Features of psychological defenses of managers of educational organizations and their reflection by means of the transformation game

The article presents the results of the empirical study of the peculiarities of the psychological defences of the managers of educational organizations and the substantiation of the possibilities of their reflection by means of the transformational game. The basic psychological defenses of managers of educational organizations (on a sample of directors of schools) are revealed; The features of manifestation of psychological defense of managers depending on their gender and age are researched. According to the results of the empirical study, it was stated that a significant number of investigated managers of educational organizations are characterized by a lack of mature, flexible system of psychological protection, tend to use destructive psychological protection (projection, regression, displacement) besides constructive (compensation and rationalization). As a result, it can negatively affect both their professional and personal development and the quality of management. According to the results of the ANOVA, gender and age features of manifestation of psychological defense of managers were revealed. It has been established that there is a decrease in the number of managers who tend to use constructive psychological protection, especially «compensation» from male and «rationalization» in female. Instead, the number of managers, especially male, who tend to use destructive psychological protection, «projection» with age increases. It is shown the expediency of promoting the reflection of psychological defenses by the managers of educational organizations in postgraduate education. The expediency of organizing a specially organized psychological training with the use of transformational games that promote awareness and reflection of the causes of behavior and appropriate psychological defenses is established, thus ensuring the choice of adequate situations and internal intentions of the personality of deeds and experiences. Prospects of further researches in the context of development and aprobation of the program of psychological training of teachers of departments of psychology of postgraduate education institutions to the use of transformational games in the practice of professional development of specialists are outlined.