Yablonska T. Psychological foundations of child's identity development in a system of family relationships.

The thesis presents a systematic theoretical and experimental study of psychological patterns of child's identity development in a system of family relationships; a concept for study of child's identity in a system of family relationships (from preschool to early youth) was substantiated. A statement that a family acts a leading determinant in formation and development of child's identity as his/her personal core was justified in the course of a systematic approach. In light of systematic, synergetic, existential-phenomenological approaches, an author's model of child's identity development in a system of family relationships was created; criteria and mechanisms of child's identity development were determined. There were discussed issues of the genesis of child's identity as an integrated dynamic system of individual self-perceptions and related experiences, which is formed under fusion of definitions of a personality by significant others and self-definitions and evaluated at acts of choice; structure and typological features at each stage of moving into adulthood were analyzed; a nature of psychological mechanisms and characteristics of identity, gender peculiarities of its development were determined. A psychological structural dynamic model of child's identity development in a system of family relationships was proposed that defines the family's structural components having the greatest impact on child's identity; a role of a family in terms of the system for child's identity development at different ages was shown; age patterns, leading mechanisms and psychological characteristics of child's identity formation and development in a system of family relationships were determined; a set of criteria of child's identity development was justifies, which correlated with identity statuses and allow the author to obtain a holistic view of child's identity development; gender stereotypes and ethnical features of family relationships that affect child's identity development were found out; corrective developmental techniques for searching, understanding and acceptance of a personal positive identity using family's resources were describes. The conditions for mature, positive identity formation and causes and manifestations of complications were understood. A program of psychological help for adolescents and youths to develop their positive identities backed by their families' resources was developed and tested on the base on the proposed model.