The Influence of the Emotional Intelligence on Self-Regulation of Aggressive Behavior among Adolescents with Disorders of Mental Development

Abstract

 The aim of the research is to determine the problem of manifestations of aggression of adolescents with disorders of mental development in the context of the formation and influence of emotional intelligence on the aggressive behavior of these adolescents. The purpose of the research was provided by a step-by-step solution of the main tasks: firstly, to identify the features of aggression of adolescents with intellectual disabilities; secondly, to determine the specific influence of emotional intelligence on self-regulation of aggressive behavior of adolescents with intellectual disabilities; thirdly, to characterize recommendations for the technology of psychological support for the formation of self-regulation of aggressive behavior of adolescents with disorders of mental development in the context of their emotional intelligence.

Мethods. The general scientific deductive and inductive methods, the method of psychological diagnostics, conversations and observations were used to solve the outlined tasks and to prove the results and make the conclusions of our research. Psychodiagnostic procedure of the state of aggressive behavior and its emotional self-regulation of adolescents with disorders of mental development was carried out using the method of «Bass and Darcy’s Aggression Questionnaire»; method of «Adapted Leonhard – Shmishek’s Characterological Questionnaire»; Emotional Intellect (by N. Hоll) techniques, conversations and observations. In the course of psychodiagnostics, the necessary instructions and requirements were obtained to have reliable results. The interviews were conducted in the process of studying of adolescents at educational establishments. The behavior of adolescents was monitored in their usual learning environment. For the purpose of providing comparative analysis of the phenomenon of self-regulation of aggressive behavior of adolescence and making reliability of the results, the diagnostics of adolescents with preserved intelligence was carried out, keeping the identical procedures, under equal conditions, which were created for adolescents with disorders of mental development as well.

The results of the research. According to the results of the diagnostics, adolescents with disorders of mental development have physical and verbal aggression that exceeds the allowable norm. The diagnostics of adolescents with disorders of mental development made it possible to ascertain the functioning status of the structural components of aggression. The increased level was set up by indicators of negativity and irritability. The results of the diagnostics of adolescents with preserved intellectual state the similarity of the obtained data on the level of expressiveness of the main types of aggression and structural components of the phenomenon in comparison with the results of adolescents with disorders of mental development. The difference is the intensity of the proposed indicators. The adolescents with intellectual disabilities have indicators which are in a great degree displayed in a group of 20–30% than in a group of respondents with preserved intellectual function. It is established that manifestations of aggression and self-regulation of aggressive behavior are determined by personality’s accentuations. In a case of adolescents with disorders of mental development, the following types of combination of accentuation were found to be hypertensive in combination with cyclothymic, hypertensive with unbalanced, hypertensive with exalted. In addition, adolescents with disorders of mental development have a low level of emotional intelligence, emotional awareness, empathy, managing personal emotions and an average level of ability to recognize other people’s emotions.

Conclusions. The results of our research suggested that the alexithymic manifestations in the structure of the personality of adolescents with disorders of mental development were mainly due to the inability to verbalize their own emotional states, underdevelopment of the reflexive component of emotions and lack of formation or a low level of emotional intelligence. Taking into account the obtained results, the main aspects of psycho-corrective work with adolescents with disorders of mental development regarding the formation of self-regulation of aggressive behavior were characterized. This psycho-corrective work has the aim to form the ability to develop pupils’ emotions, feelings and experience, to designate them with appropriate verbal symbols, to manage different emotional states, including negative ones, such as aggression and anger.