SOCIAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL STEREOTYPES OF YOUTH IN CONTEMPORARY UKRAINIAN REALITIES

Abstract

This article examines the following socio-psychological stereotypes among young people aged 18–25: education, gender roles, and physical appearance. An original survey was conducted with 30 respondents: 15 women and 15 men. Twenty questions were developed in detail and grouped into four equal blocks: awareness of the existence of stereotypes; social experience and internal pressure; the psychological impact of stereotypes; reflection and psychological maturity. In general, stereotypes are more or less established images or corresponding mental representations of a particular social object held by various members of society, who express in their consciousness the everyday reflection and perception of objects, actions, or phenomena of the objective world as they relate to the subject, operating at a specific time, their attitudes toward them, their reactions to them, and, accordingly, to the subject as their bearer endowed with them. It should be noted that stereotypes are both stable and variable, as well as diverse. Their perception and adaptation are influenced by various factors, such as the influence of family upbringing, the socio-psychological external environment of society, personal experience, religious or denominational affiliation, attitudes toward other nations or ethnic groups, the influence of the mass media, and so on. Life cycles also influence their stability or variability. In this study, these factors are evident; although the age distribution of respondents is stable, social conditions in our country have also influenced stereotyping. Alongside stable stereotypes at this age, new ones have emerged, driven by the challenges of the times – namely, the Russian-Ukrainian war – which have imbued the consciousness and behavior of young people with greater emotional resilience, psychological restraint, and a deep sense and awareness of their identity. The four sections of the study mentioned above analyze in detail issues related to identifying the level of young people’s awareness of the existence of socio-psychological and gender stereotypes, highlighting the real-life social experiences of young people, the psychological impact of stereotypes on the individual, young people’s readiness for critical reflection and overcoming socio-psychological stereotypes, and so on.