METHODOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES OF STUDYING THE PROBLEM OF PSYCHOLOGISTS’ PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITY WITH CHILDREN OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS IN A MULTICULTURAL ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis and substantiation of methodological guidelines that form the basis of research on the professional activity of psychologists working with children of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in a multicultural environment. Considering the peculiarities of children’s adaptation to new social realities, the authors emphasize the necessity of taking into account methodological principles that ensure the effective work of psychologists in this context. Based on the analysis of scientific sources, it is concluded that existing studies consider the methodological foundations of psychological work with IDP children fragmentarily. An analysis of fundamental methodological principles of psychology, which are basic in studying the problem of psychologists’ professional activity with children of internally displaced persons in a multicultural environment, has been carried out, in particular: the principle of systemicity, which allows considering the problem of psychologists’ professional activity in a holistic context of interrelations between various aspects of work; the principle of the unity of psyche and activity, which emphasizes the inseparable connection between the child’s mental processes and their active activity in a multicultural space; the principle of the development of the psyche in activity, which considers the psyche as a dynamic formation that undergoes constant changes in the process of interaction with the environment; and the principle of reflection, which explains how cultural and social conditions influence the mental processes and adaptive mechanisms of IDP children. The authors emphasize that the professional activity of psychologists working with IDP children in a multicultural environment should take into account the specifics of intercultural interactions, potential communication barriers, and the peculiarities of emotional perception of new social realities. The proposed methodological principles serve as important guidelines for the further development of theoretical and practical approaches to working with IDP children who are in a state of social uncertainty due to the loss of their familiar environment and a change in the cultural context. The prospects for further research are outlined, which involve the development of methodological approaches to the work of psychologists with IDP children, taking into account the peculiarities of the multicultural environment, the improvement of psychological practices for adapting children to new social conditions, and the creation of an integrated system of professional activity for practicing psychologists working with children of internally displaced persons in a multicultural environment.