The association between temporal decentration and self-appraisal at stages of experiencing psychological crisis

By investigating a physician's professional and personal development the empirical study tests the hypothesis suggesting that temporal decentration of personality is a marker of existential “normative” or “extra-normative” crises. Decentration on the past marks the crisis of actual self-realization, which takes place in early professional and personal development of the subject. The research supplements the current psychological interpretation of the content characteristics of option normative crises and the crisis of the third year of studying with the following: (a) decreasing actual self-appraisal, desire to keep emotional balance by ego defense with the overestimation of happiness in the past – in childhood and adolescence (option crisis); (b) estimating the current life period as unsuccessful, with the compensation of crisis experiences and overestimation of self-realization in previous life periods (crisis of the third year of studying). Decentration on the future is a reflection of the extra-normative crisis of nonrealization. The person finds poorly developed abilities of a competent being in time; he/she hopes for the future fulfillment of his/her aspirations reflected in the highest measures of all the components of the “Future Self” self-appraisal. Centration on the present is a type of a subject's psychological time in the most active life periods. The experience of psychological time in the person centered on actual life senses and values is positive, without overestimation of previous achievements or over-expectations from the future. The analysis highlighted the regression of temporal orientation in maturity. This paradox can be associated with a change in the structure of sense-life orientations, values, and driving motives. Clearly, the next stage of the research will be checking this assumption, as well as testing the hypothesis about internal resources for overcoming the crisis of the third year of studying in students with a satisfactory level of temporal competence.