NON-STANDARDIZED COMPUTER METHODS FOR PERSONAL VALUES AND LIFE PERSPECTIVES REFLECTION OF GIFTED YOUTH

Abstract

Gifted people have multipotentiality, which means a very wide range of abilities and interests that not all will be really implemented. Thus, for gifted youth, personal values are the very reason for choosing a life and professional trajectory. Traditionally, personal values are examined using standardized methods, primarily questionnaires. In addition to these quantitative tools, qualitative methods have been developed to complement them. Proposed by S. Yan method of value collage is based on live experience and allows respondents to partially bypass conscious control and some protective mechanisms. Because of the rapid transition of education and psychological support for gifted youth to online, the author argues the possibility of applying S. Yan's collage method in a computer form and has developed the «Life Perspective» computer technique to examine a life trajectory. The method provides material for reflection on personal values and life perspective in the context of the past, present and future, personal achievements and failures. This reflection provides an opportunity, on the one hand, to understand an individual's personal values and, on the other hand, to plan a further life and professional trajectory. The «Life Perspective» technique is implemented as a desktop application developed in the Python programming language using the PyQt 5 graphical user interface library for the Windows OS. The application runs independently of the Internet. The interpretation of obtained images is based on Future Time Perspective (FTP) theory.