Moral Choice in Hyperreality: Personality Reflected in Society and Society Reflected in Personality (An Oprosnikum Survey Platform Study)

The moral ideals of the young generation are a topic of particular domestic and global relevance. The study was conducted using the "Oprosnikum" service. The study involved 1,065 teenagers from 21 schools in Kaluga, Obninsk, Korenevo, Romanovo, and Myatlevo, Kaluga Region. The diagnostic tools included E. N. Proshitskaya & S. S. Grinshpun’s Test on Attitudes to Moral Behavior Norms; M. I. Rozhkov & I. V. Ivanova’s Questionnaire of Role Models; I. V. Ivanova’s Diagnostics for Readiness for Self-Development in Adolescents; A. I. Shemshurina’s Diagnostics for Moral Motivation. Moral ideals depended on the personal traits, i.e., personal development, moral motivation, and attitude to moral norms. The results were similar to those obtained in 2019–2020, as well as to other Russian and foreign studies. The trends in moral development were provided with possible causes. The risks were associated with choosing a role model that lacks moral values: teenagers had not enough information about their role models, trusted the internet too much, did not want to engage in moral reflection, had no critical thinking skills, etc. Other risks involved choosing role models with deliberately faulty character traits that possess a certain appeal to the young. In this case, teenagers tend to misevaluate their personal resources for self-development. These risks may lead to a distorted worldview and a false projection of one’s future self. The results can be used to improve pedagogical support of existential choices in existential pedagogy.