Adaptation crisis and experience of overcoming it in a situation of job loss Tatyana Vladislavovna Yuryeva Tambov State University. G.R. Derzhavin The article examines the crisis of adaptation, the crisis situation of job loss. A study of the emotional state of unemployed women is described. A psychocorrectional program has been developed aimed at reducing the negative emotional state by forming an image of the desired future. The effectiveness of this program has been proven. Key words: adaptation crisis, crisis situation of job loss, image of the desired future, training program. The consequences of the global economic crisis and the associated changes in socio-economic conditions in Russia are currently one of the main reasons for the emergence of social stress disorders. Rising unemployment undermines the material and psychological well-being of Russians. The situation of job loss, according to many authors [5, 6, etc.], is a crisis. In addition to the economic and social components, it causes many negative psychological consequences: it contributes to an increase in anxiety, tension, depression, and has all the characteristics and qualities inherent in stress. In modern Russian psychology, the problems of life crises are presented in the works of F.E. Vasilyuk, L.N. Yuryeva, V.V. Kozlova, L.A. Pergamenshchik, V.G. Romek et al., as well as in studies devoted to the psychology of a person’s life path [6, 8, etc.]. Researchers note the duality of the processes occurring in an individual during a period of crisis: on the one hand, during a period of crisis, the processes of dying out of everything obsolete and unnecessary are concentrated, and on the other hand, constructive work occurs, positive changes accumulate. Theoretically, life events are qualified as leading to a crisis if they “create a potential or actual threat to the satisfaction of fundamental needs...” and at the same time pose a problem to the individual, “from which he cannot escape and which he cannot resolve in a short time and in the usual way”[1]. Non-normative or external crises that an adult experiences during a period of sharp changes in the conditions of existence and which lead to “gaps” in the logic of his life are also called crises of adaptation to life. A crisis of adaptation to life is a violation of the relatively stable dynamic balance of external and internal conditions of life of a person during sudden changes in the external conditions of life, which creates a threat to a person’s existence and the satisfaction of his basic life needs, leads to “breaks in the logic of life.” This crisis has distinctive features: – caused by a sharp violation of a person’s life situation, which makes the continuation of life on the same basis impossible (“gap in the logic of life”); – characterized by the fact that the previous image of the world (myth about oneself and the world) ceases to correspond to reality, and previously developed habitual methods of adaptation (coordination with oneself, others, the world as a whole) lose their effectiveness; – obvious loss (or threat of loss) of a value that is significant for a person (or group); is subjectively felt as “the impossibility of living”; – accompanied by anxiety, tension, alienation from oneself, others, the world as a whole; – there is a need to build a new image of the world and a “different life”. It should be emphasized that a person who finds himself in a crisis of adaptation objectively cannot continue the same activities, the same relationships, or the same way of life. This forces him, on the one hand, to suffer and worry, and on the other, to look for new foundations of life and, based on them, rebuild relationships with himself, others, and the world as a whole [1]. Among the crises of adaptation to life, two main types are clearly distinguished : “traumatic” crises and crises caused by life events [8]. In our study, more attention is paid to the crisis situation of job loss as one of the types of adaptation crisis, which is a consequencesocio-economic changes. The crisis situation of job loss as a turning point in life has a direct impact on the feelings, emotional state in general and behavior of a person, creating a threat to the satisfaction of basic life needs. A person usually either copes with the difficulties that arise on his own, or resorts to help from those close to him or turns to qualified specialists. In our country, the development of means of psychological assistance to the unemployed is in its infancy. In this regard, studying the peculiarities of “living” the situation of job loss, experiencing and overcoming it, developing adequate approaches to providing psychological assistance to the unemployed is an important and promising task of modern practical psychology. Crises associated with job loss are studied in foreign psychology within the framework of stress theory . In accordance with this, from the beginning of the 30s. and to this day, stage models are used to describe individual human reactions to job loss [5, 6]. As a rule, the following phases are recorded: “The first phase of shock, which is accompanied by an active search for a job. At this stage, the individual remains optimistic and hopeful, his spirit is not broken. The second phase occurs after an unsuccessful job search, the person is overcome by anxiety and pessimism, he experiences severe distress "This is the most critical state. At the third stage, the individual completely submits to fate and adapts to a new state, which is characterized by a decrease in the level of demands and limited choice. By this moment, his previous life positions have been destroyed" [5]. Peltzman, when examining people who had lost their jobs or were at risk of losing them, identified slightly different phases of the development of specific stress states. Phase 1 - a state of uncertainty and shock. This is a difficult subjective experience, and