PECULIARITIES OF ADOLESCENTS' DEMONSTRATIVE BEHAVIOUR

ABSTRACT

The relevance of studying the problem of demonstrative behaviour among adolescents is due to changes in all spheres of social life. This article considers the problem of the prevalence of the phenomenon of demonstrative behaviour among adolescents. The main task of the research is a modern consideration of the main types and features of manifestation of demonstrative behaviour of adolescents. The confirmation of the put forward hypothesis about the presence of demonstrative behaviour in adolescents is practically proved.

Keywords: demonstrative behaviour, demonstrativeness of adolescents, the problem of demonstrative behaviour, types of demonstrative manifestation.

Introduction. The relevance of studying the problem of demonstrative behaviour of adolescents is due to cardinal and fundamental changes in all spheres of social life. Manifestation of demonstrative behaviour is one of the social problems of modern society, as in recent years there has been an active development of theatrical and suicidal behaviour of young people, their entry into various groups and subcultures, demonstration of their antisocial behaviour.

Demonstrative behaviour of adolescents is a common phenomenon, which can be explained by the intention to attract attention to oneself regardless of the needs of others. However, not every adolescent engages in demonstrative behaviour.

Demonstrative behaviour attracts the attention of others, teenagers try to stand out from the crowd and be accepted by their peers. Demonstrative behaviour can manifest itself in different ways, such as defiant, risky, aggressive behaviour or self-sacrifice.

Adolescence is highly significant period in a person's life due process of an active formation of value orientations influencing the further development of a person as an individual. According to psychologists, adolescents are characterised by a pronounced need to communicate with peers, social self-assertion becomes the leading motive of their behaviour [7, p. 31]. This desire is often expressed in the form of demonstrative behaviour – a phenomenon that is generally negatively perceived in the pedagogical environment.

In the view of the Russian psychologist M.L. Pokrass, demonstrativeness is "a life style manifested <...> by alienation from one's own arbitrariness or inhibition of all one's own properties, contents of consciousness and actions that do not promise approval" [5, p. 214].

Nowadays, when the role of personality and the analysis of factors of its formation are increasing, the study of the problem of demonstrative behaviour and ways of psychological and pedagogical prevention of demonstrative behaviour is of great importance.

Since demonstrative behaviour can lead to negative consequences for adolescents, including socialisation, mental and physical health problems, it is important to develop effective prevention and control strategies.

Demonstrativeness itself, being a natural feature of personality associated with the need for attention to oneself, is not a negative characteristic, however, such behaviour, which goes beyond the limits of acceptable values, not only creates a strong tension in the atmosphere of a group of adolescents, but can also have a detrimental effect on its long-term development. Thus, the purpose of the work was to identify the peculiarities of manifestation of demonstrativeness in adolescents.

Description of the experiment and the results obtained. In order to determine the level of demonstrativeness among adolescents, a confirmatory experiment was conducted among second-year students of Kazan College of Construction, Architecture and Urban Economy, Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan. The sample consisted of 53 students aged 16 to 17 years – 27 people were in the control group, and 26 people became the subjects of the experimental group.

The students were offered a characterological test-questionnaire K. Leonhard – N. Schmischek "Study of personality accentuation", adapted by Y.V. Kortneva [4, p. 255], and two tests to identify the level of demonstrativeness according to the technologies of Russian teachers and psychologists Y. Brzeskaya [1] and O.S. Posypanova [6, p. 255].

In accordance with the selected diagnostic tools for studying the features of demonstrative behaviour, the following results were obtained.

The test developed by K. Leongard – N. Schmischek was designed to identify accentuated properties of character and temperament of the subjects of the control and experimental groups.

After the diagnostics of personality accentuation types, the main accentuation directions among the subjects were determined. As a result of the research, it was found that among the students of the control and experimental groups more than 60 % of the examined possess accentuated personality traits.

To assess the expression of a radical in the personality profile for each of the questionnaire scales, the whole range of the obtained results was divided into two groups: character accentuations (demonstrative, pedantic, stuck, excitable) and temperament accentuations (hyperthymic, dysthymic, cyclothymic, anxious-fearful, affective, emotive).

Based on the obtained data of the control and experimental groups, it is concluded that the subjects of both groups have a pronounced demonstrativeness - 64% and 74%, respectively. The demonstrative type is characterised by an increased ability to displace, demonstrative behaviour, liveliness, mobility, and ease in establishing contacts. It can be said that teenagers are prone to fantasising, lying and pretending, aimed at embellishing their person, adventurism, artistry, posturing. They are driven by the desire for leadership, the need for recognition, the thirst for constant attention to their person, the thirst for power, praise; the prospect of being unnoticed burdens him. These teenagers are also self-assertive, systematically provoke conflicts, but at the same time actively defend themselves.

