Features of personal self-determination of adults with disabilities

Introduction. The article actualizes the problem of identifying the specifics of the process of personal self-determination of an individual during adulthood, depending on the factor of disability. The purpose of the article is to identify the features of the static and dynamic aspects of personal self-determination of adults with disabilities. Materials and Methods. The data were collected using the following methods: E. Shostrom’s Self-actualization test, “Meaningfulness of life orientations” (D. A. Leontiev), “The level of subjective control” (E. F. Bazhin, E. A. Golynkina, А. М. Etkind), and a personal self-determination questionnaire. The data obtained were interpreted and subjected to statistical analysis using the correlation analysis and Student's t-test. The sample consisted of 120 people, half of them were people with disabilities. Results. The authors found that personal self-determination in adulthood has certain characteristics, depending on whether or not they have disabilities. It is determined that adults with disabilities have a low level of internality, deny the possibility of conscious control of their lives. They demonstrate dissatisfaction with the part of life that they have already lived, considering it to be not very productive and unreasonable, they are skeptical about determining the targets for the future. Conclusions. It is concluded that in adults, personal self-determination has features depending on whether or not they have disabilities. Adults with disabilities are characterized by a low level of meaningfulness of life, the predominance of an external locus of control. They lack a holistic perception of their own lives, fixed rigidity in the implementation of subjective values in behavior and interaction with other people, as well as a delayed way of responding to a changing situation. The revealed features can be used in the process of organizing an accessible environment for adults with disabilities.