Coping Strategies of Members of Open and Closed Contact

Abstract

Objective. Identification of differences in copying behavior in members of closed and open groups, as well as identification of peculiarities of these differences. Background. One of the significant factors in the logic of considering the personality-group relationship, taking into account the degree of group closure, is the process of integration of the individual into the group and, above all, the mechanisms of adaptation into the community, in particular, copying behavior, due to his individual-personality characteristics. Study design. The study aims to identify differences in the preferred coping strategies of members of open and closed groups with different intragroup status. Intragroup status was detected using a standard package of socio-psychological methods. Preferred coping strategies — using the SACS methodology. Statistical analysis of the significance of differences was performed using the nonparametric Mann-Whitney test. Participants. 208 people participated in the study. 106 subjects working in production divisions of IT-companies, namely customer service managers of four departments of 20 to 30 people, the average age of subjects was 21.6 years, work experience from 1 to 3 years. 102 soldiers of army units of the “branch-platoon” level of 10 to 25 personnel, the average age of soldiers is 19.6 years. Measurements. Methods of research included: sociometry, referentometry, methodical acceptance of the definition of the informal inragroup structure of power in the contact community, algorithm of calculation of the integral status of the individual in the contact community M.J. Condratiev, method “Strategies for overcoming stress situations” (SACS) S. Hobfall in adaptation of N.E. Wateryanova and E.S. Starchenkova. Results. Based on the analysis of the obtained data, it is shown that in open-type organizations the achievement of a high-level position in the informal intra-group structure is facilitated by copying strategies with a high degree of activity and a pro-social orientation, while in closed-type organizations the achievement of a high-level position is facilitated by direct and asocial copying strategies. Conclusions. In open communities, conditionally constructive strategies are more preferred, while in closed conditionally destructive copying strategies.