Personality Trait Development in Psychology Students During the Graduate Year

Abstract

This paper focuses on the formation of professionally important personality traits in graduate students of psychological and pedagogical master degree programmes. We analyze the development of personal and professional identity, empathy and communicative characteristics. The study involved 60 graduate students. To test the hypothesis of the contradictory developmental dynamics of personal and professional identity and communicative characteristics (empathy and communication skills) we used L.B.Schneider’s techniques for studying professional (MIPI) and personal identity (MILI), the questionnaire measure of emotional empathy by A.Mehrabian and N.Epstein, and the social skills test by L. Michelson. The study revealed the predominance of diffuse and pseudo-positive personal identity statuses among the graduate students as well as the complex dynamics of professional identity statuses. Also, the obtained data points to an increase in the expression of the competent communication style and high levels of empathy. We outline some perspectives for further research on the development of professionally important personal qualities and psychological and educational support of students during their graduate year.