The Correlation between the Self-Image and the Mentor Image of Students in the Context of Professional Self-Determination

<p>The research focuses on clarifying the concept of the image of the Self as a subject of professional self-determination and its functions in the educational and professional activities of psychology students. The article presents empirical data obtained from a sample of 76 psychology students, including students of the1st and 2<sup>nd</sup> years (N=45) and students of the 3<sup>rd</sup> and 4th years of Taras Shevchenko National University of Tiraspol (N=31). The following methods were used in the study: a test questionnaire of the orienting image of the mentor "OSON" D.A. Krasilo, aimed at identifying the type of mentor, the method Self-Assessment-25 by V.N. Kunitsyna, motivation of professional activity (K. Zamfir's method modified by A.A. Rean), the method Value Orientations by M. Rokich. In order to identify the correlation between the self-image and the mentor image of the actor of professional self-determination, statistical data analysis methods were used: the Spearman pair correlation method, the nonparametric Mann-Whitney U-test and methods of cluster data analysis in IBM SPSS Statistics 27. The types of self-image of the subject of professional self-determination are identified as “idealized” and “realistic-effective” in the 1<sup>st</sup> and 2<sup>nd</sup> year students; “reflective” and “career-oriented” in the 3<sup>rd</sup> 4<sup>th</sup> year students.</p>