Correlation of Students’ Interpersonal Orientation, Experience and Motivation for Livingin a Dormitory

Abstract

One of the indicators of psychological adjustment of adolescents is interpersonal orientation (attitudes to generalised others). Tis paper deals with interpersonal orientation of college students facing specifc challenges during studying – living in a dormitory. Te aim of the research was to examine the correlation between interpersonal orientation of students, their previous experience in coeval collective accommodation (peer-to-peer housing) and their motivation for living in a dormitory. Scale of interpersonal orientation (Bezinović, 2002), applied to 221 students, at the age of 18 to 28, who came from other towns to Sarajevo to study and who were living in one of dormitories of „Studentski centar’’ and Foundation for improvement of education and culture „Source of Hope’’. Two items are included in the questionnaire to examine the experience of housing in a collective accommodation and motivation for living in a dormitory. Te results indicate that there is a statistically signifcant correlation of interpersonal orientation of the students and their previous experience in coeval collective accommodation, as well as their motivation for living in a dormitory. Students with developed positive (philanthropic) orientation have predominantly pleasant experience, but students with developed negative (misanthropic) orientation have predominantly unpleasant experience while staying in coeval collective accommodation (peer-to-peer housing). It is proved that students who claim that the main reason for living in a dormitory is living with a peer group, have the highest philanthropic and the lowest misanthropic orientation. Students, who have not had the possibility to choose a place of housing, have the lowest philanthropic and the highest misanthropic orientation.