Professional self-determination of the personality of students, high school students

Professional self-determination is a conscious choice of the direction of work activity. It is important that it is carried out with an understanding of responsibility for the implementation of the intended path. Choosing a profession is a dynamic and multi-stage process. To make work an enjoyable part of life, you should regularly analyze your actions and results. If subtotals signal that it is time for change, they cannot be ignored.

You should not rush to interpret the feeling of the need to change your field of activity as your own weakness or temporary whim. Living conditions change from time to time. We reflect, reconsider goals - all these are integral components of a fulfilling life.

The essence of professional self-determination

A professor at the Faculty of Psychology of Moscow State University managed to succinctly define the foundations of professional self-determination. N. Lomonosov to S. Pryazhnikov. In his understanding, they represent a search for personal meaning in the chosen and mastered specialty. This once again emphasizes that without a favorite thing in life it is difficult to develop holistically.

Professional self-determination has a number of functions:

Holistic awareness of individual mental and physical characteristics.
Analysis and knowledge of one’s personal characteristics (personality psychology).
Acceptance of the current socio-economic living conditions.
Studying different types of activities, comparing them, choosing a place in society.
Mastering your chosen profession. Formation of subjective criteria for assessing oneself as a specialist.

It is also important to study the structure of professional self-determination. There are many theoretical variations of it, but in practice it is often customary to use the development of E. A. Klimov based on the ideas of the outstanding Soviet psychologist S. L. Rubinstein. This model of professional self-determination allows us to decompose the process into three planes and clearly demonstrate the value of successful career guidance, as well as its dependence on personality characteristics.

It includes the following components:

"Can". This part reflects inclinations, abilities, skills, abilities, character traits and behavior.
"Want". Includes desires, internal needs, motives, values and ideals.

There is also “Should”. These are external requirements determined by social trends and put forward to a person.

Professional self-determination of students

A person first gets acquainted with work in preschool age. Developing motor coordination and fine motor skills requires a lot of effort from kids. Gradually they realize that to achieve what they want they need to take action.

Self-determination: types, concept. Stages of self-determination.

Self-determination is the process of a person choosing and establishing individual values, capabilities, needs, methods and norms of behavior, as well as the criteria by which he evaluates himself and his achievements.

At its core, the process of self-determination in a mature person lasts throughout life; a person thinks about such questions as: who am I, what can I achieve, what is my individual purpose, can I help my loved ones, why do I live, etc.

In self-determination, a person combines a generalized understanding of himself and generalized ideas about the world into one semantic system, forming the meaning of his existence. Self-determination cannot be equated with self-awareness, since you can be aware of yourself, but not reach the level of comparing what I can really do and what is really required of me . The emergence of the need for self-determination, its levels are determined by the system of relationships, the environment in which a person exists (to what extent the environment stimulates such thoughts) as well as the person’s age, his motivation and readiness.

Self-determination is a relatively independent stage of socialization, the essence of which is the formation in an individual of an awareness of the purpose and meaning of life, readiness for independent life activities based on the correlation of his desires, existing qualities, capabilities and demands placed on him by others and society.

Conventionally, we can distinguish 3 types of self-determination : personal, professional and life. All of them are closely related to each other and very often intersect.

Personal self-determination

inextricably linked with human values. By forming them, people decide what they should be, what standards of behavior are acceptable to them, how to treat other people, how to evaluate themselves and their actions.

Life self-determination

represents a choice of strategy and lifestyle. It is very important for every person to understand the meaning of his existence and act in accordance with it.

Professional self-determination

consists in a person choosing a specialization, deciding what to become, and what kind of work he will like. The first step towards this is getting an education.

T.V. Kudryavtsev, one of the first domestic psychologists who deeply studied the problem of professional development of the individual, chose the individual’s attitude to the profession and the level of performance of activities as criteria for identifying stages. He identified four stages:

1) the emergence and formation of professional intentions;

2) vocational training and preparation for professional activities;

3) entering the profession, actively mastering it and finding oneself in the production team;

4) full realization of personality in professional work.

