Psychology and sociology/12. Social psychology
Chernov D.N., Sanoyan T.R.
The Russian National Research Medical University named after N.I. Pirogov, Russia
The problem of
formation of the collective subject «the parent–the child» in the multicultural environment*
At present, one of the
priority tasks of the public in the present conditions of formation of a
multicultural society in Russia, due to migration is the study of the factors
that enable children from migrant families, preserving their culture, learn the
culture of the host side. Identify of sociocultural conditions that contribute
to acculturation of children in a multicultural environment, it is theoretical
and practical problem. In this study the problem is viewed as an example of
Armenian families living in Moscow. Studies show that among the Armenians
(living both in Armenia and Russia) remain more or less the traditions of large
patriarchal families, which play an important role in the stabilization of the
contemporary Armenian family, contributing to sustainable identification of
themselves as members of a particular ethnic community. Strong family and
kinship ties to help with initial adaptation of immigrants–Armenians, have a
great influence on the creation of new social and economic networks in the
emerging migrant communities (Sanoyan, 2011). Because of this, we must
recognize that the family is the most important factor of acculturation of the
younger generation. In this study, the family will be treated by us as
collective subject from the standpoint of subject-active approach, developed in
the Russian psychology by S.L. Rubinstein, K.A. Abulkhanova, A.V. Brushlinsky,
A.L. Zhuravlev, etc. The child-parental generality becomes the collective
subject when the parent and the child have deep requirement for joint activity;
the child, depending in the development from active parent participation in the
organization of various developing forms of activity, to the greatest degree
receives in them possibility for realization of the subject potential. For
formation of the collective subject «the parent–the child» the reflexion by the
parent of child possibilities in development, comprehension of necessity of
creation of developing sociocultural conditions according to the child individuality
is necessary (Chernov, 2011). Researches earlier carried out by us in
frameworks of the subject-activity approach have allowed to elicit the fact of
that for the Russian dyads «the mother–the younger preschooler» is
characteristic a presubject level of development of a child-parental generality
with the absence of express style preferences in upbringing (Chernov, Ignatov, 2012). The formed
collective subject «the parent–the child» is observed in senior preschoolers:
the presence of interrelation/interdependence between subjects, the reflective
relation, mainly, the parent to the child and the tendency to increase in
intensity and expansion of spheres of joint activity of the parent and the
child are observed (Chernov, Romaschuk, 2012). In other research, it was
observed, younger preschool children and their mothers (which are guided by
bicultural-educational motives) from group of the German immigrants from
Kazakhstan, living in Germany are characterized by the coherence /interdependence
of the parent and the child and the reflective relation of the parent to joint
activity. Besides, the leading component in
structure of the parental relation is the raised moral responsibility (Chernov,
2012). The purpose of this paper is to reveal features of functioning of a
child-parental generality as the collective subject in the families which are
bringing up the junior schoolers in the situation of the multicultural
environment (migrants–Armenians in Russian).
Methods. Mothers filled a
questionnaire «The analysis of family relationships» (QAFR) (Eydemiller,
Yustitskis, 2000) and a questionnaire of parental relations (QPR) (Varga,
Stolin, 1989). For an estimation of the general orientation of parent's
activity a questionnaire «The person orientation» by V. Smekal – M. Kucher
(QPO) (in Osnitskiy, 1996) was used. For diagnostics of propensity of the
parent to the reflective relation to its life the questionnaire of diagnostics
of reflexivity (QDR) (Carpov, 2003) was used. We created a projective method
«The parent and the child are together», intended for diagnostics of
child-parental relations as the collective subject (PMCS) (Chernov, 2011).
Specificity of child experience of interpersonal relations was investigated by
means of a method «Film-test» by R. Zhil (FT) (Gil'yasheva, Ignat'eva, 1994).
Children carried out a projective method «Kinetic drawing of a family» (KDF)
(Berns, Kaufman, 2003). The statistical analysis was spent by means of
Statistics 9.0. The Factor analysis and Student’s Test for unrelated samples
are used.
Sample. 1) 60 junior school-children-Armenians (7
years – 8 years 11 months, 27 girls and 33 boys) and their mothers 30–55 years old living in Moscow; 2) 62 Russian children at the age of 7 years
– 8 years 11 months (32 girls and 31 boys) and their mothers 27–40 years old
involved in research. All children visit school.
Results and their discussion. For the purpose
of a general concept about structure of child-parental relations the factor
analysis of data by methods QAFR, QPR, QPO, QDR, PMCS, FT and KDF is carried
out by two samples. The structure of data is explained by 5 factors
which describe 50.29 % of total variance.
The most important for
explaining the variance of estimations the factor ¹1 is «The collective subject
“the parent–the child” with the style of parental relation “the indulging
hyperpatronage”». Factor is expressed when mother considers upbringing of the
child by the central business of a life, aspires to satisfaction of all child
needs, shows to it minimal requirements, alternating minimality of restrictions
in a combination to a minimality of sanctions; mother is inclined to expansion
of sphere of parental feelings, preference in the child of children's qualities
(QAFR). Thus mother
aspires to an establishment co-operative, frequently, symbiotic relations with
the child (QPR).
