The Person in Transitive and Virtual Space: New Challenges of Modality

• Main Author: Tatiana D. Martsinkovskaya
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University 2019-06-01
• Series: Psychology in Russia: State of Art
• Subjects: transitive and network space; technological society; picture of the world; methodology
• Online Access: http://psychologyinrussia.com/volumes/pdf/2019_2/Psychology_2_2019_165-176_Martsinkovskaya.pdf

Objective. The aim of this study is to consider the new challenges facing psychological science today, the chief of which are the modern transitive society and network virtual space. Design. The study consisted of two series of tests. In the first part, 150 students (ages 19-21; 80 female, 70 male) were tested on their structure of social identity and attitudes toward people of both their own and different cultures, with the questionnaires “Structure of social identity,” “Level of personal anxiety,” and “Attitude to native and alien cultures.” In the second part, 100 people were divided into two groups, one of persons 18 to 25 years old, and another of persons 30 to 45 years old. They were asked about their attitudes toward the new technological space with the questionnaire “Attitude to new technological space,” which was developed by the author in 2017. Results. The study showed that transitional space puts people in a difficult life situation, which increases their anxiety and reduces their socialization potential, especially in a multicultural space. The data showed that under these conditions, the family turns out to be the most important group for most people, regardless of their ages or where they live. Conclusion. A transitive society is determined by its variability, and the uncertainty and multiplicity of social and personal spaces and contexts. This situation raises the status of the family in the structure of sociocultural identity. The experience of working with new technologies is the main determinant of people having a positive attitude toward them.