Socio-Perceptual Features of the Image of a Foster Child in Foster Parents with Different Forms of Guardianship

230

Abstract

The objective. The purpose of the empirical study presented was the study of social perception and the identification of structurally-substantive features of the mental image of the adopted child in foster parents. Background. The transition to the ubiquitous family arrangement of orphans and the preparation of legislation providing for the adoption of foster parenting as a new profession of a pedagogical profile (“social educator”), as well as the introduction of mandatory psychological testing of foster parents, has revealed the special practical significance and relevance of scientific research related to selection and candidate training. Study design. The work examined the structure of socio-perceptual ideas about the adopted child from adoptive parents, depending on the form of adoption and the number of children adopted by the family for upbringing. The presence of structural relationships and statistical differences was determined using the methods of correlation and comparative analysis. Participants. Foster parents were examined exercising guardianship on the basis of an employment agreement (“social educator”), as well as foster parents who have family ties with adopted children and who exercise guardianship in the form of “blood guardianship” (“blood guardians”). Total 110 people. In the course of data processing and analysis, the entire sample was divided into the following groups: 1. a group of social educators who adopted 1—2 foster children into the family (N=48); 2. a group of social educators who have adopted 3 or more children into the family (N=30); 3. group of “blood guard¬ians” (N=32). Measurements. To identify the structure and content of the perceptual image of the adopted child, a verbal version of the SOCHI technique was used AND V.L. Sitnikova. Results. An analysis of the component profiles of the perceptual image of the “adopted child” in different categories of foster parents showed that they are identical in structure. In the hierarchy of the structure of the image, the leading components are the “Social”, “Activity” and “Behavioral” components. A meaningful analysis of the adoptive child’s perceptual image made it possible to identify structural and semantic units (image components) in the semantic space of adoptive parents that reflect the child’s value attitude to life in a foster family (component “Family Value”) and the presence of bad habits and addictions (component “Bad habits”). This determined the structural specificity of the perceptual image of the “adopted child” in social educators and blood guardians and its difference from the structure of the child’s image in ordinary parents. Intergroup comparative analysis showed that social educators who have adopted 3 or more children into a family more often single out characteristics of a child that are important for interaction in the “child-adult” system; they more often note the attitude of the adopted child towards life in the family, the attitude of the child towards the authority of an adult, as well as the presence of bad habits and addictions in the child. Conclusions. The results were obtained that showed structurally meaningful features of the perceptual image of the adopted child in foster parents with different numbers of children and different forms of guardianship — social educators and blood guardians.

General Information

Keywords: social perception, foster child image, mentality, foster children, foster parents, social educators, blood guardians

Journal rubric: Empirical Research

Article type: scientific article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/sps.2021120207

Funding. The study was supported by the Federal Agency for Scientific Organizations, project number 0159-2020-0001.

For citation: Aldasheva A.A., Zelenova M.E., Sivash O.N. Socio-Perceptual Features of the Image of a Foster Child in Foster Parents with Different Forms of Guardianship. Sotsial'naya psikhologiya i obshchestvo = Social Psychology and Society, 2021. Vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 110–128. DOI: 10.17759/sps.2021120207. (In Russ., аbstr. in Engl.)

