Psychological Separation from Parents in Adolescence in the Context of Value and Semantic Orientations

Relevance. The problem of psychological separation in adolescence comes up against many contradictions, such as high demands of society to the young generation and difficulties on the way to comply with them (prolongation of the adolescent period, dependence on parents, personal immaturity, infantilism, instability of axiological orientations, etc.). Aim. The goal is to study the relationship between the level of separation anxiety, components of psychological separation from parents and axiological and life–purpose orientations in adolescence. Materials and methods. Adult Separation Anxiety Questionnaire ASA–27, adapted by A.A. Dityuk Hoffman’s questionnaire of psychological separation, D.A. Leontyev’s test of life–purpose orientations, E.B. Fantalova’s «Level of Value and Availability Ratio in Different Life Spheres». Sampling: 98 students of higher and secondary specialized educational institutions at the age of 17–21 years (52% boys and 48% girls). Results and conclusions. Components of psychological separation from parents in adolescence is uneven; psychological separation from parents has been partially completed. Separation from the mother is more pronounced than from the father. Separation anxiety is expressed to a moderate degree. The conflicting style of separation prevails. Attitudinal separation from parents has been achieved to a greater extent affective and behavioral separations are insufficiently formed; in boys and girls, pronounced separation anxiety is associated with unformed life–purpose orientations and motivational and personal integration in the «value–availability» plane in the areas of «happy family life», «materially secure life», «freedom»; incomplete separation from the mother and the presence of meaning in life for her children are interconnected; incomplete separation from the father is associated with the present life–meaning crisis in his children.

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