PSYCHOLOGICAL PECULIARITIES OF OLDER PRESCHOOL-AGE ORPHANS’ INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS

Abstract

The article presents the research on the characteristics of older preschool-age orphans’ interpersonal relationships. It reveals differences between the functioning of the sphere of orphans’ interpersonal relations and that of children brought up in families. Orphans show higher interest in adults, indicating that orphans’ need in adults’ attention is not satisfied. The main motives for communication with adults in families are mutual interactions and cognitive needs, while the dominant motive of orphan children is searching for attention and kindness. Orphans show increased inclination to conflicts, cause for which are every-day issues and the struggle for adults’ attention and friendliness. The main cause of conflicts characteristic for family-raised children is their selfaffirmation in games. Orphans are less and less likely to express their own emotions when communicating. They rarely turn to their partners for some advice, support, and sharing of experiences, unlike children in families. Orphaned children feel indifference in relationships with peers. Differences were found between orphaned children and family-raised children as for well-being of relationships: orphans’ well-being is quite low, while family-raised children’s well-being is high. Orphaned children, due to problems in interpersonal relationships with adults and peers, have some deviations in the most important psychological formations: distortion of self image, delayed formation of subjective attitude to oneself, as well as slow and abnormal development of activity, which may further negative affect their psychological well-being.