The Interrelation between Self-Esteem and Value Orientations of Russian Students

Introduction. The well-being of student youth is in the focus of the tasks of state programs of educational and youth policy. The international socio-political situation poses the tasks of actualization and formation of value orientations of the young generation. In modern psychological and pedagogical science, a significant number of studies are devoted to the problem of well-being, its correlates and risks. However, relatively few works are devoted to the topic of correlation between self-esteem as a component of psychological well-being and value orientations. The aim of the research is to study the values of modern Russian students in the context of the specifics of self-esteem. Materials and Methods. The study involved 2,315 university students from 10 cities of the Russian Federation. Self-esteem was analyzed using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale in the adaptation of A. A. Zolotareva, and the Schwartz Value Questionnaire (PVQ-R2) was used to study students’ axiological orientations. The correlations between self-esteem and value orientations among students were determined using by correlation analysis using the Spearman method. In order to identify differences between groups with low and high levels of self-esteem (self-esteem), Student’s t-test for independent samples and Mann-Whitney U-criterion was used to test the consistency of the results. Results. Data analysis has shown that most values, except for “Power – Dominance”, “Power – Resources” and “Face”, have a significant correlation with self-esteem. The majority of these values have a positive correlation, while a negative correlation was found between “Humility”, “Conformity – interpersonal”, and self-esteem. In other words, in most cases, it can be said that the higher a student’s self-esteem, the more prominent their value orientations are. These correlations correspond to significant differences in the expression of values among students with relatively high and low levels of self-esteem. Discussion and Conclusion. The conducted research deepens our understanding not only of the specifics of the modern Russian students’ axiological positions, but also of how the indicator of subjective well-being, measured by the level of self-esteem, relates to them. The results obtained can be used as part of the development of educational concepts, value-based motivational strategies, for working with at-risk students, and designing adaptation and development programs.