The article is devoted to the analysis of the problem of interrelations between empathy, level of moral normativity and the social status of junior student in the peer group. Theoretical review of Russian and foreign studies of the empathy is represented. The authors conclude that there is a significant correlation between the level of empathy and the status in a group of peers in a competitive situation. The dependence of empathy expression on the child’s position in a situation of loosing or winning and the age dynamic of empathy and child’s status and role position in a group of peers are described in the article.

The article reflects the results of the research conducted with the purpose of revealing and assessing the ethnic-psychological features of media reports perception. It is stated that the problem of ethnic specific perception of the mass-media messages have never been studied either at home or abroad. The author states there haven’t been developed any methods of revelation of the ethnic mentality influence on this specificity. The object of research is the perception of media reports. The subject of the research is ethnic-psychological features of media reports perception by the audience. The received theoretical and empirical results are a scientific basis for the introduction of technologies of development of specialists’ professionally important qualities into practice.

The article defines the concept of professionally directed verbal competence, verbal competence criteria, the basic theoretical position, constituting a methodology development of professionally directed speech competence of Psychology Department students. The psychological description of personal, semantic, and informational barriers is given. As well as of the barriers the subjects of the educational process face in stimulating speech readiness. Important conditions necessary for the improvement of the students’ ability to speak grammatically correct are described. The article defines the principles and the algorithm of professional psychological support of developing professional speech in the educational process.

The article reveals the essence and specificity of the causal approach in the solution of diagnostic problems, actively developed in modern diagnostics. The article discusses the possibilities, history of development and prospects of development of the causal approach in psychological testing. According to the author, the key to the assessments of the present state of psychodiagnostics and to understanding its main problems is the difference between psychodiagnostics as practical activities and a scientific discipline. The causal approach is realized in the concept of the solving the psychodiagnostic tasks. The author emphasizes that the use of the causal approach can be considered as one of the means to avoid typical errors in the solution of diagnostic problems.

This paper presents the results of a study of the correlation between attitudinal and behavioral components of the self-concept of students studying pedagogic subjects. It was revealed that the choice of behavior strategy in conflict situations, as well as the direction and the type of reaction in a situation of frustration, correlate with the individual’s level of self-esteem and self-attitude peculiarities. Students with medium and upper- medium self-esteem have greater variability of the strategies used. Meanwhile, those with high self-esteem have rigid behavior. Respondents with lower-medium self-esteem show field behavior.

The article discloses the acute problem of cognitive development and consciousness of children in poly-cultural space. The author raises the problems of the way bilingual children understand their own views and the views of other children. The language role and stages of the initial realization of the views are disclosed. The author presents the debatable points of view on the problem of bilingualism and its role in understanding expressed by the scientists of Germany, Slovakia and Bulgaria. The author performs the comparative analysis of Gipsy, Turkish and Bulgarian children’s language competences development. Bilingual children operate two language systems, native language being more developed than the second one. Lack of knowledge of the second language can cause difficulties in understanding other people’s views. To perform tasks aimed at understanding false statements bilingual children need cognitive skills at a greater scale, while language skills are needed more for working with special questions and for performing the tasks of evidentionalism.

The article reveals the content of competence approach where the concept of competence is actively embedded in the theory and practice of vocational training. The author compares such concepts as awareness, competences and qualification. It is their level that determines specialist’s professionalism. The article presents the critical attitude toward the existing approaches in psychological-pedagogical researches studying the essence of concepts awareness and competence. The author gives proofs of the statement that qualification is developed on the basis of acquisition and development of complex skills (competences), which become an integrative result of different types of being aware: axiological, temporal, cognitive, creative, communicative, auto psychological. It is shown that essence of awareness is formed by students’ mental formations, foremost by knowledge, skills and basic abilities, in the process of acquisition of vital and professional experience.

The article is devoted to the study of the entrepreneurs’ attitude to employees. It is shown that this attitude is both quite friendly and business-like, but there haven’t been disclosed any dynamics of the owners’ attitudes to employees throughout the entrepreneurial experience. Factors of the entrepreneurial attitude to employees are as follows: assessment of business and personal qualities of the worker, employer’s assessment of the employee’s relationship with management and the other employees of the enterprise. The assessment criteria of the employees are, first of all, personal qualities of the worker — the socio-psychological and moral qualities.

On the basis of theoretical and empiric researches of peculiarities in professional forming of the interior troops unit’s commander at the stage of his independent professional activity, the essence and components of psychological monitoring of his progress are discovered, the algorithm of carrying out the psychological monitoring is presented, the methods of its realization are indicated in this article. The comprehension of progress in professional forming of a unit’s commander, the criteria and indicators, as well as the methods of their assessment, given in this article, allow to solve the acute practical problem of optimization of the professionalization process of the military specialists examined.

In the following article structuring is considered as a vital part of a client-centered psychotherapist professional thinking. The stock image of the counseling process is being formed through it. The author considers the contribution of C. Rogers into the development of structuring both for the individual and group client-centered psychotherapy. Besides, the article discusses the contribution of some of C. Rogers followers who consider the structuring process in the action of the relationship-building, which is conducted through empatic listening, focusing and other person-centered skills.

The article discusses the scientific potential studies of isolated cases, as well as the opportunities and challenges of their application in preparation of psychologists-counselors. The article presents the theoretical and practical aspects of individual cases study on the major stages of the empirical and experimental research in psychology as possible schemes for the process of learning. The authors highlight the main problems future psychologists consultants may face when writing final qualifying works and conduct original research in the field of psychological counseling and psychotherapy.

The article presents the results of studying cognitive strategies of decision-making by school children. It is shown that teaching school children to choose the most effective cognitive strategy of decision-making can stimulate higher success of learning and direct every pupil onto his own educative route. Theoretical model including the following components: cognitive strategies of decision-making, cognitive styles of personality, learning activity structure — were developed. The definition of the concept "success of learning” was given. The interconnection between cognitive strategies of decision-making and success of learning was revealed. It is stated that it is determined by the age peculiarities: independence in accepting and retention of the task, activity in goal-setting and its implementation, specificity of controlling the process and the result of implementation, the way one of the alternatives is being chosen in decisionmaking situation. The results of the experimental work aimed at forming cognitive strategies of decision-making showed that there are significant differences in such strategies of decision-making as: planning the solution of the problem, taking responsibility, escape—avoidance. Positive changes in the success of learning, improvement of its quality are the consequence of using personal portfolio which has five sections aimed at developing a successful personality.

The article deals with the training of staff of institutions of social protection system. The article reveals the characteristics of adult learning, the views and conclusions of the research performed by psychologists and teachers on the subject. One of the main issues is the study of the motivation of adult learning activities and the importance of passing the courses and refresher training, the application of the knowledge gained by the employees in their work at institutions of social protection.