Serious disease as an existential problem

Occupation: chief research officer, laboratory of psychology of subject development in normal and post-traumatic states
Affiliation: Institute of Psychology RAS
Address: Moscow, Russian Federation

O. S. Zaitsev

Occupation: professor, psychiatrist
Affiliation: Burdenko National Medical Research Center of Neurosurgery, Ministry of Health of The Russian Federation
Address: Russian Federation, Moscow

D.A. Nikitina

Affiliation: Institute of Psychology, Russian Academy of Sciences
Address: Russian Federation, Moscow

A. N. Koposova

Occupation: Psychiatrist
Affiliation: Burdenko National Medical Research Center of Neurosurgery, Ministry of Health of The Russian Federation
Address: Russian Federation, Moscow

Journal name

Psikhologicheskii zhurnal

Edition

Volume 42 Issue 6

Pages

70-82

Abstract

The results of a theoretical and empirical study of basic beliefs and their relationship with the level of post-traumatic stress, personal characteristics, and psychological safety represenrarions in people with severe somatic disease ("meningioma" (n=60)) are analysed. Basic beliefs are presented as empirical markers of a person's experience of an existential experience. Hypotheses about individual psychological differences in a person's attitude to himself and the world in the conditions of experiencing a difficult life event are tested. It is proved that people with a positive attitude towards themselves and the world have high rates on the World Assumption Scale (WAS) and such subscales as benevolence of the world, controllability, justice, self-worth and luck. It is shown that a positive attitude towards oneself and the world correlates with a certain configuration of personality traits on Freiburg Personality Inventory (FPI), including sociability, poise, masculinity; the representations about psychological safety are related to the orientation of the person towards internal resources (competence, life experience, control, etc.). The people with negative attitudes towards themselves and the world, i.e. with low rates on the WAS, are characterized as neurotic, depressive, irritable, emotionally labile on FPI; their representations about psychological safety are related with the need in social support. In a group with averages on the WAS, personality profile is similar to the profile of the people with low rates on the WAS in exception of depression and femininity; the psychological safety is associated with internal and external resources. The results are discussed in the context of existential experience problem.

Keywords

existential experience; meningioma; basic beliefs; positive attitude to the world and oneself; negative attitude to the world and oneself; personality traits; post-traumatic stress; psychological safety

Acknowledgment

This work is supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR) (project № 18-013-00324 “Emotional and personality changes in patients with meningioma during postoperative period”).

Publication date

16.12.2021

Number of characters

35884

Cite

GOST	Kharlamenkova N., Zaitsev O., Nikitina D., Koposova A. Serious disease as an existential problem // Psikhologicheskii zhurnal – 2021. – V. 42. – Issue 6 C. 70-82 [Electronic resource]. URL: https://psy.jes.su/S020595920017739-8-1 (circulation date: 05.05.2024). DOI: 10.31857/S020595920017739-8
MLA	Kharlamenkova, Natalia E, Zaitsev, O. S, Nikitina, D.A., Koposova, A. N. "Serious disease as an existential problem." Psikhologicheskii zhurnal 42.6 (2021):70-82. DOI: 10.31857/S020595920017739-8
APA	Kharlamenkova N., Zaitsev O., Nikitina D., Koposova A. (2021). Serious disease as an existential problem. Psikhologicheskii zhurnal 42(6), pp.70-82 DOI: 10.31857/S020595920017739-8

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