function (gives meaning to professional activity).

Under the influence of external and internal factors, a person undergoes the processes of formation and development of motivational and semantic relations inherent only in the personality itself. Thus, all these functions regulate various aspects of professional activity, as well as the process itself, dynamics and organization of work ^[5].

In order to comprehensively study and understand the motivational and semantic relations of personality in professional activity, it is necessary, first of all, to analyze existing research by domestic and foreign scientists on issues related to the structure of motivational and semantic relations of personality, such as motivation, personal meaning, personality relations.

According to A.N. Leontiev, motivational and semantic relations of a personality have several features that depend on a person's social position in society and on a set of possible motives for activity determined by this position. The personal meaning functions in the human mind, and the semantic attitude expresses this meaning in terms of activity and readiness for certain actions.

The peculiarities of the psychological nature of motivational-semantic relations are, first of all, a change in the motivational-semantic relations of a personality that occurs through a change in activity; in addition, awareness of personal meaning is not always enough to change activities. 

In the theory of activity, A. N. Leontiev points out that the relation of motive to goal generates personal meaning. A change in the meaning of an action is a change in motivation, the formation of meanings is the result of the development of motives for activity. The development of the motives of activity itself is determined by the development of a person's real relationship to the world and those that have developed according to the objective historical conditions of his life ^[10].

At the same time, D.A. Leontiev believes that human activity includes many objects and phenomena related to the realization of needs and has a certain relation to semantic connections. Semantic connection means that if one object or phenomenon is associated with the realization of human needs, then another object or phenomenon also becomes important for this realization. At the same time, personal regulation of vital activity arises in the process of human development, when vital activity itself becomes the object of human attitude ^[11].

According to B.A. Sosnovsky, the motive is primary in relation to meaning only in the early stages of ontogenesis, but as a personality is formed, meaning becomes psychologically decisive and necessarily participates in the choice of motives by the subject, in their formation and personal development of the individual ^[17].

When studying the motivational and semantic relations of a person, it is important to take into account the "personality relations", the defined behavior, character and emotional state of a person. The attitude of a person is an important factor in the formation and manifestation of motivational and semantic relations, which are a complex system of interaction between a person and his environment. However, personal relationships include not only external factors, but also internal personality characteristics, which, in turn, determine a person's behavior, character and emotional state, influencing his motives and value relationships.

Thus, motivational and semantic processes that accompany and support a person throughout his or her work are at the heart of motivational and semantic relations of a personality. In the process of formation and development, a person goes through awareness and comparison of his powers with the purpose and meaning of life, which require deep introspection and readiness for change from the individual.

In order to study the motivational and semantic relations of personality and identify patterns of influence of the functional responsibilities of professional activity of employees on the motivational and semantic relations of personality, the authors of the article conducted their own research on the basis of the Republican Forestry Agency for the Republic of Buryatia.

The study involved employees of the administrative apparatus and employees of autonomous institutions of the forestry agency, who have different professions and radically different functional responsibilities in their professional activities. Thus, the professional activity of employees of autonomous forestry institutions is accompanied by special working conditions (foresters, foresters, district foresters, parachutists, firefighters, drivers, etc.), the functional duties of employees of the administrative apparatus are to organize and maintain the activities of the organization. Empirical methods (questionnaires, interviews) were used in the study.

The survey was attended by 196 employees of the Forestry Agency for the Republic of Buryatia aged 20 to 65 years, including 139 employees of autonomous institutions and 57 employees of the administrative apparatus.

Employees are faced with questions aimed at:

- establishment of the level of motivational and semantic relations of the personality of employees of the organization;

- determination of the influence of professional affiliation and the specifics of functional responsibilities on the motivational and semantic relations of employees;

- the establishment of intergroup differences in indicators of the motivational and semantic significance of professional activities with different professional affiliations and the specifics of functional responsibilities.

The results of the study of motivational and semantic relations in professional activity are presented in Table 1 and Figure 1.

Table 1

Motivational and semantic relations of employees

in professional activity

The results of the study of motivational and semantic relations of employees are presented in Figure 1.

Fig.1 Motivational and semantic relations in professional activity

According to the results of the study, it was found that 97.3% of employees of autonomous institutions and 91.2% of employees of the administrative apparatus consider it important for themselves to carry out professional activities in the field of forestry protection, and only 2.1% of employees of autonomous institutions and 3.7% of employees of the administrative apparatus have a desire to change the type of professional activity.

Among employees of autonomous institutions and the administrative apparatus, high indicators of motivational and semantic relations of a material orientation were obtained according to the following criteria of significance: guaranteed wages (employees of autonomous institutions 78.3%, employees of the administrative apparatus 84.2%), social guarantees (employees of autonomous institutions 86.4%, employees of the administrative apparatus 89.1%). At the same time, 35.1% of employees of autonomous institutions of the organization and 58.4% of employees of the administrative apparatus have the lowest indicators of the importance of wages, which means that their very activities are important to them, which was confirmed by respondents during the conversation.

83.7% of employees of autonomous institutions and 85.9% of employees of the administrative apparatus are satisfied with their work. 83.7% and 77.2% of employees consider the socio-psychological climate in the organization to be favorable. For employees of this organization, the opportunity to improve professional competence is important (89.1%), the possibility of further career advancement is noted by 56% of employees of autonomous institutions and 57.9% of employees of the administrative apparatus. The results of the study did not reveal significant discrepancies in the indicators of the motivational and semantic significance of professional activity between employees of the administrative apparatus and autonomous institutions, despite the fact that the functional responsibilities between the two groups are radically different. The activities of employees of autonomous forestry institutions are associated with the performance of work in special conditions (being and living in the forest, difficulties of a domestic nature, work involving a risk to life); meanwhile, the professional activities of employees of the administrative apparatus are carried out in more comfortable conditions.

During the conversation with employees of autonomous institutions and the administrative apparatus of the forestry agency, it was found that the satisfaction of respondents with their professional activities is based on the establishment of a favorable socio-psychological climate in the organization, on the possibility of professional development, as well as on the availability of social guarantees.

Summing up, based on the conducted research, it can be concluded that motivational and semantic relations of a person are an important component of professional activity and are characterized by the presence of motivation that encourages human activity and is based on personal meaning. Motivational and semantic processes that accompany and support a person throughout his or her work are at the heart of motivational and semantic relationships of a personality.

Motivational-semantic relations are a system of interrelated ideas, beliefs, values and emotions that guide human behavior, give it a certain meaning and encourage it to act. These relationships are formed in the process of socialization and interaction with society.

The following main conclusions of the conducted research are that the orientation of motivational and semantic relations of a person does not depend on professional affiliation and the specifics of performing functional duties in professional activity. Motivational and semantic relations of a person have the property of impermanence and variability, depending on the psychological state and stability of a person in certain life circumstances.

The orientation of motivational and semantic relations of a person depends on the psychological state of a person who is in certain life circumstances. Favorable motivational and semantic relations of employees are manifested in the desire for mastery, in the desire to develop their abilities and acquire practical experience and skills.

In order to increase the effectiveness of professional activity and improve the motivation and personal meanings of employees, heads of organizations are recommended to: take measures to form a positive emotional attitude to work and create a favorable psychological climate; study and take into account the motivational and semantic relations of employees; when appointing, take into account the psychological characteristics and interests of employees; provide employees with opportunities for professional growth and self-realization in professional activity.