Differences in divergent thinking and cultural congruence depending on the stage of adolescence

Ganieva Aisylu Munavirovna ORCID: 0000-0003-1323-9363 Assistant; Institute of Psychology and Education; Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University Kremlevskaya str., 18, Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, 420032, Russia ganieva.aisylu@mail.ru

Introduction

The relevance of the study of cultural congruence and divergent thinking in older and younger adolescents is due to a number of factors that determine the current state of society and personality development:

Firstly, modern teenagers live in conditions of intensive interaction with representatives of different cultures, which requires adaptability and tolerance from them. Understanding cultural congruence – the degree to which adolescents' individual values and beliefs correspond to the cultural norms of their environment – is critically important for their successful socialization and conflict prevention. Ignoring cultural differences can lead to misunderstandings, stress, and difficulties in interpersonal communication.

Secondly, divergent thinking, that is, the ability to generate a variety of ideas and approaches to solving problems, is a key factor in today's innovation-oriented society. Studying the peculiarities of the development of divergent thinking in adolescents, especially in the context of the influence of cultural factors, will make it possible to develop effective educational and educational strategies that promote the development of creativity among the younger generation.

Thirdly, the inconsistency of their behavior with cultural norms (low cultural congruence) can become a source of internal conflict and stress among adolescents. Understanding the connection between cultural congruence and divergent thinking will allow us to develop methods for the prevention and correction of problems of adolescence and thinking.

Fourth, modern society is characterized by great cultural diversity, and therefore the study of cultural congruence and divergent thinking in different age groups of adolescents will reveal the peculiarities of their development and develop differentiated approaches to education and upbringing.

Despite the importance of the topic, the research conducted comprehensively examining the relationship between cultural congruence and divergent thinking among adolescents in different age groups (older and younger adolescence) is definitely insufficient.

The novelty of the proposed study is as follows: within the framework of the study, cultural congruence and divergent thinking are considered in the same context, rather than being studied in isolation, which will allow for a deeper understanding of the relationship of cultural context to the development of divergent thinking in adolescents, and a comparative analysis of the features of cultural congruence and divergent thinking in older and younger adolescents, which allows us to identify age dynamics of these indicators. The results of this study will later be used to develop practical recommendations for creating an educational environment conducive to the development of both cultural adaptation and divergent thinking among adolescents. These aspects determine the scientific novelty and practical significance of the research, contributing to the expansion of knowledge about the psychology of adolescence and the development of effective strategies for working with adolescents in a modern diverse socio-cultural society.

Literary review

Within the framework of this work, aspects of the personality of adolescents are considered in the context of their compliance with a certain normative situation, that is, the cultural congruence of adolescents, combined with certain personality qualities. In science, cultural congruence is defined as the conformity of a person's behavior to certain cultural rules.
L.F. Bayanova, R.R. Popova, N.E. Veraks, D.A. Bukhalenkova ^[4]. A culturally congruent person in society is usually called a cultured and well-mannered, gallant person. In the context of psychological science, L.F. Bayanova and T.R. Mustafin ^[5] distinguish the levels of cultural congruence: low, medium and high, which the authors L.F. Bayanova, E.O. Shishova and
Z. Rezazadeh ^[6] gives an alternative name: perceptual, reflexive and interactive levels of cultural congruence. The criteria of cultural congruence among teenagers by L.F. Bayanova and O.G. Minyaev ^[7] are also classified: the presence of management skills, safe behavior, compliance with rules in communicating with others, and a total indicator of cultural congruence. In science, it is widely studied how cultural congruence is combined with a pronounced ability to predict in the works of L.F. Bayanova, E.A. Tsivilskaya ^[8], how it is interconnected with cognitive functions in the works of R.R. Popova ^[9], correlates with the type of thinking of a personality in the scientific works of K.S.Chulyukin ^[10]. Such a variety of scientific studies indicates that cultural congruence has been sufficiently studied in combination with various psychological properties and processes of representatives of different ages.

