Differences in the characteristics of psychological space among students of different ethnic backgrounds

The subject of this article examines the characteristics of the psychological space of students from different nationalities (Kalmyks and Russians). The aim of our research is to identify the differences in the characteristics of psychological space among students of different ethnic backgrounds. The analysis of the scientific literature included the works of K. Lewin, S. K. Nartova-Bochaver, K. V. Martirosyan, S. Yu. Zhdanova, and V. S. Kraevaya. The study sample consisted of two groups of students aged 18 to 23, with 40 students in each group from the Russian State Agricultural University – Timiryazev Moscow Agricultural Academy (Moscow) and Kalmyk State University named after B. B. Gorodovikov (Elista). Kalmyk students demonstrate higher values in the following indicators: territorial, object, habit, value sovereignty, and overall sovereignty. Russian students exhibit higher indicators of the significance of habits. The methods used included literature analysis, descriptive methods, categorization methods, expert assessments, etc. The methodologies involved the "Sovereignty of Psychological Space" questionnaire by S. K. Nartova-Bochaver and the "Vitagram" method by G. V. Shukova. Mathematical processing was carried out using the nonparametric Mann-Whitney U-test. The scientific novelty of this work lies in the insufficient study of the topic of the psychological space of students from different ethnic backgrounds and the comparison of its characteristics among Russians and Kalmyks in particular. Kalmyk students demonstrate more pronounced sovereignty, which may be related to the traditional way of life, patriarchal traditions, a focus on territorial autonomy, and respect for personal boundaries. Russian students are characterized by higher values in the significance of habits, meaning many elements of their psychological space are linked to daily habitual actions. It is possible that Russian students do not have significant differences compared to Kalmyks due to their widespread residence across the country and a tendency towards a European lifestyle. The obtained data may be further used in intercultural dialogue, adaptation, and the education process of students in higher educational institutions, but require further study.