E.A. Klimov justified the following professionally oriented periodization:

1) option stage (12-17 years) - preparation for the conscious choice of a professional path;

2) stage of professional training (15-23 years) mastering knowledge and skills of future professional activity;

3) stage of development of a professional (from 16-23 years to retirement age) - entry into the system of interpersonal relations in professional communities and further development of the subject of activity.

In a later periodization of the life path of a professional, E.A. Klimov offers a more detailed grouping of phases:

• option - the period of choosing a profession in an educational and vocational institution;

• adaptation - entering the profession and getting used to it;

• internalization phase—gaining professional experience;

• skill—qualified performance of labor activity;

• the authority phase—the achievement of a highly qualified professional;

• mentoring - the transfer of experience by a professional.

Professional self-determination: age manifestations, sphere of life activity, qualities and abilities of a person.

Professional self-determination

is a form of personal choice that reflects the process of searching for and acquiring a profession. This concept also denotes a set of techniques, methods, and technologies with the help of which goals are achieved.

Currently, professional orientation to service in state and municipal government bodies is complicated by a number of factors:

· the general weakness of the state against the backdrop of a systemic crisis from which it has not yet emerged, although some encouraging trends are already emerging;

· ongoing unsystematic reorganization of the state apparatus;

· weakness of local governments, their meager funding, material and personnel support;

· lack of proper government attention to the development of the social sphere, especially education, science, and civilized infrastructure of the labor market.

Against this background, it is not surprising that there is no system of working with potential state and municipal employees and the spontaneous nature of solving personnel problems in that area of employment, which should provide examples of a truly state approach to the effective use of society’s personnel potential.

Scientifically organized career guidance may be based on the following logic:

1. Statement of the personnel problem (what does the state and municipal service system need from the point of view of its staffing?).

2. Human resource planning, including analysis of personnel requirements, i.e. determination of personnel demand (general and in individual areas, specialties, positions), personnel forecast. HR services involved in personnel marketing should play a leading role in this.

Personnel demand is the employer’s need for personnel, provided with the necessary financial and material resources. Personnel demand differs: quantitative,

understood as the volume of labor required to achieve set personnel goals;
qualitative,
considered as the potential of an effective workforce;
temporary
, which refers to the demand for the future, taking into account all possible changes in various areas of social life, in the conditions and content of professional activity.

HR Marketing—

the function of personnel services, which consists in a thorough and comprehensive study and forecasting of the labor market, personnel supply and demand, organization of personnel advertising, etc.

3. Determination of requirements for applicants for vacant positions in the state or municipal service (a clear representation of the qualities of the future employee by analyzing the workplace, position, description of the qualification and personal requirements for the applicant, terms and conditions of employment).

Determination of the main sources of personnel supply and their potential, including personnel supply (internal, within the system of state and municipal government, as well as external, developing outside this system), the formation of “zones of interest”, “horizons”, taking into account the uniqueness of individual labor markets ( by specialty). Personnel offer—

the ability of the labor market to satisfy the personnel demand of various entities.

4. Taking into account the information-evaluative nature of career guidance activities, the development of basic requirements for the content of the information used in it and the creation of a flexible system of its technologies.

5. Development of a specific staffing program.

Professional self-determination at a young and mature age

The formation of an individual as a professional does not end with receiving a diploma of secondary specialized or higher education. After several years of stable work in a certain field, a reassessment of meanings and goals often occurs, which may result in a change in type of activity.

In psychology, this phenomenon was studied in detail by the famous psychologist E. F. Zeer. As the founder of the scientific school of personality development in a professional educational environment, he conducted a number of interesting studies. The results of many years of work have resulted in valuable conclusions:

At the age of 27-30, most people experience psychological discomfort associated with work. Any reason is considered valid and adequate for rethinking professional self-determination. Its results can be either a change of place of work or a radical change in occupation.
After 30 years, as well as with the onset of maturity, scientists note the most productive age in career terms. Thanks to the accumulated experience and strengthened self-confidence, a person begins to experience “professional optimism.” Fewer and fewer tasks seem impossible to achieve.

