Attitude of rural teenagers to profanity in their community

Introduction. The article raises the issue of profanity in teenage community, the relevance of which is substantiated by the increasing number of complaints of teachers and parents about too active use of profanity by teenagers in interpersonal interaction. Methods. The author analyses the sociopsychological and pedagogical literature on the problem of profanity in the teen age and the results of an empirical study conducted to identify the causes and factors of the spread of profanity among teenagers and to substantiate the necessity of its prevention in the conditions of rural schools. The study involved 72 adolescents aged 13-15 years studying in grades 7, 8, and 9 in rural low-complete schools. The diagnostic material included a questionnaire “Profanity in my life”; a questionnaire to identify the causes of profanity; document analysis; a test-questionnaire to determine the level of self-esteem by S. V. Kovalev; a method of diagnosing interpersonal and intergroup relations “Sociometry” (J. Moreno); a method of diagnosing the assessment of self-control in communication by M. Snyder. Results. The author revealed that the use of profanity is a regular form of personal self-expression of teenagers, is one of the ways of manifestation of adulthood and the possibility to occupy a more significant position in the reference group. The development of a comprehensive programme for the prevention of profanity in interpersonal interaction between adolescents will contribute to the formation of their negative attitude to profanity.