Teaching psychology at school as a means of forming an arbitrary form of self-consciousness among teenagers

Statement of the problem. The authors analyze the problem of forming an arbitrary form of self-consciousness among teenagers in the process of mastering psychology as a school discipline. The purpose of the article is to develop a concept of teaching psychology at school based on the theory of L.S. Vygotsky about the stages of development of mental functions. The research methodology is based on the cultural and historical theory by L.S. Vygotsky, on the analysis and synthesis of research works by international and Russian scientists on the problems of personal development, in particular, self-consciousness, recognized by the scientific community, as well as the experience of teaching psychology at school. Research results. Based on the cultural and historical theory by L.S. Vygotsky about the development of higher mental functions, the authors suggested and theoretically showed that teaching psychology at school can contribute to the formation of an arbitrary form of self-consciousness among adolescents. Self-coaching, as a form of internal self-communication, is a psychological means of developing self-awareness. Based on this, the preparation of psychology teaching programs for grades 5-11 should be based on a system of psychological knowledge, skills and abilities that allow a teenager to achieve a better self-awareness at each age stage. On the basis of this conceptual system, teenagers form their own psychological concept, “psychological theory”, which is the basis for understanding, interpreting and correcting their own thoughts, desires, actions, and behavior of people around them. Conclusion. The authors’ concept of teaching psychology at school, which includes self-coaching as a controlled form of internal dialogue, provides a student with a system of psychological concepts that contribute to the generalization and awareness of the subjective experience of his / her self-feelings, reflections and experiences.