THE SOCIAL-PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS AND LEVELS OF FORMATION OF STUDENTS’ ECONOMIC SELF-DETERMINATION

The article analyses theoretically and methodologically the influencing factors and the levels of formation of students’ economic self-determination in the period of social changes. Self-determination is a socio-psychological phenomenon formed on basic psychological processes and aimed at finding by an individual of their own way of life to meet their needs. The most important factors of students’ economic self-determination are their financial well-being, formation of personality, professional self-determination and, only then, formation of their social identity. Economic self-determination is considered by students as self-determination in the economic environment with the purpose to achieve an optimal position in the system of economic relations (labour, exchange, property, distribution, etc.). Students’ economic self-determination is considered by us as self-determination in the economic environment with the following purposes: to achieve an optimal position in the system of economic relations (labour, exchange, property, distributive, etc.); to have an attitude to socio-economic conditions and their dynamics; to develop their own ideas about life meaning and life goals, life principles, values; to outline own rights (borders, boundaries); to perform self-analysis of one's own expectations and potential opportunities to meet them. Students’ economic self-determination is the step-by-step formation of their economic consciousness in socially close environment (family, friends, etc.) based on everyday knowledge on economic reality, examples of parental behaviour and their personal values. The main factors influencing the formation of students’ economic self-determination are: personal qualities, value orientations, socio-demographic, socio-economic, economic, socio-cultural factors, as well as an individual’s attitude to other people and material values, to time and money, etc. We have also found that economic self-determination, as one of the factors of professional self-determination, influences young people’s choice of a self-sufficiency strategy. Modern youth chooses legitimate ways of economic self-sufficiency and considers entrepreneurial activities as one of the ways to achieve self-sufficiency, and already hired jobs as temporary employment after receipt appropriate education to gain experience or strengthen knowledge and skills. Thus, analyzing concepts presented by deterrent scientists and summarizing the reviewed literature, we consider economic self-determination as a process of achieving by an individual of their own position in economic relations, which allow them to realize optimally their economic interests in the existing socio-economic conditions and their own understanding of life meaning, goals, principles, values, their rights and expectations.