Assessment of social and personal manifestations of adolescents interested in youth subculture

Introduction. The problem of the study is related to the idea of peculiarities of socialization as the formation of adolescents’ personality. The solution to this problem is necessary to prevent the negative impact of the subculture on the personality of the adolescent in the learning environment. According to the age specificity, an adolescent pays special attention to the reaction of their peers. Having identified themselves as members of social groups, adolescents put this identification into the scheme of self-awareness and begin to ‘bring’ themselves into ‘conformity with the group’. Deep and long involvement in the informal movement determines the interiorization of the group’s value system and changes in the adolescent’s worldview. In this regard, the purpose of this study is to identify social and personal manifestations of adolescents who are interested in youth subculture. Materials and Methods. The study follows personality-oriented and cognitive approaches. In order to achieve the goal of the study, the authors used theoretical (analysis, generalization, systematization) and empirical (testing, conversations, questionnaires, expert assessments) methods. The sample included 85 Year 10 students of secondary educational institutions in the Krasnodar Territory (Russia). Results. The article presents a theoretical analysis of approaches to the problem of studying social and personal characteristics of adolescents included in youth subcultures. The data obtained indicate personality traits and social status that determine the enthusiasm for certain subcultures. In particular, adolescents interested in youth subcultures demonstrated the following problems: dissatisfaction with social status, communication problems, adequacy/inadequacy of self-esteem, search for thrills, influence of friends, and insufficient knowledge about the content and features of the influence of youth subculture. Conclusions. Based on the theoretical analysis of scholarly literature on the problem of the research, it was found that the adolescent’s inclusion in an informal association is determined by social and personal characteristics. Adolescents who are interested in youth subcultures demonstrated the following common characteristics: the need for a higher status in the students’ group, peer approval, unstable self-esteem, etc. Understanding the characteristics of adolescents contributes to fostering an adequate personality formation and determines the content of the prevention measures aimed at eliminating negative influences of informal associations.