Stages of choosing a profession

Self-determination is a changeable state; the process does not stop at a certain age. A person chooses a profession that may cease to please after a few years. Then the individual needs to search for a new calling.

The following stages of self-determination are distinguished:

preschool (children);
teenage (or school);
youthful;
stage of growing up (or maturity)
retirement or senior period.

Each period of a person’s life is characterized by age characteristics and needs.

Younger age

The child’s behavior and choice are influenced by external factors, since at this stage (up to 10 years) personal judgment and a system of life principles have not been formed. Kids imitate their parents and older comrades. At a young age, the child is guided by the professions of his relatives, creating for himself an understanding of his future professional activities.

An additional criterion is getting good grades or praise from teachers.

Teenage stage

The period (10-15 years) is one of the key life milestones. The child understands and recognizes his own strengths and weaknesses.

A teenager differentiates between work he likes and work he does under duress (from parents, teachers).

There is a division of professions based on gender:

Boys are characterized by a desire for self-expression and self-affirmation;
girls choose activities related to fashion and pop.

Sexual division disappears in the next period of self-determination (from 16 to 23 years).

Youth stage

The turning point age is the period of leaving secondary school, when the question of professional self-determination arises. A teenager chooses between work and getting a specialized education at a university.

The choice in favor of education is made by those young people who have not decided on their future profession. The period is characterized by the destruction of the romanticized idea of adult life and work. A person is forced to make decisions that affect his future existence. Often a teenager experiences disappointment in his choice and changes the area in which he wants to develop.

Maturity stage

This category includes people who have completed the education process and are only engaged in a career. An adult has experience and a place of work.

A mature personality shows social and professional activity, thinks about career growth and takes steps for development.

At this stage, the most important age is 30 years, since the problem of self-determination becomes extremely relevant. A person finally chooses a profession, changes the previous one, which can be accompanied by a long search for oneself and emotional burnout.

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Despite the difficulties of self-orientation, the “adult” stage is the most productive in life and ends at 65-70 years of age. Fatigue from the chosen job may appear after 30 years of activity.

Retirement stage

The period begins after 70 years. A person often does not fully realize his professional and personal potential, which causes depression, anxiety, and disappointment. The pensioner is faced with an assessment of his own life path, strives to realize himself in the personal and life sphere. The next stage of professional self-determination allows you to find a new field for activity or hobby.

Soviet cosmonaut Yu.A. Gagarin spoke about his profession and career in general: “You work well when you love your profession and are passionate about it.”

Culture of professional self-determination

The public idea of professional self-determination has undergone significant changes over the past two centuries. In the 20s of the last century, it was enough to simply get a job. In the 1940s, much attention was paid to assessing personality traits. For the first time, it was noted that taking them into account helps to establish the degree of professional suitability. After the 70s, society switched to the importance of an individual approach to choosing a specialty.

Nowadays, a special area is devoted to the study of professional self-determination of specialists - career guidance activities. Its main objectives are to help and support a person in self-determination. After the results of psychological and sociological research, it is difficult to deny that the development of society directly depends on the self-realization of each person.

The meaning of self-determination

A person’s self-determination plays the most important role in the formation and development of him as a person. People who could not find their place in the world are deeply unhappy. They do not see the meaning of their existence, and, accordingly, they have nothing to strive for, no goals that they would like to achieve. A person who has lost interest in life falls into deep depression and withdraws into himself.

Self-determination contributes to the socialization of the individual. It helps a person find a way out of difficult situations, resolve conflict situations correctly and with dignity, behave confidently in society, and observe etiquette standards.

Self-determination is an important step towards self-realization. A person who has correctly determined for himself what he wants to do in life achieves success in his career and becomes financially independent. If work brings not only material wealth, but also pleasure, people feel truly happy.

The problem of professional self-determination of personality

The modern labor market is changing rapidly. This makes it difficult to choose a specialty. New professions are constantly appearing, and previously popular ones are greatly transformed or become a thing of the past.

When choosing a career path, everyone should be aware of the consequences of the decision. Therefore, you should not neglect analyzing the demand for your chosen specialty. To do this, it is worth studying its technologies, its significance in modern realities, and familiarizing itself with forecasts for the future. Losing the opportunity to work in your chosen profession is stress that will negatively affect a person’s entire life. Therefore, you should not succumb to illusions and make choices based on emotions.

