(2016) Science and education, 5, 90-94. Odessa.

Inna Zagurska,
PhD (Candidate of Psychological Sciences), associate professor,
Nataliia Nykonchuk,
PhD (Candidate of Psychological Sciences), associate professor,
Department of Social and Applied Psychology,
Zhytomyr State University named after Ivan Franko,
40, Velyka Berdychivska Str., Zhytomyr, Ukraine

TRAINING AS A FORM OF PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSISTANCE
IN OVERCOMING SITUATIONAL ANXIETY OF SENIOR STUDENTS

Leaving school, as well as going to the higher educational institution, are considered to be important events in adolescents’ life. Professional self-determination, final exams, and other life situations can cause situational anxiety, because they are of importance for the majority of young people. Situational anxiety is manifested only in certain situations, which are associated with subjectively meaningful activities and are stressful for an individual. It has been mentioned that besides positive mobilising function, situational anxiety negatively affects a personality, which can express itself in a wide range of manifestations: from the lowering of mental ability to work to total uncertainty of one’s own abilities. That is why it is important to contribute to students’ realisation of the factors which provoke situational anxiety, and their mastering of effective ways of lowering its level. The article is aimed at developing the structure of the training session, focused on students’ understanding of the factors that provoke high levels of situational anxiety, and learning effective means of its reducing. These goals can be achieved with the help of the informing and developing training. The informing and developing training “How to overcome situational anxiety and cope with examination task” is presented in accordance with the procedure of planning socio-psychological training, offered by L. A. Petrovskaya. The structure of the training includes the following main methods: the method of “brainstorming” by A. F. Osborne and the method of “group discussion” by W. Gordon. Training consists of several stages. The first one, organising and preparing, is aimed to prepare the place and materials for classes. During the second one, introductory stage, the participants get acquainted with each other and discuss the principles of behaviour in the group. The main diagnostic phase includes the use of socio-psychological methods aimed at the implementation of the main objectives of the training. At the summarising stage, the training results are discussed. In the future, it is planned to expand the diagnostic phase of training in the direction of the development of special techniques for overcoming situational anxiety.

personal anxiety, situational anxiety, training, brainstorming, group discussion.

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