Positive Psychology of Motivation in Turbulent Times

From December 16 to 17, 2021, the HSE Winter Online School "Positive Psychology of Motivation in Turbulent Times", organized by the laboratory, was held at the Higher School of Economics.

The teachers of the school were the leading Russian and foreign scientists associated with the Higher School of Economics: D.A. Leontivev, K.M. Sheldon , E.N. Osin , M. Lynch , T.O Gordeeva . The scientific program of the school consisted of 4 main reports by leading scientists and a master class by P.A. Egorova, an intern - laboratory researcher


The opening of the school began with an introductory speech by D.A. Leontiev. "Psychology of motivation in the 21st century".
Leontiev introduced the participants to the main theme of the school, which directly relates to our laboratory, namely, issues affecting the psychology of motivation in the 21st century

The Winter School was devoted to those new questions that could not have arisen before the "closed turning point" in the classical psychology of motivation of the 20th century, namely:
• issues of social dynamics, how people's motivation reflects social contexts;
• issues of the quality of motivation, which is characterized not only by subject orientation and intensity, but also by what sources it can be associated with when prompting to activity;
• issues of management of motivation, the possibility of human freedom;
• the question of strategic motivation in life in general.

Leontiev briefly outlined the main tasks and directions in the work of the winter school, explained its structure
And I passed the floor to Martin Lynch (HSE, Leading Research Fellow of the Laboratory, University of Rochester (USA), Ph.D., Associate Professor), who opened the discussion on supporting the motivation, well-being and success of students in difficult times.
Lynch's lecture "Supporting student motivation, well-being, and success in a time of extremes" was delivered in English.
 
Further, Evgeny Nikolaevich Osin (NRU HSE, Deputy Head of the Laboratory, Candidate of Psychological Sciences, Associate Professor) made a presentation "Positive Education: Opportunities to Support Psychological Well-being and Development of Resilience in Children and Adults"
The report noted that positive education can take place not only in secondary school, but also in higher education and in general at any stage of life. Positive higher education can be introduced into any courses, since there are specific ways of teacher behavior that can motivate and support students, and there is a form of teacher behavior that frustrates students and, as a result, the learning process brings not pleasure, but suffering.

The master class held within the school was dedicated to the dream, its positive psychological aspects. The master class was conducted by a trainee-researcher of the laboratory, Polina Alekseevna Egorova. The participants in the school put into practice the main rules for turning to constructive dreaming, and then noted a surge of joy and a feeling of expanding themselves in the world.

Tamara Olegovna Gordeeva (NRU HSE, Leading Researcher of the Laboratory, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Doctor of Psychology, Professor of the Department of Educational Psychology, Faculty of Psychology) made a presentation "The dynamics of internal motivation and well-being in Russian adolescents from 1999 to 2019" ... School participants actively proposed their own interpretations of the fall in the level of intrinsic motivation and well-being in Russian adolescents.

Kennon Sheldon (HSE, Scientific Director of the Laboratory, University of Missouri-Columbia, USA, Ph.D., Professor) made a speech in English on the topic: “Freely determined: What the new psychology of theself teaches us about how to live / Free determination: What the new personality psychology tells us about how to live "

The scientific director of the Laboratory discussed with the school participants the ideas that formed the basis of his book "Free Determination: What the New Psychology of Personality Tells Us About How to Live", which is being prepared for release in 2022.

The closure of the school was carried out in the format of a general discussion under the guidance of the Head of the Laboratory, Leontyev D.A. As a result, each of the participants received valuable feedback on their research from teachers, which made it possible to significantly improve it.