Personal development and professional self-determination

Professional self-determination and holistic personal development are inextricably interconnected. On the one hand, successful work activity is the most important component of a person’s socialization, which greatly influences life satisfaction. The other side of the coin is that without continuous study of needs and comprehensive self-development, people cannot achieve success in the profession.

A. Maslow emphasized that a person’s self-actualization is directly determined by passion for work. When a person finds a place in society, it is easier for him to move towards his goals. His life is filled with meaning and positivity, and society gains another strong member capable of promoting progress.

In psychology, personal and social self-determination are distinguished

Personal self-determination is the search for your place in life, your life strategy and determining the criteria for success in your personal life and professional activities. If you look deeper, it is the search for your true self and your purpose.

Social self-determination is the determination of one’s place in society, belonging to a certain social circle or group of people. This is the formation of social awareness, determination of one’s own views on religion, politics, philosophy of life and morality.

The need for personal, social and professional self-determination arises at the age of 15-17. This is early adolescence, when high school students are preparing to enter universities, choose a future profession and live independently. At this age it is too early to talk about conscious self-determination. It is more correct to talk about the psychological readiness of a young person for self-determination.

Readiness for personal self-determination . Readiness for personal self-determination implies the formation in adolescents of awareness and ideas about their responsibilities and rights in society. As well as the formation of stable moral principles, views and beliefs. At this age, a person must be able to take responsibility for his actions, be able to analyze life experiences and give an adequate assessment of events. This will ensure a conscious, creative and active life in the future. Of course, self-awareness plays the main role in readiness for self-determination, i.e. understanding yourself, your qualities and their adequate assessment.
Personal self-determination of adolescents . During adolescence, profound changes occur in a person. They also concern physiology, relationships with adults and peers, changes in the development of intelligence and abilities. This is the transition from childhood to adulthood. Personal self-determination in youth begins to form with the concept of motivation and the definition of personal and business interests. During this period, professional inclinations appear. Undoubtedly, this is a turning point and the most difficult period in the formation of personality. But he is the most responsible in a person’s life. It is at this age that the desire for self-improvement is formed. I want to know myself, express myself and establish myself.

The main feature of this age is the desire to be like adults. The teenager copies behavior, clothing style, and vocabulary. During this period, adults themselves begin to treat the child as an adult, give him more permission and trust, and assign new responsibilities. Relationships become more equal and independent. As a result, the teenager’s desire to be an adult strengthens, so new life circumstances bring the individual to a new stage of personal psychological development.

Self-awareness and an assessment of personal abilities begin to form. All teenagers are dissatisfied with themselves because they evaluate the merits of other people and wish to have the same ones. They create an ideal for themselves and worry that they do not live up to it.

The main problem of personal self-determination is that a teenager spends most of his time at school. Our education system is not only incapable of helping a child decide, to know himself, to test his capabilities, but in principle, teachers do not perceive a teenager as a person. At school they don’t teach you to think, think, develop, create and set goals.

According to N.S. Pryazhnikov, personal self-determination “has such characteristic features as globality, dependence on stereotypes of public consciousness and dependence on the influence of objective factors that determine the life of the group.”

Factors of professional self-determination of personality

In a compressed form, they are displayed in the previously discussed model of E. A. Klimov. Let's look at them in more detail. The first component is internal motivational factors:

Personal preferences. This includes needs, desires, internal motives, moral values.
Ideas about a comfortable standard of living. They include an individual image of the desired future (place of residence, readiness for business trips, life schedule).
Own assessment of work activity. Individual ideas about the prestige and attractiveness of the profession. This also includes reflections on the complexity of the assigned responsibilities, a subjective assessment of the opening prospects.

Psychology concept

External conditions

Professional self-determination of an individual is an act of a person’s conscious choice of his role in socially useful activities, which is determined by the existence of certain external conditions:

socioeconomic situation in the city, region, state;
priority of professions, significance and relevance for a specific period;
level of education of family members;
financial and social status of parents;
quality indicators of education received at school.

