Empathy as an intersubjective resource of the university students' adaptation in the conditions of digitalization of the educational environment

Abstract

Introduction. Empathy is a multidimensional phenomenon. When students adapt to university, the development of skills that contribute to rapid adaptability to changing environmental conditions is considered. Currently, students are required to be ready for successful interaction in completely different formats: distance, hybrid. The work is aimed at finding the resource side of students' empathic abilities when they adapt to the university. Methods. Based on the traditions of the structural-level approach, we have used methods that allowed us to see the system at three levels: analytical, component and structural. The study has involved 281 first-year students. The following methods have been used to identify psychological patterns: the test of diagnostics of the level of empathic abilities (V.V. Boyko), the method of «Adaptation of students to university» (M.S. Yurkina), the method of communicative intolerance (V.V. Boyko), the test of affiliation motives (A. Mehrabian). Research results. For the first time, it was established that empathy is not only a resource of adaptation of students at the university, but also an anti-resource (positive relationships between intolerance and empathy channels r=0.18, p≤0.01 were found). Only conative empathy has resourcing, which reduces the impact of communicative intolerance and other maladapting personal qualities (negative relationship with general intolerance r=0.27, p≤0.001). The conative parameters of empathy include: penetrating ability in empathy, identification and attitudes that promote empathy. The calculation of coherence and divergence indices of structures makes it possible to establish the following indicators: coherence index = 202, divergence index = 62, structure organization index = 140. The heterogeneity of the manifestations of empathy is explained by its multilevel nature. It was revealed that the penetrating ability in empathy affects the motives of affiliation: significantly reduces the fear of rejection and increases the desire for acceptance (p≤0.01). Conclusion. The resourcefulness of conative empathy rests on the fact that it has a facilitating effect on the parts contributing to adaptation to higher education, and inhibiting interaction on the negative qualities of university adaptability that hinder development. Constructive resourcing reduces the development of negative aspects of the success of the activity.