Semantic features and zones of psychological stress in the image of a family among Russian schoolchildren, students and youth with higher education

<p><strong>Context</strong><strong> and relevance.</strong> The study of the semantics of youth consciousness in the family sphere deepens the understanding of their behavior in this area, allows them to improve the effectiveness of working with young people, increasing their competence in the identified "zones" of confusion. The theoretical basis of the research is the concepts of reconstruction of subjective reality and the "image of the world", reflecting conscious and unconscious layers of mental contents in a specific subject area, which can be discovered through the apparatus of psychosemantics, which allows to reveal a complex complex of human orientations in the world and his life choices. <strong>Objective.</strong> To identify the semantic features of the family image among modern Russian schoolchildren, students and postgraduate youth, and to identify areas of current psychological stress that may reflect potential risks of dissatisfaction and the breakdown of family relationships. <strong>Hypothesis.</strong> The image of a family is semantically specific among schoolchildren, undergraduates, and postgraduate youth, and may contain markers of potential risks of destroying the family system, in the form of zones of psychological stress, which schoolchildren use to focus on the characteristics of their own family and lack of information about family relationships; students have an idealization of the family, and postgraduate youth have a projection of negative relationship experiences. <strong>Methods</strong><strong> and materials.</strong> Two series of studies were conducted: the first series (N = 100) involved young people of both sexes (52% of women and 48% of men), aged 25-32 years (M = 28.1, SD = 2.2), living in a large metropolis, with higher education, experience of marriage or cohabitation in the format of family relations. The method used was a semantic differential of 23 antonymic scales, with the help of which the respondents assessed the modern family. The second series was conducted on two samples (total N = 84): older adolescents aged 15-16 years of Moscow schoolchildren (N = 42) and students aged 19-20 years of 4th year of humanities faculties of Moscow universities (N=42). The family was assessed using 24 family metaphors highlighted in other studies. The vast majority of the study participants were representatives of full families (71.4% among schoolchildren and 66.7% among students). <strong>Results.</strong> Are recorded in the semantics of the family image among adolescents and students, the characteristics of boundaries and locality (the family is perceived as a localized object that exists to create conditions for growth, with the possibility of negative rebirth). Young people with higher education have a negative semantics of the family image, dominated by the characteristics of rashness of its formation and uninterest, as well as infidelity (in the minds of men), commitment and non-sexuality (in women). Areas of psychological tension in relation to the family are: for schoolchildren — problems of strict boundaries, lack of trust, weakness of general erudition in the area of family relations; for students — excessive idealization and unrealistic expectations in the family sphere; young people with higher education and experience of marriage/cohabitation — the vulnerable to pressure from social expectations, with weak personal development, self-reflection, taking into account the consequences of one's own decisions, lack of trust and the ability to be proactive in the field of relationships. <strong>Conclusions.</strong> The study of semantic representations of the family image in the minds of youth makes it possible not only to uncover problem areas in the field of family relations and the interpretation of their causes by young people of different age statuses, but also to identify areas of correctional and educational work in order to increase the competence of young people in this field, remove excessive fears and strengthen positive motivation for creating and developing a family.</p>