Социальные связи в представлении бездомных

Abstract

Introduction. The significance of social connections is due to diverse and crucial impact of environment to human life. The study of social connections enables to identify a person’s living standard and wellbeing. Addressing homeless people means better awareness and the opportunity to organize psychological assistance to them as well as to clarify the issue of social ties formation. 
 The study aims to review the theoretical concept of personal social connections and to analyze the homeless’ subjective views on their state. 
 The research tasks are to review a social connections structure; to carry out research on the homeless’ social connections and to analyze the characteristics of these ties.
 Methodology. The social-subjective approach to social interaction is the key methodology of the study. It enables to form a concept of the homeless’ ties with other people and build the model of their social interaction. The advantage of the approach is the possibility to research the social ties of the homeless, to gather data about the parameters of these connections, to understand how the homeless perceive people around them, the society and themselves.
 The main method of the study was the self-report. The survey on quantitative and qualitative characteristics of social connections of the homeless as well as the questionnaire on the key parameters of the person’s interaction with society (getting support from the social environment, self – assessment of the interaction, the impact on social environment) were conducted. The data were processed by descriptive statistics and Kruskal–Wallis H test.
 The sample of the study consisted of 197 participants aged 45–50. The majority of the sample (80%) was male. The research procedure. We compared the subjective awareness of social interaction of the homeless and people who have
 accommodation.
 Our results show the decrease of social impact on the person among the homeless. It is determined by low rapport, poor interpersonal communication, low authority and low reference as well as little value of social environment. The research reveals that the homeless make an improper evaluation of their interaction with social environment. That results in low assessment of social support, underestimation of their own impact on the environment and overestimation of their ability to interact.
 Scientific novelty. The findings of the study expand the understanding of the state of homelessness. They reveal socialpsychological characteristics of the homeless interaction with the environment as well as specifies the concept of socialperceptive ideas formed during these interactions with the environment.
 Practical significance. This study emphasizes the necessity of forming the homeless social skills, indicates the issues of psychological prevention in counseling and providing social assistance to this category of citizens.