As we can see from the description above, the correlation of cultural congruence with many personal components of representatives of different age periods has been studied, however, the degree of severity of divergent thinking and cultural congruence in older and younger adolescents has not been studied, including the question of the peculiarities of the manifestation of these parameters in adolescents remains unexplored. This has become the subject of our research. Within the framework of this work, we study how the presence of divergent thinking contributes to the manifestation of congruence in the behavior of teenagers, depending on the stage of adolescence.

Considering the subject of our research in more detail, it is worth revealing the definition of the term divergent thinking. Divergent thinking is thinking that is aimed at finding original ways to solve a specific problem situation. Divergence of thinking is manifested through such signs as fluency, elaboration, originality by J. Guilford ^[11] and E.Torrance ^[12], creative personality characteristics in the works of F.Williams ^[13], productivity of thinking, behavior and speech by E.L. Soldatova ^[14] and N.A. Baturin ^[15], resourcefulness and diversity personal thinking, which are described in detail in the works of H. Sievert ^[16].

Due to the lack of study of cultural congruence and divergent thinking in the same context, there are currently no theories that would consider the nature of the relationship of these components, respectively, the methodological base on this topic remains undeveloped, in this regard, in order to close the gaps in this field of psychology and to explain the results obtained within the framework of this An attempt has been made to classify theories that reflect the essence of the relationship between cultural congruence (prosocial, normative, disciplined behavior) and divergent thinking (the ability to generate different ideas to solve a problem situation that, according to many authors, is creative in nature (Guilford J., 1950; Williams F., 1980; Silvia P.J., Winterstein B.P., Willse J.T., Barona C.M., Cram J.T., Hess K.I., Martinez J.L., Richard C.A. 2008; Runco, M., 2008; Baturin N.A., Soldatova E.L., 2014; Silvia et al., 2008), according to others - creative nature (Torrance E., 1964; Kholodnaya M.A., 1997, Bogoyavlenskaya, 2002, Chernetskaya N.I., 2014).

In the annals of psychological science, one can find works that explore works of a similar context, for example: L.J. Dorfman ^[17], who and his colleagues scientifically studied the antipodean qualities of personality such as discipline and creativity. However, it is worth considering that this research does not fully reveal the features of the manifestation of normativity of human behavior in relation to creativity. A.A. Fedorova ^[18], studies creativity and normative behavior in the context of conflict. However, this work examines human behavior and creativity in a broad context, which makes it impossible to study the features of the manifestation of antipodean components in representatives of different ages in the most detail.

All of the above gives us the opportunity to conclude that today, in the scientific context, cultural congruence and divergent thinking of representatives of different ages have been well studied, but the question of the relationship between these signs and the question of the manifestation of these components in adolescents remains unexplored.

To date, the problem of cultural congruence and divergent thinking among adolescents remains poorly understood, which is the problem of our research.

The purpose of the work is to study the nature of differences in cultural congruence and divergent thinking of representatives of younger and older adolescents.

As part of the hypothesis, we assume that the divergent thinking and cultural congruence of younger and older adolescents will differ.

Methods

The study involved 108 adolescents aged 14.73+1.24 years. The first group of teenagers is younger teenagers aged 13-14 (group A), 53 people, the second group is older teenagers aged 15-16 (group B), 55 people.

The list of methods used in the framework of empirical research:

1. The methodology of L.F. Bayanova and O.G. Minyaev "Determining the level of cultural congruence for adolescents", which reveals the conformity of adolescents' behavior with cultural rules. The test includes 51 different statements that reflect typical rules for adolescence. Within the framework of the methodology, the conformity of adolescent behavior is studied on such 5 scales as: self-organization, safe behavior, social interaction and attitude to learning activities, and a general indicator of cultural congruence. Checking the internal consistency of the scales showed that this test has a high degree of reliability.

2. The X test. Sievert "Definition of creative abilities" (D scale), a relevant and proven test that allows you to evaluate divergent thinking through the selection of words that begin with certain letters (for example, "but ...") and suggestions of all possible answers about different ways of using objects (for example, "newspapers") in 60 seconds with each approach.

3. The projective technique of N.A. Baturin and E.L. Soldatova "Diagnostics of divergent thinking" is an adapted and reliable technique that allows you to study the degree of development of divergent thinking in adolescents, starting at the age of 12, using 14 multitasks from the series: "name as many fundamentally different subjects as possible, which can be: infinite" and "come up with and write as many 4-word sentences as possible, in which each word begins with the specified letter: c...d... o... p...". Respondents' answers are analyzed on such scales as: flexibility, fluency, productivity, semantic productivity, non-verbal productivity, symbolic productivity and behavioral productivity.

