Changes in the Hardiness of Generationsʼ Representatives of Russians at the Beginning of the XXI Century

Abstract

Objective. The article presents the result of researching Hardiness of generations living in different regions of North-West Russia. The aim of the research is to identify changes in Hardiness of generations over the past decade.Background. The modern social context (urbanization, informatization, pandemic, etc.) actualizes the problem of finding resources that allow a person to cope with life’s difficulties. So it’s safe to say that the residents of megapolis have certain qualities that distinguish them from the residents of regional centers and small cities, which are a means of adapting to the specifics of an aggressive urban environment. Therefore, the characteristics of hardiness, as the ability of the individual to withstand a stressful situation, while maintaining internal balance without compromising performance, in terms of socialization (metropolis/regional center) seems quite reasonable.Study design. The research of generationsʹ hardiness in 2009 and in 2019 with the aim of identifying its changes and regional specificities was completed. The description of changes in hardiness is presented on the example of a megalopolis and a regional center of the North-West of Russia.Participants. Sample: 769 people, including in 2009 — 362 people (40.6% of men, 59.4% of women) from 19 to 69 years old and in 2019 — 407 people (34.6% of men and 65.4% of women) from 27 to 82 years old.Measurements. We studied values using the Russian version of Maddi’s Hardiness Survey adapted by D.A. Leont’ev, E.I. Rasskazova (2006). Statistical processing of the research results was carried out with the help of Statistica 10.0 software package.Results. A significant changes of the hardiness in the population of the North-West of Russia over the past decade has been recorded. The increased hardiness is observed in representatives of the Post-war, Soviet, and Transitional generations, while a decrease in hardiness is found in the sample of the Post-Soviet generation. There are no differences in the generational dynamics of the resilience of residents of St. Petersburg and Arkhangelsk.Conclusions. Generational affiliation is one of the factors that mediate the dynamics of hardiness at various stages of a person’s life path.