fear and emotions act as risk factors in which a person is susceptible to other troubles: illnesses, accidents. It should be noted that the most powerful pathogenic factor is not only the loss of work itself, but also the continuing threat that this will happen. In this case, anticipation of this unpleasant event and one or another preparation make the situation somewhat easier. Phase 2 - the onset of subjective relief and constructive adaptation to the situation. This phase lasts 3-4 months after losing a job. But already in the first weeks without work, many people begin to experience relief and even joy due to the availability of free time. Satisfaction with life appears. Some note an improvement in their health. An active search for a new job begins. However, in some cases, stressful conditions turn out to be persistent and cannot be eliminated. A person begins to exaggerate the danger of his situation and then no longer perceives it as rest. Phase 3 - worsening of the condition. It usually occurs after 6 months of absence from work. Destructive changes are detected when the issue concerns a person’s health, psyche, finances, and social status. There is a deficit of active behavior, destruction of life habits, interests, and goals. The strength to resist troubles is undermined. Destructive changes are especially great during long-term unemployment, when a person does not have at least a small income from temporary, seasonal or “menial” work. No less unpleasant for a person are the fluctuations associated with the appearance of hope of finding a job and the loss of this hope. They can lead to the cessation of the search. Phase 4 - helplessness and reconciliation with the current situation. This severe psychological state is observed even in the absence of material difficulties and in the case when a person is satisfied with unemployment benefits. The state of apathy is increasing every month. The lack of even minimal success in finding a job leads to a loss of hope. The person stops trying to change the situation and gets used to the state of inactivity. Sometimes people are afraid to find a job. Social servicessocieties make no effort to help a person find a job. The task of a psychologist is to find out the real needs of people, understand their condition and create conditions that meet their internal needs [5]. Foreign authors also resort to more complex descriptions of a person’s behavior strategy in a situation of job loss [4,7]. Thus, V. Frankl described a non-constructive version of experiencing the situation of losing a job, denoting it with the term “unemployment neurosis,” in which such people derive a kind of psychological benefit from this situation; now all their failures are attributed to unemployment. At the same time, notes V. Frankl, not every unemployed person succumbs to the neurosis of unemployment. Unlike the neurotic type of unemployed, such people do not experience apathy, look at life optimistically, find some activities for themselves, thereby filling their free time with meaning. The main thing that distinguishes this type from the previous one, according to the author, is that such people do not equate life and employment, work, understanding that the meaning of human life is not only in paid work[7]. Among the negative consequences, which unemployment leads to are called deterioration in well-being, negative emotional states such as depression, apathy, increased suicide, alcoholism. A large number of studies by foreign authors are devoted to the study of the effect of unemployment on health. Unemployment has a powerful negative impact, first of all, on people’s mental health, this is confirmed by many researchers [4]. People who lose their jobs become more anxious, depressed, unhappy and dissatisfied with life in general. The unemployed have low self-esteem, increased temper, a tendency towards fatalism and pessimism about the future. In the course of long-term observations, researchers have found that the unemployed are more likely than the employed to experience symptoms of mental distress and their mental state noticeably worsens precisely after dismissal. Similar data on impaired mental well-being among the unemployed were obtained by Finnish researchers S. Manila and E. Lahelma [4]. A study by K. Leana and D. Feldman documented the negative impact of unemployment on the family. The authors note that husbands and wives, faced with unemployment, often show less cohesion and mutual support than before, and accordingly, conflicts arise more often in these families. Citing other studies, these authors also note that unemployed people are estranged from their families, leave their families, or divorce their spouses 3-4 times more often than employed people. Thus, unemployment can pose a significant threat to family relationships. A number of studies have documented a connection between unemployment and suicide. This provides evidence that recessions in the world economy in 1908, 1923, 1929, 1933, 1937. are combined with peaks in the suicide percentage curve, and during the “Great Depression” in the United States, the suicide rate doubled [8].M. Argyle cites data that a 1% increase in unemployment in the United States (if it does not then decline over the next five years) leads to a 4.1% increase in suicides, and also notes that initial visits to mental health clinics increase by 4. 