The processing of the results included descriptive statistics, ANOVA analysis of variance, which were carried out on the basis of the IBM Statistics 23.0 program.

The results and their discussion

As part of our study on the nature of differences in cultural congruence and divergent thinking in adolescents aged 13-16, the following 13 scales were mathematically analyzed: general level of cultural congruence, management, safety, learning, social interaction, divergent thinking, fluency, flexibility, productivity, semantic productivity, non-verbal productivity, symbolic productivity, behavioral productivity.

Further, according to all the canons of empirical research, data analysis was first performed within the framework of descriptive statistics and an assessment of the normality of the data distribution, followed by ANOVA analysis of variance. The results of the statistical analysis of the indicators are presented in Tables 1-2, all tables are compiled by the author.

In the course of the study of cultural congruence and divergent thinking of adolescents, at the first stage, the level of development of cultural congruence was analyzed using a questionnaire consisting of closed-ended questions. Each question was aimed at identifying the level of development of normative behavior in various fields: management, safety, study, social interaction, and at the end, the overall level of conformity of behavior was measured. Next, the development of divergent thinking in adolescents was investigated. In this case, two tests were used: the first test took into account indicators only on the "divergent thinking" scale, while the second test processed all the data obtained on scales such as flexibility, fluency, nonverbal, symbolic, behavioral, and symbolic productivity. A comparative analysis of the data of respondents from group A and group B is presented in tables 1 and Table 2.

Table 1. Results of ANOVA variance analysis: cultural indicators
the congruence of teenagers

Note: significant differences in the severity of cultural congruence indicators among adolescents in the experimental groups are highlighted in bold (the specified confidence level is p < 0.5).

As a result of the comparative analysis, we can see in Table 1 that there is a difference in the level of cultural congruence between younger and older adolescents, with all indicators at a significance level of p < 0.5. On all points, adolescents showed average results according to the key to the test. And the rates of younger adolescents are higher than those of older adolescents. In younger adolescence, the normality of behavior is more developed and the tendency to regulate one's behavior in accordance with cultural rules is more pronounced. This is once again proved by the fact that in this period of development, adolescents are driven by a conformist desire to be like everyone else, the desire to do the same as the majority, and the desire to integrate into society through such methods. This indicator also provides an opportunity to assess the degree to which a teenager has mastered invariant cultural rules at puberty. The study confirms that younger and older adolescents are distinguished by their consistent behavior, in particular, self-organization, ability to comply with safety rules, and a tendency to build constructive interaction in the educational environment and in society as a whole. The study proved that the peak of cultural congruence occurs in younger adolescence.

Table 2. The results of the ANOVA variance analysis: indicators of the development of divergent thinking in adolescents

Note: significant differences in the severity of indicators of divergent thinking in adolescents in the experimental groups are highlighted in bold (the specified confidence level is p < 0.5).

Table 2 shows that younger and older adolescents have differences in indicators of divergent thinking on the X test.Sievert's significance level is p < 0.5. We see that younger adolescents have higher rates of divergent thinking development than older adolescents, and these differences are significant. Representatives of younger and older adolescents are distinguished by their ability to show their productivity and non-standard thinking. This scientific study has proved that in the case of measuring the effectiveness of divergent thinking on the X scale.Sievert, it can be observed that the greatest degree of development of this psychological component occurs in the younger teenage years.

It is worth concluding that the system of manifestation of normative behavior of non-standard thinking in younger adolescence and in older adolescence is different. The nature of the differences is observed primarily in the degree of development of the components of culturally congruent behavior, for example, we observe that children of younger adolescence are more likely to follow the rules related to behavior in society and related to their presentation in society than adolescents of older puberty. This may indicate the greatest development of regulatory structures and the greatest motivation in demonstrating appropriate behavior. At the same time, we observe that younger adolescents also show high rates in the category of divergent thinking. Such results make it possible to speak about the high potential of children of younger adolescence for creatively oriented thinking compared with adolescents of older puberty. This suggests that children of younger puberty are more productive in showing flexibility of thinking in situations requiring normative behavior.

