Analysis of the “Metaphor of the Life Path” as a Tool of Interaction within the Framework of Psychological and Pedagogical Support for Students

<p style="text-align: justify;">An author’s method is presented that allows for a qualitative change in the interaction between a teacher-psychologist and a student using a tool for analyzing the “Metaphor of the Life Path” and interpreting the data obtained within the framework of psychological and pedagogical support of the learning process at the university. The study involved 267 respondents aged 17 to 55 years (Mage = 28.6, SDage = 7.0, 31 men and 236 women). The study participants represent two groups: 101 — students receiving education at the time of the study, Mage = 22, SDage = 4.8, 166 — respondents who completed their studies at the university at the time of the study, Mage = 31, SDage = 5.8. The methodology of the metaphorical essay “Metaphor of the Life Path” is used. To process quantitative data, the k-means cluster analysis method is used. Content analysis is used to analyze metaphorical essays. The results obtained make it possible to complement the existing practices of working with metaphor, used within the framework of psychological and pedagogical support for students. Analysis of the life path metaphor is one of the effective tools for building interaction within the framework of psychological and pedagogical support for students.</p>