Relationship of personal features and professional stress in representatives of the acting profession

Abstract

In order to study the relationship between personal characteristics and professional stress among representatives of the acting profession, 29 male and female actors aged from 22 to 40 years old, who received a higher acting education, were examined. The comparison group consisted of 27 representatives of other specialties aged 21 to 46 years. The assessment of the personal characteristics of representatives of the acting profession and other specialties was carried out using specialized methods aimed at assessing the level of professional stress, reactions to social frustration, life-meaning orientations, coping strategies and psychological defenses.

It was found that for representatives of the acting profession with a high level of professional stress, low involvement in activities and dissatisfaction with selfrealization, the presence of aggressive tendencies, the predominance of non-adaptive psychological defenses and copping strategies, as well as the severity of paranoid, impulsive, borderline and alarming pathocharacterological traits come to the fore. In general, representatives of the acting profession, in comparison with representatives of other professions, are distinguished by the severity of pathocharacterological features, the predominance of coping associated with increased confrontation and avoidance of problem situations, as well as a tendency towards introspection and reflection. The age specificity of overcoming problem situations and the presence of aggressive tendencies was revealed. The younger representatives of the acting profession were distinguished by low aggressiveness, the predominance of adaptive psychological defenses, greater responsibility, a tendency towards introspection and reflection, while in problem situations they demonstrated confrontational behavior and evasion from problem solving. The gender specificity of the formation of professional stress and preferences for coping strategies is also highlighted. It was found that women more often needed social support in a stressful situation and avoided solving problems, and their level of physical aggression was significantly lower. It was found that representatives of the acting profession - women are more at risk of forming professional stress than men.