0%, mortality from alcoholism by 1.9%, and the overall mortality rate by 1.9%. A connection between unemployment and delinquent forms of behavior has been identified. M.G. Gildingersch notes in his dissertation that in Western countries the increase in crime due to persons without a permanent income is more than 46%. Official Russian statistics give a more modest figure: 39%. However, as the author notes, in relation to Russia, one should take into account the huge scale of hidden unemployment, which is also fertile ground for the growth of crime. Youth unemployment and stagnant forms of unemployment pose a particular criminogenic danger.M. Argyle notes that in the above situation (increasing unemploymentin the USA by 1%) the number of imprisonments increases by 4.0%, and the number of murders by 5.7%. According to the results of a similar study by J. Witkin, conducted in the early 90s. Among 2,300 women, leaving a job moved from eighth to fifth place immediately after the death of a loved one, and the assessment of the significance of this event rose from 47 to 83 points. Very often this position was given 100 points, and more than 50% of women gave it 90 points. J. Witkin’s research is all the more interesting for us since in our country the main percentage of the unemployed are women. This conclusion, in particular, follows from the results of socio-demographic studies by M.G. Gildingersh and A.A. Garmashev [4]. However, it is noted that a person who finds himself in a crisis begins to influence the situation and himself. All the usual ways in which he copes with life's difficulties are questioned, and he is forced to look for new ways to solve problems, develop new ways of behavior that may be more effective than the previous ones. According to V. Krovyakov, assistance to the unemployed involves the use of a training program that involves step-by-step development of self-regulation functions, inclusion in the job search: setting goals, programming one’s actions taking into account personal capabilities and the opportunities provided by the situation, evaluating one’s actions according to a number of criteria, choosing backup search paths and so on. An important aspect in working with the unemployed is the activation of personal self-regulation: providing assistance in discovering new and restoring old values, shaken by the current situation, that carry a positive, meaningful load. The use of techniques aimed at optimizing the emotional state, increasing self-esteem, reducing anxiety, etc. Training work “triggers” the processes of reflection, helping a person to more clearly understand the personal possibilities of resolving the situation of job loss, self-regulation skills formed in past experience, opportunities and limitations in mastering a new profession, etc. [3]. Taking into account that active (albeit fantastic) planning for the future acts as one of the protective mechanisms, L.N. Yuryeva in her work “Crisis States” [8] emphasizes the need for psychocorrectional and psychotherapeutic work with people experiencing crisis conditions not only using traditional methods, but also methods aimed at correcting the time perspective of the individual and her life path. Our research was conducted at the Tomsk State University Center employment of the population of Tambov. The subjects were unemployed women registered with the Tomsk State University Employment Center in Tambov for more than six months. The study involved 80 women aged 25–45 years. The following methods were used in the experimental study: - individual conversation; psychodiagnostic methods: Spielberger-Hanin anxiety test, Beck-Zunge depression scale, “Unfinished Sentences” technique; methods of mathematical statistics: comparative analysis using the Wilcoxon test, correlation analysis. In the mathematical processing of the data, the statistical package SPSS 13.0 was used. At the first stage of the study, all subjects were interviewed individually; all subjects were tested using the following methods: the Spielberger-Hanin anxiety test, the Beck-Zunge depression scale, and the “Unfinished Sentences” technique. The results of the Spielberger-Khanin test showed that more than half of women who have been unemployed for about six months experience tension, nervousness, and anxiety: 27.5% of subjects have a high level of reactive anxiety; 42.5% of women have a high level of personal anxiety. Data on the Beck-Zunge depression scale indicate that 33.7% of women who lost their jobs feel depressed, melancholy, and despair. Content analysis of the results onThe “Unfinished Sentences” technique suggests that most areas of life for unemployed women are characterized by disadvantage. Thus, 45% of women have problems in the family sphere; 41% of subjects are dissatisfied with their sex life; 40% have problems in relationships with friends; 51% remain dissatisfied with colleagues from their previous job; 14% are characterized by fears and concerns; 36% have a vague idea of ​​their future; 66% of unemployed women do not have clear life goals. Correlation analysis showed that negative, non-specific and vague ideas about the future have a direct connection with high levels of anxiety, restlessness, irritability, increased fears and concerns, depression and a negative attitude towards oneself. The results obtained pointed out the need to develop specific programs aimed at improving the emotional state of unemployed women. Based on the experience of specialists in crisis psychology [2, 3, 8] and our own empirical research, we have developed a training program aimed at reducing unfavorable emotional states in a crisis situation of loss jobs for unemployed women. The main focus of the program was on correcting the time perspective of the individual and his life path. This program is subordinated to the goals of normalizing the mental state, maintaining and restoring mental balance, increasing the degree of self-control and self-regulation, developing the ability to independently solve problems and personal growth. It is built taking into account methodological, organizational, ethical, methodological principles, the most important of which are the principles of personal approach, attraction, altruism, modality, permanentness, competence and mediation. The emphasis in our short-term cognitive-behavioral psychocorrection program is on the formation of an image of the desired future. The position of a woman in a situation of