In accordance with the test "Is Demonstrative Behaviour Peculiar to You?" Y. Brzeskaya, 28% of respondents demonstrated an elevated level of demonstrativeness in the control group, the average level of demonstrativeness belongs to 52% of test-takers, and the low level of demonstrativeness – to 20%. Very high level of demonstrativeness was not revealed in this group. Y. Brzeska's methodology was also applied to students from the experimental group. Among the respondents, 33% demonstrated an elevated level and 67% - an average level. Low and very high level of demonstrativeness was not revealed in this group.

On the basis of the conducted diagnostics, we can conclude that a small number of test-takers have a low level of demonstrativeness. Such teenagers often have problems with self-expression, fixate on negative experiences. They are unemotional in communication.

More than 50% of respondents in the control and experimental groups have an average, normal level of demonstrativeness. They have no problems with self-expression, but they do not get along with other people too quickly. They are quite emotional in communication, but lack artistry and tendency to theatrical effects.

A high level of demonstrativeness was revealed in 28% of test-takers in the control group. Based on the results, we can say that these adolescents are artistic, fantasise a lot, and have a predominant appeal to feelings. They get along with people quickly. Due to frequent emotionalising, they have tantrums and take ignoring very hard.

Based on the observations, one can conclude that the period under study is associated with the crisis of 17 years of age. This is one of the periods of leapfrog and rapid development of a person, when his whole life becomes completely different from before. It is associated with global changes in the circle of interests, communication, activity. Young men and girls are constantly facing choices, in connection with what - tense and stressed. It is during this period that adolescents face self-determination, actively demonstrates their personality. This leads to the violation of any rules established in the social environment.

It is also important to note the teenager's relationship with peers. From what position he occupies in the circle of peers, depends on his type of behaviour. If the adolescent occupies a leading position, then, accordingly, he will be more demonstrative. The lower the adolescent's status in the peer circle, the less he or she tries to stick out, not showing his or her personality.

In addition to measuring the general level of demonstrativeness, the degree of consumer demonstrativeness of students was assessed during the experiment. Having studied and analysed the obtained data of the diagnostic technique based on the questionnaire "Tendency to Demonstrative Consumption" by O.S. Posypanova the degree of consumer demonstrativeness of the control and experimental groups was assessed, as well as determined the dominant types of demonstrative consumption and their levels.

Having analysed the data, it can be concluded that the first degree of demonstrativeness in consumption (moderate) is characteristic of 37% of respondents in the control group, zero demonstrativeness is characteristic of 57% of respondents, and over-demonstrativeness is characteristic of 7%. For the experimental group, over-demonstrativeness is characteristic of 9% of the respondents, moderate degree of demonstrativeness is characteristic of 43% of the test-takers, and 48% of the group representatives have zero demonstrativeness.

This survey also helped to determine to which type(s) the respondents were more inclined. Of the 10 types given in O.S. Posypanova's typology, eight were characteristic of the target groups to a greater or lesser extent.

The three most pronounced types of demonstrativeness in consumption were identified – status (an attempt to "buy" elitism through expensive things and accessories), escapism from poverty (deliberate luxury to demonstrate one's financial status) and perfectionism (striving to possess the best things in order to be appreciated by others). There were also respondents who lacked any type of demonstrativeness.

Conclusion. The study of the propensity to demonstrative behaviour among students revealed the following peculiarities - adolescents are characterised by increased demonstrativeness, which generally correlates with the leading motive in establishing authority among peers for the age in question. According to psychologists, such people are characterised by a pronounced need for a positive assessment of their actions by the external environment, a predominant appeal to feelings, and a comparative egocentricity in social interaction.

As for demonstrativeness in consumption, the statistical difference is explained by the fact that, according to O.S. Posypanova, "demonstrativeness as a personality trait has no direct connection with demonstrative consumption" [6, p. 257]. The three most pronounced types of demonstrativeness in consumption were identified – status (an attempt to "buy" elitism through expensive things and accessories), escapism from poverty (deliberate luxury to demonstrate one's financial status) and perfectionism (striving to possess the best things in order to be highly appreciated by others).

According to observations, it can be concluded that children strive to show themselves the best, the richest, the smartest, demonstrating themselves as much as possible (striving to keep up with fashion, smoking, drinking alcohol, using bad words, selfishness, etc.). These are children who get practically everything from life, and the manifestation of demonstrativeness is a fact that either parents have not given their child enough time, being busy with their work or personal life, or parents have overdone it with attention, blowing dust off their child (as a result of which children grow up to be spoilt children who undoubtedly need attention on themselves).

The conducted experiment confirmed the relevance of the prevalence of the phenomenon of demonstrative behaviour among adolescents. Since the lack of systematic pedagogical work to change demonstrative behaviour in the long term leads to deviations in the personal development of individuals, it is necessary to implement psychological and pedagogical conditions of demonstrative behaviour of adolescents in an educational organisation, which is a comprehensive programme for adolescents and their parents, as well as the teaching staff of the educational institution.

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