Metacognition strategies in overcoming difficult life situations with the main focus on different levels of personal self-regulation

Introduction. The research problem of the article is metacognition in the context of overcoming difficult life situations by young people. The aim of the study is to describe metacognitive strategies for overcoming difficult life situations used by students with different levels of self-regulation. Materials and Methods. For this study, psychological tests, questionnaires and interviews were used. The sample consisted of 172 second-year students of St. Petersburg State University aged between 18 and 22. Methods of data processing included descriptive statistics, difference analysis, correlation, cluster and variance analysis, and qualitative text analysis. Moreover, the authors used the following questionnaires: T. Y. Bazarov and M. P. Sychev's Questionnaire on changing response styles, E. Y. Mandrikova's Self-regulation questionnaire, D. V. Lyusin's Emotional intelligence inventory, D. A. Leontiev's Differential reflexivity diagnostic, and a questionnaire aimed was analyzing difficult life situations and overcoming strategies. Results. The authors identified three groups of students, depending on the level of self-regulation in learning. They also conceptualized the role of changing response styles, reflexivity and emotional intelligence in the effectiveness of overcoming difficult life situations. Students with a high level of self-regulation demonstrated an ability to manage and understand other people's emotions, maintain positive emotions, and assess situations adequately. Moreover, they are efficient in overcoming difficult life situations. On the other hand, students with a low level of self-regulation in difficult life situations show insufficient capacity for socio-psychological adaptation. Conclusions. The authors concluded that the subjective assessment of a difficult life situation determines the choice of a metacognitive strategy for overcoming it.