Psychological features of communicative tolerance at different stages of teacher’s professional life

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to determine the level of teacher’s communicative tolerance at different stages of one’s professional development and its features: the ability to be flexible and the study of communicative sets.

Methods. The basis of the research was an ascertaining experiment with the use of diagnostic tools, which included: Method of the communicative sets diagnosis according to V.V. Boyko, Method of the communicative tolerance diagnosis (according to V.V. Boyko), Rigidity test.

Results. An empirical study of the teachers’ communicative tolerance at different stages of their professional life showed that during the period of adaptation, teachers are characterized with high communicative tolerance and low rigidity, and negative personal experience of communication with others, a tendency to make unfounded generalizations of negative facts in the sphere of relations with partners appears in the communicative sets and  observations of social reality. In the period of professional realization, teachers are characterized with a medium and low level of communicative tolerance, the level of rigidity increases, and the disguised cruelty regarding the people, in judgments about them is dominated in the communicative sets. In the period of stagnation, teachers have a low level of communicative tolerance, an average and high level of rigidity regarding their reconsideration of professional life. At this stage, a negative personal experience of communication with others appears in communicative sets.

Conclusions. The level of communicative tolerance and its features change at different stages of the teachers' professional activity. In the period of adaptation, communicative tolerance is at high level, and it is comfortable to carry out joint activities with such persons, they communicate with a friendly manner, aimed at good relations with others, they respect another person. During this period, teachers are able to change their interests and attitudes in accordance with changes in the partners’ behavior. The negative personal experience of communication with others, a tendency to make unfounded generalizations of negative facts in the sphere of relations with partners appears in the communicative sets and observations of social reality.

During the period of professional implementation, communicative tolerance is at an average and low level. At this stage of professional life, the level of rigidity increases that shows an inability to change interests and attitudes, which are aimed at defending one's opinion and an active position, which increases and prevents the construction of adequate interaction and relationship with others under the influence of external forces. At this stage of professional life, disguised cruelty regarding the people, in judgments about them, prevails in the communicative sets.

During the period of professional stagnation, the level of communicative tolerance is low, however, some people have a high level of communicative tolerance, and it is explained by the fact that for these individuals, professional stagnation turns into the assimilation of professional techniques and technologies aimed at self-improvement and self-development. The level of rigidity increases, that appears in conflict, affective enthusiasm for the dominant idea, which prevents the establishment of interaction with others. In the communicative sets, the negative personal experience of communication with others is most evident, and it is logical considering the work experience and the peculiarity of interaction.