ATTITUDES TO ALTRUISM AND SELFISHNESS IN BOYS AND GIRLS FOCUSED ON VIRTUAL OR REAL COMMUNICATION

Abstract

Altruism as a psychological phenomenon is actively studied by social sciences but there is still no unity in understanding its nature and content. We understand altruism as the opposite of egoism, tough not contradictory but rather complementary phenomena. Communication in virtual space and in social networks develops cognitive and emotional components of altruism but makes it diffi cult to form a behavioral component of it. In situations of real interaction, young people do not have the skills to provide effective assistance to another person. The aim of the empirical study was to identify the gender characteristics of egoism-altruism attitudes among high school students who prefer a digital environment compared to high school students who prefer real interaction. The work used a questionnaire and a method for diagnosing the attitude to altruism or egoism by O.F. Potemkina. The sample consisted of  boys and  girls. The majority of young men who prefer real communication have a desire to help other people, an altruistic attitude is fi xed as a moral principle, as an internalized social norm. Among young men who prefer virtual communication, social activity is reduced, they have a weakly expressed motive of social duty and social responsibility. They are selfi sh, and as a result, they are not capable of altruistic behavior. In girls with different forms of communication, attitudes to altruism-egoism are expressed in a different proportion than in boys. Girls who prefer real communication show a desire to help others. However, there are quite a lot of those who turned out to be egoists, that is, they put their interests above the interests of other people. Almost all the girls who prefer virtual communication have demonstrated an attitude of selfi shness. They do not want to take responsibility for themselves neither do they want to interfere in other people’s lives.