References

  1. Alekseeva E.M., Barabanova V.V., Egorova M.A. Psikhologicheskoe blagopoluchie materi i adaptatsiya rebenka starshego doshkol’nogo vozrasta [Psychological well-being of the mother and adaptation of a child of a senior preschool age]. In V.L. Sitnikov (ed.). Sem’ya i deti v sovremennom mire [Family and children in the modern world]. Vol VI. St. Petersburg: Publ. RGPU im. A.I. Gertsena, 2020, pp. 62—72. (In Russ.).
  2. Aldasheva A.A., Zelenova M.E. Professional’nyi mentalitet priemnykh roditelei kak faktor uspeshnosti zameshchayushchei sem’i [Professional mentality of foster parents as a success factor of foster family]. Vestnik Universiteta Rossiiskoi akademii obrazovaniya = Bulletin of the University of the Russian Academy of Education, 2017, no. 5, pp. 23—29. (In Russ.).
  3. Aldasheva A.A., Zelenova M.E., Runets O.V. Individual’nyi stil’ samoregulyatsii kak resurs stressoustoichivosti u zameshchayushchikh roditelei [Individual Self-Regulation styles as the source of stress resistance in foster parents]. Sotsial’naya psikhologiya i obshchestvo = Social Psychology and Society, 2017. Vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 75—92. DOI:10.17759/sps.2017080105 (In Russ.).
  4. Andreeva G.M. Psikhologiya sotsial’nogo poznaniya: Ucheb. posobie dlya studentov vuzov [Psychology of social cognition: Textbook manual for university students]. Moscow: Aspect Press, 2009. 303 p. (In Russ.).
  5. Bern E. Vvedenie v psikhoterapiyu i psikhoanaliz dlya neposvyashchennykh [Introduction to psychotherapy and psychoanalysis for the uninitiated]. St. Petersburg: MFIN, 1992. 448 p. (In Russ.).
  6. Berns R. Razvitie ya-kontseptsii i vospitanie [Self-concept development and education]. Moscow: Progress, 1986. 422 p. (In Russ.).
  7. Bodalev A.A. Vospriyatie i ponimanie cheloveka chelovekom [Perception and understanding of man by man]. Moscow: Publ. Mosk. un-ta, 1982. 200 p. (In Russ.).
  8. Zhuikova V.B., Panyushina T.D. Ponyatie professional’nosti pozitsii prinimayushchego roditelya [The concept of the professional position of the receiving parent]. Konsul’tativnaya psikhologiya i psikhoterapiya = Counseling psychology and psychotherapy, 2015, no 4, pp. 83—101. (In Russ.).
  9. Zavalova N.D., Lomov B.F., Ponomarenko V.A. Obraz v sisteme psikhicheskoi regulyatsii deyatel’nosti [The image in the system of mental regulation of activity]. Moscow: Nauka, 1986. 172 p. (In Russ.).
  10. Kondrat’ev M.Yu. Sotsial’naya psikhologiya obrazovaniya: uchebnoe posobie dlya vuzov [Social Psychology of Education: a textbook for universities]. Moscow: Yurayt, 2020. 321 p. (In Russ.).
  11. Kuznetsova T.Yu. Sotsial’nye stereotipy vospriyatiya vypusknikov detskikh domov [Social stereotypes of perception of graduates of orphanages]. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya = Sociological Studies, 2003, no. 11, pp. 84—88. (In Russ.).
  12. Makhnach A.V. Professional’naya zameshchayushchaya sem’ya: sotsial’no-psikhologicheskie kharakteristiki osoboi maloi sotsial’noi gruppy [Professional substitute family: socio-psychological characteristics of a special small social group]. Vestnik universiteta = University Bulletin, 2019, no. 7, pp. 187—194. (In Russ.).
  13. Nikolaeva E.I. Psikhologiya sem’i. Uchebnik dlya vuzov [Family psychology. Textbook for universities]. St. Petersburg: Piter, 2017. 336 p. (In Russ.).
  14. Oslon V.N. Zhizneustroistvo detei-sirot. Professional’naya zameshchayushchaya sem’ya [Living arrangements for orphans. Professional substitute family]. Moscow: Genezis, 2006. 368 p. (In Russ.).
  15. Prisyazhnaya N.V. Deti-siroty: postinternatnoe zhizneustroistvo [Orphans: post-boarding life management]. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya = Sociological Studies, 2007, no. 1, pp. 56—64. (In Russ.).