Personal factor

Psychologists believe that it is unrealistic to choose a field for building a career without excluding the personal factor. This factor appears to be a triad of principles:

analysis of internal resources: abilities, inclinations, needs;
designation of the professional sphere, its relationship with primary life tasks;
awareness of the importance of activities for the benefit of society.

Any profession involves a set of significant traits. If a person has pronounced signs of an extrovert, activities that involve constant contact will suit him. Such a person is initially not inclined to perform mechanical work.

Studying a person’s characteristics and their correlation with significant criteria of professions will help to discern his true purpose. An individual’s awareness of his weaknesses provides an incentive for training and further development.

It is necessary to be externally active, turning to all possible sources: the Internet, books, career consultants. The more information a person has about the diversity of the world of professions, the clearer his idea of choice.

Personality and profession

Goals and objectives in the work of a specialist

Personal assistance in choosing a profession is based on the following points:

providing detailed information about the world of professions;
assistance in analyzing the proposed information and overlaying it on a map of the individual’s abilities and desires;
providing moral support in decision making.

General recommendations

An important key to success is the ability to value such a resource as time. A person is given a limited period of time for self-determination, so he needs to use it wisely without wasting money.

In order not to make a mistake in choosing, you need to be attentive to the following nuances:

understand the difference between the subjective attitude towards the carrier of the profession and towards herself;
You should not take into account only the external surroundings of the professional sphere.

There is a stereotype in society that replaces the true image of a specialist with a halo characteristic of the profession. Clinging to external indicators, a young man can make the wrong choice. You need to choose an activity. Lifestyle is only a derivative of activity.

To help those choosing a profession, numerous tests have been created based on the works of J. Holland and E.A. Klimova. Through them, you can understand which area is suitable for a person.

Professional self-determination also depends on a number of external factors:

Social status. Stereotypes formed in thinking under the influence of living conditions in childhood and adolescence have a huge influence. The formation of an attitude towards work depends on the position of the older generation, whose daily example unconsciously influences the image of the future in the thoughts of adolescents.
Environment. This includes recommendations already voiced by parents, relatives, and friends.
State of the labor market. The demand and popularity of the profession play a significant role. Often the wrong choice of activity is a consequence of substituting true desires. A person puts aside his opinion and switches to the priorities of his friends.

You can also add the influence of the media here.

Types of self-determination

According to various guidelines, there are 3 types of self-determination: professional, life, personal. Initially, they exist as separate components of human life. Over time, their connections strengthen. This occurs due to the individual’s immersion in the specialty. And then a person’s personal growth begins to directly depend on professional self-determination. Each type has certain features.

Professional area

Professional self-determination is characterized by formalization. The specialty is determined by a diploma of higher education, qualifications and work experience - letters of recommendation or entries in the work book. Another characteristic is the necessary conditions for comfortable work.

Life path

Life self-determination has its own signs.

Globality. Perception and search for the lifestyle that is characteristic of a certain sociocultural group. This is financial situation, social status, prestige, authority, etc.
Dependence on stereotypes. Certain beliefs about the social culture in which the individual lives are imposed. Because of this, he often cannot realize his full potential.
Dependence on various factors. They have an economic, social, environmental nature and determine the standard of living of a person.

Personal development

Personal self-determination is informal. It is confirmed by certificates of completion of various courses. A person grows personally only when he is in a difficult situation. In stressful moments, the best qualities appear, sometimes hidden potential. This has a beneficial effect on the formation of personality.

In addition to this typology, there are many others. The most correct and relevant is N. Smirnov’s classification of professional self-determination.

Slave position. Usually this is a person without ambitions who is not interested in career growth and salary increases. It is important for him to satisfy his minimal needs. Usually such people live poorly and literally survive.
Consumer position. Such a person is only interested in her personal gain in whatever she does. It can only be stimulated financially. He usually refuses public works, community work days, and programs to help those in need. To every proposal from partners or colleagues he answers: “What will I get for this?”
Employee position. A person does not even think about working independently, and not for someone else. Afraid to take risks, loves stability and comfort. But he is an excellent worker.
The position of a servant of the idea. Such a person works for an idea, and not for material reward. Constantly looking for opportunities to help others and become useful to society.
The position of an original person. In this case, the priority for the individual is personal growth rather than career. Strives for self-development, tries to become the best version of himself. He doesn’t imitate anyone, he always behaves naturally, without pretending.

