The author examines career downshifting as a variant of social and professional réadaptation of the unemployed. An online survey of 293 people was conducted. The survey polled respondents who had abandoned the traditional employment and changed their everyday life style. Then a sample of 43 downshifters was formed. All of them had meaningful experience of downshifting and had been jobless for long. The results of the diagnostic study are given. They prove that most of the participants who decided in favor of downshifting during the unemployment period have a rather high level of social-psychological adaptation and are saticfied with their new status and life-stile. Further perspectives of research in this sphere are defined. First of all, it is the development of a psychological concept of downshifting.

The second part of the article is devoted to the results of the study motivation of trade-union membership professors. The method of comparison of polar groups in a more effective and less effective organizations on the criterion of membership in the union. The estimation of the basic directions of activity of the primary trade union organizations. The tendencies of differences at the level of p <0,05 for the x²-criterion in the social representations of the union, in the perception of organizational culture of universities, in the information support of the trade union activities, organizational and mass work, improving the work of trade union organization, bringing the trade union members. It was found a statistically significant difference at the level of p <0,01 for X² - criterion in the motivational profile of teachers union members, with a view to their entry into the union, integrative position ‘union: the authority of, the activities, satisfaction. “Identified resources and problem areas in the possible intergroup adaptation groups with different status in trade union education institutions, identify areas for modeling organizational change.

In a sample of 60 people a study related to the brand wars depending on the level of indicators of aggression and hostility was carried out. Examples of print advertising were taken for the research. They represented examples of wars between Russian brands, and between foreign brands, as well as between Russian and foreign ones. It was found that respondents, whose level of physical aggression is severe, like the brand wars. Besides, certain examples of brand wars are chosen by respondents with rather high level of suspiciousness.

Social and psychological barriers, which from the disabled people’s point of view prevent their well-being and negatively influencing the quality of their lives, are considered in the article. Among those factors are: “rent attitude”; disabled people’s lack of knowledge concerning their own rights, their unawareness about available means of rehabilitation and orthopedic appliances. Surrounding people’s negative or avoiding attitude towards disabled people is also mentioned among the negative factors, as well as low level of development of their communicative sphere. The most socially isolated categories of people with disabilities are defined. The lack of the disabled people’s communicative sphere development is stated to be the most significant barrier. Virtual computer technologies are offered as an effective means of social and psychological help for disabled people.

The article highlights an actual problem of inter-ethnic relations between migrants and native population. The reasons of increasing inter-ethnic tension are considered. Besides, the results of the research of the auto- and heterostereotypes of native population representatives as one of the determinants of psycho-social risks in relations between migrants and local people are given. In conclusion, the author concludes that there is some possibility of using adequate and positive auto- and heterostereotypes content as one of the grounds for choosing an effective and indifferent behavioral strategies in the process of ethnic interaction.

The article is devoted to the study of migrants’ social health in adapting to the conditions of life in the host country. Different points of view on the definition of the essence of this phenomenon, its structure and factors are given. The results of an objective analysis of the subjective evaluations of social health of migrant workers from Central Asia, Ukraine and Moldova, as well as elderly migrants coming to Russia for permanent residence together with their adult children are described. The results obtained with the use of the method of interrogatory, semistructured interview and conversation. The cognitive, emotional, and behavioral components of social health of migrants are mentioned.

The article is devoted to the actual problem related to the changes in modern students’ behavior in the society. Appearance of new and poorly studied forms of deviant behavior has made it necessary to draw researchers’ attention to such features as: a variety of self-mutilating behavior, manifested in infliction of bodily modifications (piercing, tattooing, scarification, dieting, exercising extreme sport, etc.). The results of research studying young people’s behaviour given in this article allow to consider the self-mutilating behavior as means of attracting attention. Besides, specific features of different student groups’ ideas about the nature of such kind of behavior are highlighted

Basing on theoretical analysis of the domestic psychological literature the author infers that there are some differences in psychological make-up of students studying technics and arts. This theoretical assumption has become the basis for an empirical study. The purpose of the study was to identify the existing specifics. The data obtained allowed to enumerate certain psychological differences between students-engineers and students-artists. The possible reasons for occurrence of their psychological specifics are analyzed.

The article shows the way the information about the graduate varies depending on a support specialist’s focus of attention. The new professional challenge is to describe the manifestations of graduates’ self-dependence. That makes a pecialist to pay more attention to what the graduate makes for changing his life-situation and see his positive qualities. This creates certain conditions for effective interaction between a specialist and a graduate.

The article presents cross-cultural study of cognitive and personality regulation of creative problem solving. Fifty-four students from Azerbaijan and Russia worked on a creative problem and completed Budner’s Tolerance for Ambiguity Scale (adapted by Kornilova-Chumakova) and Implicit Theories and Leaning Goals Questionnaire (adapted by Kornilova-Smirnov). Persistence in creative problem solving in Azerbaijan sample is related to fixed implicit theories of intelligence and personality; in Russian sample persistence is related to high self-assessed level of academic achievement. In creative problem solving the Azerbaijan students are more oriented on “honesty-dishonesty” criterion, while the Russian students are oriented on searching “beyond the limits” of the formulated problem. This demonstrates the differences in a range of possible directions in dealing with situation of uncertainty in two cultural groups

Abstract· The paper presents data of an empirical study of influence of the goal-directed and systematic cognitive development on the interrelations of intellectual and personal spheres of school students of VII and X grades. The findings are interpreted as indicating the main factor which is implicitly contained in the resulting correlate matrices. In the end of the research period it is intellectual and personal well-being in both groups of school students of the experimental classes that becomes significant. At the same time the leading role plays the affective-emotional factor in both groups of school students of the control classes.