job loss makes special demands on her, the main meaning of which is not to wait for the situation to resolve itself, but to make a number of important independent decisions, build for herself a model of the desired future, taking into account real opportunities and limitations, then act actively, focusing on this model and adapting their actions to changing conditions. The developed program was tested in work with women 25-45 years old, with higher and secondary specialized education, who have been unemployed for about 6 months. The classes were held at the Tomsk State University Employment Center in Tambov in September 2009. Two groups of women (10 and 11 people) took part in this program. The training groups included women who were acutely experiencing negative emotional states associated with job loss and were motivated to participate in training sessions. Participation in the program was recommended for women who had high levels of situational anxiety according to the Spielberger-Khanin method and a level of mild depression according to the Beck-Zunge Depression Scale. The goal of the program was to provide psychological support to unemployed women and correct their mental state to facilitate the process of employment and retention in a new workplace. The recipients of the program were women who, for one reason or another, were left without work. This impact was implemented at several levels: · cognitive - increasing self-esteem, forming an image of the desired future in women; · emotional - correcting the current state of unemployed women and formation of self-regulation skills; behavioral - formation of effective skills and abilities; motivational - increase in activity, actualization of the need for work, self-knowledge and self-development. The main objectives of this program were: · correction of the mental state of unemployed women and training in self-regulation skills; · reassessment of the life situation and the formation program participants have a positive life outlook and an image of the desired future;training in skills and abilities for effective behavior in the labor market. The program consisted of 5 group training sessions, lasting 2.5-3 hours each. Classes were held daily. Brief summary of the program: 1 lesson. Acquaintance. Discussion of the goals and objectives of the program, rules of group work. Informing about the content of the concept of “stress”, its physiological mechanisms and stages of occurrence. Participants passing a test (according to T. A. Nemchin and Taylor), which determines the likelihood of developing stress. The discussion of the results. Consideration of existing ways to combat stress and prevent the occurrence of stressful conditions. Exercise “Self-monitoring”. Sherring. Homework: practice the “Self-monitoring” exercise, remember the known methods of self-regulation. Lesson 2. Sherring. Breathing relaxation. Muscle relaxation. Activating technique. Homework - practice techniques at home. Lesson 3. Sherring. The concept of "cognition". Cognitive techniques: “thought stopping”, “thought realism - action optimism”, ideomotor training technique, safe communication technique, role and personality dissociation technique, effective self-positioning technique. Homework: prepare a speech using effective self-positioning techniques in front of a training audience. Lesson 4. Sherring. Training participants completed the computer version of the Life Line program. Discussion. Homework: write an essay “Me and my future work.” Lesson 5. Interested participants speak in front of the audience and read out their essay. Effective time planning. Test (according to D. Lewis) to determine the ability to organize time. The discussion of the results. Exercises on personal sense of time. Learning how to manage your time optimally. Goal setting exercise. Group time management exercise. Final discussion of the results of the program. We checked the effectiveness of this program. For this purpose, program participants were retested 3 months after completion. As indicators that guide us in the severity of the experience of losing a job, we recorded anxiety indicators using the Spielberger-Khanin method and the level of depression using the Beck-Zunge Depression Scale. The dynamics of the indicators are reflected in Table 1. Table 1. Indicators of anxiety and depression before and after the implementation of the program Testing No. Indicators Reactive anxiety Personal anxiety Beck-Zunge depression scale first testing Average value 49.809548.904850.8571 Number of subjects 212121 Standard deviation 7.922249.060385.07233 repeated testing Average value 42.500047.944445.5000 Number of subjects 181818 Standard deviation 6.2332111.639046.04152 According to group statistics, we can conclude that there is a decrease in the level of reactive anxiety and the absence of depressive states in the experimental group. When conducting a comparative analysis of data (according to the Wilcoxon test) of the experimental group before testing program and after, significant differences were obtained (statistical significance <0.05) on the “reactive anxiety” scale of the Spielbeger-Hanin test and on the Beck-Zunge depression scale (Table 2). It should be noted that at the time of re-testing, they were successfully employed 3 women - participants of the training groups. Table 2. Wilcoxon T-test indicators reactive anxiety personal anxiety Beck-Zunge Depression Scale Criterion value ( Z) - 2.393 (a) -. 312 (a) - 2.358 (a) Statistical significance, 017.755.018 Table 3. Ranks Wilcoxon T-test Average rank Sum of ranks reactive anxiety Negative ranks 9.77 127.00 Positive ranks 6.5026.00 personal anxiety Negative ranks 6.0836.50 Positive ranks 5.9029.50 Beck-Zunge depression scale Negative ranks 7.5090.00 Positive ranks 7.5015.00 Also according to T -Wilcoxon test, the number of negative ranks prevails over the number of positive ones. This allows. 277-281