Discussion

The results obtained above are complex and require an explanation using an integrated approach. The high results of younger adolescents in terms of culturally congruent behavior can be explained from the point of view of a sociocultural approach. From a social point of view, it is in culture that teenagers gain cultural experience, cultural behavior, and cultural ways of thinking. Cultural translators are mostly adults. If a child in childhood is guided by adults, by the rules that are set by adults, then later he has little opportunity to commit an abusive act due to the orientation to the rules set for him by adults. Since the rules are an external support, a "deck" that allows him to function normally and not get into trouble. In adolescence, skills develop that are associated with "adulthood." It is the ability to predict the consequences of one's actions, the ability to plan, the ability to set goals, and the ability to rely on one's values regardless of emotions. This is what society associates with adulthood and maturity. It is known from various spheres of life that when a system is in the process of formation and is actively developing, it is very vulnerable at this time and does not always work effectively and may be susceptible to any influences. Therefore, on the one hand, adolescence is the age when reasonableness, adequacy, and the ability to benefit oneself and others are formed, on the other hand, it is the age when, precisely due to the fact that it is formed, it does not always work well. Reliance on adult opinion and adult constraints is becoming a thing of the past, and there is still no support of its own. Therefore, we can observe that in younger adolescence, adolescents still follow invariant rules, because they are guided by the opinions of adults, and in older adolescence, adolescents begin to show their independence and may not always behave in accordance with cultural rules.

The results of younger adolescents in the category of divergent thinking can also be explained by the fact that in a social situation of development they are less constrained and have the opportunity to demonstrate non-standard, unconventional approaches to solving problems. Abstract thinking developed by this age can also become prerequisites for the manifestation of this type of thinking, when a teenager learns to solve problems in different ways at the level of hypothetical formulations and schemes. These skills can be applied both in relation to successful adaptation to changing conditions, and to situations of non-standard "circumvention" of a limiting situation.

Conclusions:

1. It has been established that psychological science currently has a poorly developed theoretical and methodological framework that reveals the nature of the relationship between cultural congruence and divergent thinking.

2. This study has proved that the results of younger and older adolescence differ significantly in the nature of the severity of cultural congruence, and it has been established that the peak of cultural congruence occurs in younger adolescence.

3. It was found that the results of divergent thinking in younger and older people differ significantly in terms of severity, while in younger adolescents the indicators are more pronounced.

4. Within the framework of this scientific study, it is shown that adolescents in early adolescence demonstrate greater flexibility of thinking and normative behavior when it is necessary to follow socio-cultural rules.

Conclusion

A theoretical analysis of cultural congruence and divergent thinking in adolescence has allowed us to establish that there are diverse approaches regarding the compatibility and indifferent development of these traits in the personality structure. It has been established that theories that apply to all age groups have become widely known, but there is no clear definition of the boundaries of the norms of relative adolescence, since these components may manifest themselves differently in representatives of puberty.

The empirical study examined the degree of cultural congruence and creativity in the context of divergent thinking among adolescents. Significant differences were found, and it was found that the characteristics of cultural congruence and creative thinking among adolescents have significant differences in general cultural congruence and its components in the field of learning, self-organization, social interaction and safe behavior, as well as in divergent thinking. We can note that our hypothesis has been confirmed.

Thus, the cultural environment is defined as a system of conditions created to achieve a special level of intrapersonal and interpersonal development. In adolescence, these forms of development are qualitatively transformed under the influence of biological, cultural, and social factors. The influence of culture on the techniques and forms of cultural behavior, cultural ways of thinking in adolescence is significant. Behavior becomes consistent with cultural norms. Under the influence of culture, the creative potential of adolescents is also transformed, since it is through culture that adolescents learn variants of the divergent way of thinking, and then through interiorization processes the degree and quality of mastering divergent thinking changes.

The prospects of the study are to expand the sample size and include cluster and factor analysis in the list of data processing methods. These methods will allow for a more detailed analysis of the data when studying the degree of creativity and congruent behavior of adolescents.