Self-Determination as a Mechanism for Personality Sustainability in Conditions of Daily Stress

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, uncertainty, threat to life, and repeated lockdowns have significantly undermined people’s psychological well-being. In such situations, the basic needs for self-determination (SDT) are disrupted—autonomy, connectedness, and competence—but it is the resulting dissatisfaction that actualizes a search for strategies to cope with the problem. The objective of this article is to critically review the literature on various ways that people are coping with specific experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and their relationship to basic needs to maintain sustainability. We searched on the Web of Science CC database for relevant studies (2020–2021) and their systematization from the standpoint of Self-Determination Theory (SDT). This showed the dynamics of coping methods, reflecting a transition from confusion when confronted with stress, to the selection of effective strategies, confirming that when basic needs are blocked for a long time, people begin to search for a way to satisfy them. We present three levels of grouped coping methods: (1) physiological, (2) behavioral, and (3) cognitive, demonstrating their interrelationship with orientation (to oneself or to the context), assessment (a threat or a challenge), and basic psychological needs. The proposed model opens up prospects for creating effective coping and training programs for sustainable development of the individual in crisis situations.

Coping Strategies During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Self-Determination: A Review of Russian Studies

“…Studies at the end of the pandemic are characterized by location-based studies and small sample sizes. In contrast, a review of foreign studies showed a steady increase in surveys during the two years of the pandemic, some of which focused on the dynamics of coping strategies and others on their comparative analysis by age, country, and living conditions (Kostromina et al, 2022).…”

Untitled

“…The COVID-19 pandemic was a key event in 2020-2021 that had a significant impact on all aspects of people's lives around the world. The uncertainty of the situation, quarantine restrictions, and health concerns affected people's emotional states and psychological well-being and caused the need to find and form new patterns and strategies of behavior in a changed world (Chen et al, 2022;Sameer et al, 2020;Kostromina et al, 2022;Nestik et al, 2021;etc.). In the new circumstances, many people started to devote most of their time to watching films 2 .…”

Комплементарная Модель Самодетерминации Личности

“…Комплементарная модель самодетерминации: уровневое описание В сущности, процессуальное понимание самодетерминации (Костромина, 2019;Москвичева и др., 2022;Kostromina et al, 2022) с точки зрения эволюции сложных открытых саморазвивающихся систем устраняет сложившееся противоречие в понимании самодетерминации как врожденного или приобретенного (социально обусловленного) свойства личности. Уровневое описание самодетерминации позволяет описать ее как комплементарную модель (рис.…”