The relationship between personality traits and the nature of professional motivation in adolescence

Abstract

This paper considers relationship between the characteristics of identity and professional motivation in adolescence. We present the results obtained by the study of the structure and content of personal and social identity, the properties of time perspective, resilience and such features of professional motivation as the content and structure of interests of boys and girls, as well as the dynamics of professional motivation development during vocational training in students of different courses and specialties. It was found that in 45% of the sample, professional identity is represented in the identity structure, which corresponds to age characteristics and leading activities in adolescence. The relationship between the breadth of interests of boys and girls with such personality parameters as the perception of their own past, self-acceptance and the content of identity was established. The breadth of interests is positively associated with self-acceptance (0.439**), acceptance of one’s past (0.341*), as well as with highlighting the structure of skills and abilities (0.580*) in one’s identity. The structure of professional motivation is dominated by such career orientations as job stability, integration of lifestyles and service. A relationship is found between the nature of professional motivation and resilience and self-management parameters. Young men and women differ significantly in the nature of professional motivation. The dynamics of the development of professional motivation in students and their relationship with personality traits reflect age-associated tasks in adolescence. Secondand fourth-year students differ significantly in the nature of professional motivation. Second-year students have more pronounced career orientations of ‘challenge’ and ‘entrepreneurship’, while fourth-year students have more distinct career orientations of ‘professional competence’ and ‘integration of lifestyles’. Significant differences were found in the nature of professional motivation and their relationship with personality traits in students majoring in technical and humanitarian specialties. In general, the nature of professional motivation is determined by such factors as identity characteristics, gender, stage of professional training and professional focus.