On procrastination as a psychological defence of personality

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Abstract

Introduction. The relevance of the problem is accounted for by the need to overcome the process of procrastination in connection with the growing tendency towards a person’s decreasing activity in solving educational and professional tasks, as well as fadeout of people’s social activity. The psychological science has sufficiently explored the emotional and motivational factors of procrastination, has established its connection with the components of conscious regulation of efforts reflecting the infringement of subject’s activity. At the same time, there are practically no scholarly studies revealing the significance of reflexive processes from the position of purposeful inhibition of activity. The aim of the study was to test the assumption of existence of positive interrelation between reflexivity and vocational guidance within the framework of the general hypothesis stating that procrastination can act as a mechanism protecting individual’s self-identity. Materials and methods. The following methods were used: “Procrastination Scale” by P. Steel adapted by I.N. Kormacheva, reflexivity questionnaire by A.V. Karpov, the authors’ questionnaire “Objective personal manifestations of the subject of activity”. The research involved 61 full-time and part-time students aged 18 to 46 (Me = 28 years) of the Humanitarian Institute of Vladimir State University (Russian Federation). Results. A significant positive correlation between one’s personal reflexivity and aptitude for procrastination was established (p < 0,01). Negative correlation was revealed between procrastination (p < 0,01), on the one part, and dutifulness, independence and initiative, on the other part, as objective manifestations of self-identity. Conclusion. The obtained results will be interesting for researchers working in the sphere of selfregulation of activity, including learning, as well as for specialists in individual’s psychology and personality development. They can be used in designing the educational space of a higher education institution, that would contribute to the development of students’ self-identity. Keywords: subject, procrastination, self-regulation, reflexion, reflexivity, personal meaning, subjectspecific approach