Psychological Security of Two Generations in Latvia

Abstract

The breakup of Soviet Union and transition from "well-developed socialism" to market economy led to the changes in the attitudes and the lifestyle of the people. Have these changes made human communication safer? The most important sociopsychological condition for such security is the absence of interpersonal and intergroup aggression, as well as the hatred that tends to provoke the explosions of such aggression. Has this condition changed in the life of generation educated in the market-economy society? Are these changes accompanied by the changes in mental variables that prevent the explosions of aggression, particularly in changes of experience of love and satisfaction with life? The aim of our study is the comparison of aggression, hate, love, and satisfaction with life that characterized the generation educated in Soviet Union (43-50 years old) and the same features of the younger generation (18-25 years old), educated after the breakup of Soviet Union in Latvia.Hypothesis on the existence of intergenerational distinctions on these variables was confirmed partly: distinctions were revealed in the inclination to aggression, satisfaction with life, and love passion. All these variables are higher in young generation, which could be explained more by age-specific features than by more general changes in the social-economic and social-political circumstances.Keywords: psychological security, aggression, hate, subjective well-being, satisfaction with life, love, hostility, intergenerational distinctions. Research area: psychology.© Siberian Federal University. All rights reserved * Corresponding author E-mail address: g_bresl@latnet.lv After the breakup of Soviet Union, it became evident that the stereotype of Soviet people's internationalism, disseminated in the literature and mass media of the USSR, was far from reality.In a number of former Soviet republics military conflicts exploded between different ethnic, religious and tribal communities (Kara bah, Prydnestrovje, Abkhazia, Ossetia, Chechnya, Ingushetia, Dagestan). Situation in these regions, as in some others in the former Soviet territory, is still far from secure till today. The issues of security include a number of political, military, economic, and social-psychological aspects.Our study is directed at the last aspect only. It is aimed at evaluating the readiness and desire to harm other persons and groups, and exploring available resources for the minimization of these tendences. Lawrence, 1999). Insecurity of modern world and aggression Contradictions of the Globalization epoch The Sources of HateIn all totalitarian countries (and in the past in all countries) we can find the long-time social there is no differences in passive hate (Breslavs, 2009). In this study no gender differences were found in both hate elements, but some recent data show higher passive hate for Latvian-speaking men (Kristapsone, 2014). Psychological counterbalances of aggression and hateData on aggression and hate in the world can shape the concept of inevitability of endogen...

Psychological aspects of personal safety

“…While the passive hate is manifested by escaping and distancing only, the active hate is manifested by condemnation and trying to harm the target of hate including physical violence. In comparison of adolescents in adults active hate significantly decreases, but there is no differences in passive hate [34].…”