REPRESENTATIONS ABOUT CAREERISM IN MODERN YOUTH

Abstract

This article presents the results of an empirical study of the representations of careerism among modern youth. Young people aged 18 to 35 years, living mainly in the city of Pskov and the Pskov region (n = 344), were included in the study sample. The research method was the associative experiment, which is a projective technique that allows identifying not only conscious representations, but also unconscious tendencies. The content analysis method was used to process the results. It was found that in the representations of modern youth, careerism appears in various aspects, namely: as a personal quality, as a career strategy, as a resource for personal development, as a personality disorder. Careerism is characterized by ambivalence in its manifestations, and also has a negative effect on the subject's life path, causing damage to personal and family life. In addition, according to the representations of young people, careerism is always associated with hard work and significant time costs. It is always a high activity, often associated with the fight and overcome the difficulties and obstacles. Representatives of such spheres of employment as the sphere of information and the social sphere emphasize to a greater extent the negative aspects of careerism. They more often than others define it as a manipulative career strategy and personality disorder. Temporarily unemployed youth are more likely to see the resource potential of careerism. They point to its positive impact on the development and self-realization of the individual.