The concept of "psychological space of personality" and its heuristic possibilities

Context and relevance. The author notes that in modern psychology topological terms are often used to describe the inner world of man, but there is no clear theoretical justification for the concept of "psychological space of personality." The relevance of the study is due to practical observations of children and adolescents, when infringement of their personal living space (deprivation) correlated with manifestations of aggression, vandalism and theft. Purpose. Substantiate and define the concept of "psychological space of personality," consider pragmatic aspects of its operationalization, diagnosis and the possibility of applying this construct in psychological practice (psychotherapy, personal growth trainings). Hypothesis. The relationship between the preservation of personal living space in early childhood and human myrh-bearing (distance, aggressiveness/benevolence). The assumption that the absence or narrowing of personal space encourages the person to fight for its expansion, which leads either to the effects of the "communal psyche" or to aggressive-expansionist behavior. Methods and materials. Theoretical analysis of works on ethology (K. Lorenz, N. Tinbergen), personality psychology (W. Jems, K. Levin, A. Adler) and domestic psychology (S.L. Rubinstein, A.N. Leontyev). Sample: Moscow adolescents (in different series of studies from 41 to 95 people). Questionnaire "Sovereignty of personal living space" (29 statements on 6 dimensions: body, physical space, things, friends, habits, tastes). The "Non-existent animal" technique for distinguishing groups of adolescents by the type of myroresponsiveness (benevolent, indifferent, negative). R. Kettell questionnaire for the study of personality devils.Results. The relationship between the sovereignty of personal living space and a benevolent attitude towards the world (p <0.01) has been confirmed. Boys were found to be more sensitive to deprivation of living space than girls. Deprivation of space in girls is accompanied by a decrease in adaptation, increased anxiety and excitability; in boys - a decrease in emotional stability and confidence, but they remain more socially adapted. Deprivation of space in boys contributes to the appearance of feminine traits, and in girls - masculine. Children from repetitive families are significantly more likely to be "deprived" (75%) than children from traditional families (21%). There was a link between space deprivation with high anxiety, aggressiveness and low self-esteem. Conclusion. The psychological space of the individual is a constructive and heuristic concept that determines a person's myrh-attitude, his ability to dialogue and level of mental health. The preservation of the boundaries of this space is one of the conditions of mental comfort and full self-actualization of the person.