Development of the Emotional Stability Seen as a Personal Leadership Quality Using the Acmeological Approach in the Master’s Students

Yevheniia M. Provorova,Nataliіa A. Oliinyk,Olha L. Tamarkina,Tetiana O. Atroshchenko,Tamara P. Ivakhnenko

doi:10.12973/eu-jer.10.1.275

Abstract

<p style="text-align:justify">The purpose of this study was to identify how the leadership training programme based on the acmeological approach for the Master’s students influences the students’ emotional stability and how that programme was perceived by graduates. The study used both qualitative and quantitative methods to yield data. The dimensions of emotional stability such as behavioural self-awareness, communication and conflict management, emotional and behavioural self-efficacy, adaptability, and self-programming of a positive mental attitude were used as variables in the study. Three qualitative and quantitative tools were used in the study. Those were the adapted and modified Emotional Stability Scale in the leadership context, the focus group interview, and the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count software. The IBM SPSS Statistics (25.0.0.1) was used to compute the yielded data. The study found that the train-the-trainer leadership programme entitled “Crisis-driven Leadership” based on the acmeological approach fostered a statistically significant improvement in the Master’s students’ emotional stability. Moreover, the graduates perceived the programme positively and could more or less accurately explain how it enhanced their experience. The study upgraded the concept of leadership training by focusing on the development of the students’ emotional stability. The latter was trained using the combination of the age psychology and cross-disciplinary games (gamified activities, simulations), online and offline personality-development-purpose learning, a project method, collaborative learning technologies. It increased substantially the effectiveness of both development of the students’ emotional stability and leadership training. The study has brought a new psychological perspective to developing emotional stability in the students aged 20-22.</p>

Highlights

The emotional stability is seen as a key leadership trait because the successful leaders are expected to project confidence, ensure a psychologically safe atmosphere for their team so that their team members could predict the leader’s reactions in the crises situations (Abdel-Fattah, 2020; Mind Resources Institute, 2020; Ray, 2017)
The study found that the train-the-trainer leadership programme entitled “Crisis-driven Leadership” based on the acmeological approach fostered a statistically significant improvement in the Master’s students’ emotional stability
The study upgraded the concept of leadership training by focusing on the development of the students’ emotional stability

Summary

Introduction

The emotional stability is seen as a key leadership trait because the successful leaders are expected to project confidence, ensure a psychologically safe atmosphere for their team so that their team members could predict the leader’s reactions in the crises situations (Abdel-Fattah, 2020; Mind Resources Institute, 2020; Ray, 2017). The acmeological approach – meaning development of a person relying on their natural capacity potential manifested at ‘peak-age stages’ – fits best to the Master’s students from the perspective of psychology and physiology. The latter both state that the university age (between 17 and 22) is a ‘peak’ period of effectiveness of a person’s cognitive and psychomotor functioning (Stafeeva et al, 2019). Though the emotional stability is seen as a stable trait, that does not dynamically change, the acmeological approach can encourage specific patterns of physiological self-regulation leading to change in the emotional self. The acmeological approach to developing emotional stability in the context of developing leadership qualities in Master’s students can be considered a feasible option

Objectives

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Discussion

Conclusion