For mothers are characteristic: a high level of reflexivity (QDR), collective
person orientation (QPO), interaction/interdependency with the child, high intensity
and expansion of spheres of joint activity with the child and reflexive
relation of parent and child to their life together (PMCS). Thus the child has
a positive attitude to the nearest social environment, is inquisitive,
is sociable and socially adequate (FT), perceives a family situation as
favorable (KDF).
The factor ¹2 is named «The collective presubject “the
parent–the child” with the style of parental relation "the
hypopatronage”»: the child is on periphery of mother’s attention, mother does
not aspire to the maximum satisfaction of its requirements, she is insufficiently
exacting to it (a minimum quantity of duties and interdictions); style of
education is inconsistent. Mother feels educational uncertainty, expansion of
parental feelings is observed at their backwardness, mother «is afraid» to be
mistaken in relations with the child, education of the child becomes «field»
for finding-out of relations between spouses, in the child man's qualities are
preferred (QAFR). Thus mother shows high level of emotional acceptance of the child with
the tendency to symbiotic relations; she aspires to realization in the child of
an image of social desirability (QPR).
For mothers are characteristic: a high level of reflexivity (QDR),
interaction/interdependency with the child and reflexive relation of parent and
child to joint activity (PMCS). Thus the child is inquisitive and socially
adequate, aspires to domination in relations (FT), and perceives a family
situation as disputed (KDF).
The factor ¹3 – «The hypopatronage with the positive
relation of the child to a social environment»: the child is on periphery of
mother’s attention, its requirements are ignored (QAFR). Thus for
mother high level of emotional acceptance of the child is characteristic (QPR). At such
upbringing style the child positively refer to parents as a couple, siblings,
near relatives, friends and significant adults. It is sociable (FT).
The factor ¹4 – «The hyperpatronage/hypersocialization»:
mother gives to upbringing of the child a lot of time, however an upbringing
style is unstable, excessive sanctions to the child are situationally replaced
by their insufficiency. For mother is characteristic: expansion of sphere of
parental feelings, preference in the child of children's and man's qualities;
she is inclined to transfer own undesirable qualities on the child and to take
out the conflict between spouses in upbringing sphere (QAFR). Mother
adheres to directive hypersocializing style (QPR). For
mother the «on itself» person orientation is characteristic (QPO). Thus the
child positively concerns parents as to a couple, significant adults, it is
socially adequate, but also – is inclined to a solitude (FT).
The factor ¹ 5 has received the name «The
cooperation/hypersocialization»: mother prefers children's qualities in the
child (QAFR), aspires to realization in it of an image of social desirability, but is
thus inclined to directive hypersocializing style of upbringing (QPR). For mother the business person orientation is characteristic (QPO).
The individual factor scores
on the identified factors were
calculated. Samples are compared on expressiveness degree of all factors. Russian mothers have the expressed estimations under
factors «The collective subject “the
parent–the child” with the style of parental relation “the indulging
hyperpatronage”» (p≤0,001) and «The hypopatronage with the positive relation of
the child to a social environment» (p≤0,01). Armenian mothers have more expressed estimations under factors «The collective presubject “the parent–the child” with
the style of parental relation "the hypopatronage”» (p≤0,001) è «The
hyperpatronage/hypersocialization» (p≤0,001).
Thus, in the Armenian families living in Moscow in which
the child is junior schooler, for a child-parental generality in upbringing
structure extreme measures are characteristic. În the one hand,
against the seeming hypopatronage, the parent meaningly gives to the child
possibility to choose the variants of behavior adequate to a situation of
development in the multicultural environment, with
another – the parent try to bring up child in directive hypersocializing style.
Such child-parental generality is on presubject stage of development of the
collective subject: interdependence/coherence of subjects is observed at the
expressed person orientation to a collective, personal and group reflexivity of
mother. Such level of the organization of a child-parental generality is
characteristic for dyads «the mother–the younger preschooler» in the Russian
population (Chernov, Ignatov, 2012) and population of families of the
Kazakhstan Germans who are living in Germany and guided by bicultural-upbringing
attitudes (Chernov, 2012), for an initial stage of formation of a
child-parental generality as collective subject and, in addition, in the
conditions of emigration complicated for a family. Research brings an attention
to the question on necessity of psychological-pedagogical work with the
families living in multicultural conditions, on development of child-parental
relations in the tideway of formation of the collective subject that is a
condition for acculturation of the child and its upbringing as multicultural
person.
* Research is executed at the
Russian Foundation for Humanities financial support of the project of carrying
out of scientific researches «Model of sociocultural conditionality of language
development in ontogenesis», project ¹12-06-00237à.