A Picture of Trait Anxiety and Aggressiveness among Adolescents from Different Types of Educational Institutions

Abstract

Background. This study is an attempt to identify psychological markers for pupils’maladaptive states. Аggression is seen as behavior while aggressiveness is seen asthe state of being ready for such behavior. Anxiety is considered a stable personalitytrait. Two hundred and sixty pupils of the 8th grade from five different schoolstook part in the research. Schools that have a selection principle for admission arecalled prestige schools.Objective. The purpose of this study was to discover correlations between traitanxiety and aggressiveness among adolescents in different types of educational institutions.At the same time, we were interested in manifestations of maladaptiveperfectionism and destructive personality tendencies as revealed by quantitativeand qualitative research methods.Design. The first stage of the study was a survey to define risk groups for hostilityand anxiety among the adolescents. All tests except the one for sociometry weredone on an individual basis. The second stage included methods for qualitativeanalysis of personality. The pupils from identified risk groups were paid special attention.We were interested in the recurrence of destructive personality tendenciesas they appeared in each method.Results. About one third of all the participants from four out of the five schoolsformed the hostility risk group. In the prestige and non-prestige schools alike,hostile adolescents were more likely to find themselves at least somewhat isolatedin their social group (class). Hostile teenagers have more self-esteem problemsand issues with forming a Self-concept in general, as well as pronounceddestructive personality tendencies in some cases. However, the pictures of traitanxiety in prestige and non-prestige schools were different. Hostile teenagers fromnon-prestige schools were more likely to greatly underestimate their intelligenceand communication skills. In this case, according to the teachers’ expert opinionand the results of participant observation, that assessment reflected the reality.