Authors : Sagalakova Olga Anatolievna, Truevtsev Dmitry Vladimirovich and Sagalakov Anatoly Mikhailovich
Abstract: The aim of this study is to define the role of Social Anxiety (SA) and its components in shaping adolescent Anti-vital Behaviour (AB) with a subsequent risk of Suicidal Behaviour (SB). It is a psycho-anthropological problem requiring studies on the role of the social situation of development and cultural scenarios of attitudes to success or failure in making decisions on life continuation or termination. The research’s proprietary anti-vitality and resilience Questionnaire and Social Anxiety and Social Phobia Questionnaire were used. About 981 adolescents living in the Altai Kray (Siberia) participated in the survey. About 24% from the sample have high SA levels and 21.8% have clinical SA levels connected with high risk of AB and SB. The mechanism of SA development is based on impairment in voluntary target regulation of mental activity when solving social problems under evaluation conditions. Adolescents find themselves in unstable conditions of the psychological field reorganization and they are in need of actualization of means to satisfy their social motives. It makes them vulnerable to mental disorganization under evaluation conditions and the situation is aggravated with the absence of internalized mental regulation tools. Inability to satisfy their actual motives, lack of strategy for self-realization and dealing with failures and inability to keep the targeted priority in evaluation situations lead to feeling loss of life purpose and negative evaluation of the future and shape AB. AB is shaped with severe SA, especially under conditions of an unfavourable situation of development and can lead to SB. The adolescents in rural areas report more SA when displaying initiative and solving everyday problems and they are more prone to conflict response and AB than urban residents.
Sagalakova Olga Anatolievna, Truevtsev Dmitry Vladimirovich and Sagalakov Anatoly Mikhailovich, 2016. Social Anxiety as a Basic Factor Shaping Anti-Vital and Suicidal Behaviour among Contemporary Adolescents. The Social Sciences, 11: 6418-6426.