THE STUDENT-AGE POPULATION IMAGE OF DOMESTIC ABUSE

Abstract

The problem of domestic violence does not lose its relevance: in a changing society, the institution of the family is also undergoing constant changes, contacts within the family are being transformed, and there is an escalation of negative trends in interpersonal communication. The consequences of domestic violence have the broadest profile of action: at the physiological, intrapersonal, interpersonal, institutional, and global levels. Domestic violence, being inherently an unlawful phenomenon that infringes on personal integrity and dignity, is still perceived in society as an ordinary phenomenon. However, one can confidently assert its unambiguously negative impact on both the social structure and the mental organization of the individual. This work aims to explore the student-age youth’s ideas about domestic violence, since it is young people who are both a reflection of modern society and a flagship of change within it. Identification of students' views on domestic violence was carried out through an appeal to the psychodiagnostic apparatus. The study revealed the dominant level of trust in the myths about domestic violence among students, revealed the absence of significant differences in the answers of boys and girls. This indicates a fairly deep spread of false ideas related to domestic violence, the eradication of which seems to be a difficult, but quite feasible process, which should originate not so much within an individual, but in a system of social relationships. We also assume the existence of a general trend towards the unification of standards of education for both sexes. In addition, in the context of the spread of humanistic values, it is quite natural to adopt a critical view of the problem of domestic violence. Finally, respondents who are inclined to minimize the damage of domestic violence are more likely to justify the abuser. This can be explained by the young people's belief that violence must be earned and that its actor has good reason to ‘punish’ his partner in this way.