Distinct Features of the Self-Concept and the Meaning-Forming Motives of Intellectual Professionals: A Case of Australian and Russian Specialists of Intellectual Labour

Introduction. The authors substantiate the necessity and relevance of studying the features of self-concept and the meaning-forming motives for intellectual labour. The novelty of this study is that a comparative analysis of the particularities of self-concept and the meaning-forming motives of the Australian and Russian specialists of intellectual labour is carried out for the first time. Methods. The study is based on the survey of 30 Australian and 40 Russian professionals in various fields of intellectual labour, whose average age was 34 years and 36 years old respectively. Psychological testing and content analysis of respondents' self-descriptions were used as primary methods of research. The questionnaire with open-ended items created by the authors, entitled “Meaning-Forming Motives of Labour Activity – Money”, has been used for data collection. Parametric and nonparametric statistical procedures were carried out in analyses. Results and Discussion. This section describes the features of cognitive and emotional-evaluative components of self-concept, work-related meaning-forming motives of Australian and Russian professionals in the field of intellectual labour, both men and women. The leading categories in self-descriptions of the respondents are dependent on their nationality and gender. The following features of self-concept were revealed in the study: Australian men describe themselves through their look, Australian women – through their hobbies and friendships, Russian women – through their society status and social environment. The obtained results can be used in the development of a general management system and of training programs for professionals in the field of intellectual labour.