GENDER PECULIARITIES OF LIFE STRATEGIES IN THE PERIOD OF LATE ADOLESCENCE

Abstract

The article is concerned with the study of the peculiarities of life strategies of student youth with regard to the gender factor. The similarities and differences of  such elements of life strategies as self-image, life beliefs, attitude towards the trajectory of life (past, present, future), ways of overcoming difficulties, life supports according to the gender identity of the individual in late adolescence are described. Psychometric and projective methods were used as research methods, such as : S. Behm’s Sex-Role Questionnaire and the Method of Egocentric Associations (“Incomplete Sentence”), as well as phenomenological analysis of essays written by students of the groups studied. The results showed that most of the personality traits and behavioral characteristics were reflected by the students. They imagine: which qualities help them in life self-determination, in the realization of their own goals and plans (positive), and which hinder (negative). It is determined that the formation of the self-image among persons of late adolescence mainly matches with the gender role and the features that determine it. Young men and women of masculine sex-role identity recognize as positive those traits that contribute to achievements and success, and as negative those that hinder these achievements, regardless of their social acceptability. Feminine individuals often recognize as positive those qualities and traits that have traditionally been recognized as feminine in Ukrainian society and encouraged kindness, trust, politeness, gentleness, and the ability to love. They are sometimes defined as negative with the prefix “too much”. Students with an androgynous type of identity have more balanced characteristics of self-image, attitudes towards the past, present, and future. They also have a wider range of resistances that help them cope with the challenges of life. As a way to overcome obstacles, almost all respondents, regardless of gender, consensually accepted the strategy of “working harder and harder”, apparently not realizing the broader context of the life path taking into account their own resources. Conclusions. Based on the results obtained, it is established that the process of formation strategies for the life of an individual has a connection; connection with the gender factor of personality, but not always due to it. The results obtained indicate the need to take into account the role of the gender factor in the development of programs to optimize the process of formation students’ own life strategies.

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