  16. Proekt Federal’nogo zakona № 649934-6 «O vnesenii izmenenii v Semeinyi kodeks Rossiiskoi Federatsii i Trudovoi kodeks Rossiiskoi Federatsii v chasti peredachi detei na sotsial’noe vospitanie» [Elektronnyi resurs] [Draft Federal Law No. 649934-6 “On Amendments to the Family Code of the Russian Federation and the Labor Code of the Russian Federation regarding the transfer of children to social education”]. URL: https://lawmon.ru/law/649934-6.html (Accessed 10.07.2020). (In Russ.).
  17. Problema sirotstva v sovremennoi Rossii: Psikhologicheskii aspekt [The problem of orphanhood in modern Russia: Psychological aspect]. In Makhnach A.V., Prikhozhan A.M., Tolstykh N.N. (eds.). Moscow: Institut psikhologii, 2015. 670 p. (In Russ.).
  18. Rean A.A. Vospriyatie materi: obshchie tendentsii i genderno-sotsial’nye osobennosti [Perception of the mother: general trends and gender-social characteristics]. Natsional’nyi psikhologicheskii zhurnal = National psychological journal, 2017. Vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 85—91. DOI:10.11621/npj.2017 (In Russ.).
  19. Rean A.A. Psikhologiya lichnosti [Psychology of Personality]. St. Petersburg: Piter, 2016. 286 p. (In Russ.).
  20. Sitnikov V.L. Obraz rebenka v soznanii detei i vzroslykh [The image of the child in the minds of children and adults]. St. Petersburg: Khimizdat, 2001. 288 p. (In Russ.)
  21. Sitnikov V.L., Strelenko A.A. Osobennosti Ya-, TY-obrazov zameshchayushchtkh materei [Features of I-, YOU-images of substitute mothers]. Pravo. Ekonomika. Psikhologiya = Law. Economy. Psychology, 2020, no. 1(17), pp. 67—73. (In Russ.).
  22. Strelenko A.A. Obraz rebenka v detsko-roditel’skom vzaimodeistvii [The image of the child in the parent-child interaction]. In V.L. Sitnikov (ed.). Sem’ya i deti v sovremennom mire = Family and children in the modern world. Vol. VI. St. Petersburg: Publ. RGPU im. A.I. Gertsena, 2020, pp. 1233—1244. (In Russ.).
  23. Tatarenko D.D. Detsko-roditel’skaya adaptatsiya v zameshchayushchikh sem’yakh [Parent-child adaptation in foster families]. Vestnik MGOU. Seriya «Psikhologicheskie nauki» = MGOU Bulletin. SeriesPsychological, 2012, no. 2, pp. 58—61. (In Russ.).
  24. Chitao R.A. Osobennosti sub”ektivnykh predstavlenii o zameshchayushchikh roditelyakh: gendernyi aspekt [Features of substitute parents’ subjective perceptions: gender aspect]. Vestnik MGOU. Seriya «Psikhologicheskie nauki» = MGOU Bulletin. SeriesPsychological”, 2014, no. 2, pp. 47—58. (In Russ.).
  25. Sheregi F.E. Deti s osobymi potrebnostyami. Sotsiologicheskii analiz [Children with special needs. Sociological analysis]. Moscow: TsSP, 2003. 142 p. (In Russ.).
  26. Shul’ga T.I., Antipina M.A. Emotsional’naya sreda sem’i kak faktor razvitiya lichnosti rebenka v zameshchayushchei sem’e [The emotional environment of the family as a factor in the development of the child’s personality in a substitute family]. Vestnik MGOU. Seriya «Psikhologicheskie nauki» = MGOU Bulletin. SeriesPsychological”, 2012, no. 3, pp. 32—40. (In Russ.).
  27. Aronson E., Wilson T., Akert R. Social Psychology. Hardcover: Ninth Edition, 2010. 648 p.
  28. Dunn W., Craig G. Understanding Human Development. 3rd Edition. Pearson, 2013. 605 p.
  29. Kail R.V. Children and Their Development. Prentice Hall, 1998. 459 p.
  30. Lou Y., Taylor E.P., Folco S.Di. Resilience and resilience factors in children in residential care: A systematic review. Children and Youth Services Review, 2018, no. 89, pp. 83—92.

 

Information About the Authors

Aigul A. Aldasheva, Doctor of Psychology, leading research fellow, Institute of Psychology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3768-9887, e-mail: figulmfmf@mail.ru

Marina E. Zelenova, PhD in Psychology, Research Fellow, Institute of Psychology of the Russian Academy of Science, Moscow, Russia, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6921-976X, e-mail: zelenmar@rambler.ru

Olga N. Sivash, PhD in Psychology, Associate Member, Institute of Psychology RAS, Moscow, Russia, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5222-2858, e-mail: maiskya@gmail.com

Metrics

Views

Total: 583
Previous month: 11
Current month: 17

Downloads

Total: 230
Previous month: 4
Current month: 5