PSYCHOSOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SEA CREWS AS A BACKGROUND OF SEAFARERS’ FOREIGN LANGUAGE COMPETENCE FORMATION

Abstract

The article gives the synthesis of existing scientific statements about socio-psychological peculiarities of life of international crews at the present stage of development of the international maritime industry. The level of training of specialists for maritime industry must meet not only the requirements of professional educational programs but the number of resolutions and requirements of international maritime organizations. It is well-known that crewing policy aims to search for cheap labor and as a result, most crews are mixed now, consisting of seven or more nationalities. In such circumstances, the ability to perceive and reproduce foreign content quickly and correctly is a factor which influences making the right decisions and ensure safety of navigation. The purpose of the article is to formulate socio-psychological characteristics of marine crews at the present stage of navigation development. We have formulated a set of provisions which determine the socio-psychological characteristics of international maritime crews, such as: 1. General specific laws of a maritime multinational crew: -communicative activity of marine crews is characterized by short contacts, which require the ability to establish friendly relationships beginning from the first days of the voyage; -intercultural interaction involves the ability to find favorable topics for conversation and to avoid those ones that may cause misunderstanding and lead to disputes and conflicts; -analysis of cognitive activity of a sailor in a multinational crew allows to assume the idea about the direction of sailors' thinking towards risk prevention in their life and the navigation process. The following stages of formation of the crew as a social group have been determined: familiarization, discussion, normalization of relations and a stage of activities. Understanding the social and psychological characteristics of the crew at every stage of its development allows to correct seafarer's behavior to maintain their mental health and to avoid conflict situations on board. 2. Socio-psychological characteristics of a member of the international crew as an individual: -individual psychological features of a seafarer in the international crew (the development of emotional intelligence, deprivation, the desire for self-learning and self-improvement); -the introduction of the concept of "intergenerational inter-rank communication".