COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF UNDERSTANDING PERSONAL GROWTH BY ADULTS OF ALL AGES

The paper analyses ideas of adults of all ages about personal growth and development. The narratives generated by respondents while online survey were analysed. Qualitative analysis and interpretation of the experimental narratives were made using the technique of content analysis, the method for determining the semantic scope of narrative, the distribution of revealed meanings to theoretical, reflexive and factografic, etc. The analysis made it possible to determine: the level of correspondence of subjective understanding of the personal growth to the content of this concept in the scientific discourse; peculiarities of narratives of personal growth in the groups of respondents, formed by different criteria; peculiarities of the received narratives according to age and gender composition of the group of respondents, as well as differences of the received texts in size, degree of narrativity, degree of reflexivity, degree of formality, degree of emotionality; caused by status and social differences of respondents, and so on. Particular attention is paid to personal experience and reflexive rethinking the own experience while generating a narrative. Psychological contexts of generating narratives by adults of all ages are established. Analysis of the narratives in the survey revealed age subgroups of adults that differ on the features of understanding personal development and growth in general and on the specifics of awareness of their own personal development and growth. Been traced age dynamics of such parameters as (1) comprehension of their own life experience, (2) personal semantic space; (3) the dominant personal qualities.