E. Fromm identifies another type of self-determination and calls it market. This person knows how to sell himself more profitably and actively uses his skills.

Regardless of the type of person, you need to remember that the basic psychology of professional self-determination is freedom of choice.

You should not put pressure on a person to change his position. He made this choice consciously, so he can change it on his own if necessary.

Types of self-determination

Stages of professional self-determination of personality

The generally accepted model for describing the life process of professional self-determination is Donald Super's periodization. He identified five stages of personal self-realization:

Height (0-14 years). It is characterized by the formation of children's fantasies, replacing them with preferences. The final phase is self-determination of abilities and subjective assessment of professions.
Research (15-24). The individual tries himself in different roles, analyzing the degree of satisfaction and the possibility of development in different areas.
Career development (25-44). Represents the end of professional self-determination, drawing up a plan to achieve set goals.
Saving achievements (45-64). The individual develops in the chosen direction, maintaining and increasing opportunities.

The fifth stage is decline (65 and older). There is a systematic exit from work. A person watches other people's work more than doing his own.

Personal self-determination and self-development

Personal self-determination of a person at a more conscious age is impossible without the desire for self-development. Self-development implies such fundamental concepts as self-knowledge, self-actualization, self-education.

A person must clearly understand who he really is. Become aware of your abilities, skills, and talents. Self-knowledge also implies the discovery of new abilities in oneself, testing one’s strengths in different areas of activity. A person must clearly understand what she likes and what her interests are.

There are three levels of self-knowledge:

Biological – knowledge of oneself as an organism;
Social – knowledge of one’s capabilities in mastering new knowledge, skills and norms of behavior;
Personal – the ability to make decisions, make choices, organize your life.

If a person does not perceive himself as a unique individual, he will not understand in which direction to move, and accordingly will not have any motivation to act. Such people usually achieve nothing, go with the flow and live a boring, gray life.

A person’s self-esteem plays an important role in self-determination, as it forms willpower, self-confidence and one’s own strengths. Adequate self-esteem contributes to self-development. I achieve certain successes, it increases and self-confidence increases, which motivates a person to go further and not stop there.

Having understood himself and his life values and priorities, it is easier for a person to set specific goals and achieve them. To achieve certain goals, the right motivation is necessary. It is possible only when a person knows exactly what he wants and what he needs.

Working on yourself every day will lead to success

For self-determination to become the basis of a successful and happy life, you need to constantly work on yourself. Constantly analyze what resources you lack to achieve your goals.

Self-education gives a person the opportunity to realize himself in the professional and personal sphere. Reading books, attending trainings and seminars, watching motivating films increases the level of intelligence and opens up greater opportunities for self-determination and realization.

Self-actualization is the development of the potential capabilities of the individual. A. Maslow defined self-actualization as the full use of one’s talents, abilities and capabilities.

The result of self-actualization is the opportunity to engage in meaningful work activities. Activities that will satisfy your spiritual and material needs, as well as benefit society. In this case, the person will feel fulfilled, successful and significant.

A person who has embarked on the path of self-development is able to become the master of his own life. Do not depend on the opinions of others, rules, stereotypes and restrictions imposed by society. He makes his own decisions, makes choices and listens only to his inner “I”. Such a person understands the meaning of life, finds his purpose and lives a bright, happy life.

Conclusion

Conscious professional self-determination develops strengths, helps to feel satisfaction from the work done, and take a worthy position in society. A person feels like a necessary member of society and makes contact more easily. The pleasure of the work done and the joy of the opportunity to discuss areas of life that concern a person are a valuable resource of energy.

Elena Dubovaya

Author of articles. Biologist (specialization – human physiology). I write about self-organization, personal development and relationships.