Research of The Relationship Between Assertiveness and Personal Identity of Young Specialists in The Field of Education

Introduction. The relevance of the study is determined by the contradictory and often mutually exclusive requirements imposed on modern young specialists in the field of education, which leads to a weakening of their personal identity. The data obtained are of practical significance for the development of psychological support programs and trainings aimed at developing assertive behavior and strengthening identity. This is especially important in the context of increasing workload and social expectations associated with teaching activities. 
Objective. To identify the degree of development of assertiveness and determine the nature of its relationship with personal identity in young teachers.
Materials and Methods. The study involved 176 young professionals in the field of education aged 19 to 35 years with an experience of 2 months to 3 years. The abridged questionnaire of assertiveness of V. P. Sheinov and A. S. Devitsyn, the method of studying personal identity of L. B. Schneider were used in the research. Correlation analysis using the Pearson dichotomous coefficient was used to process the data.
Results. The results of the study revealed a stable relationship between the level of assertiveness and the status of personal identity among young teachers. It was found that the average level of assertiveness correlates with the achieved identity (φ = 0.639, p ≤ 0.01), which reflects the formation of the value-semantic sphere and self-confidence, a clear system of personally significant Objectives and values. Low assertiveness is associated with diffuse identity (φ = 0.156,156, p ≤ 0.025) and moratorium (φ = 0.428428, p ≤ 0.01), which is characterized by high anxiety, decision avoidance, and lack of clear Objectives and beliefs. A high level of assertiveness is associated with hyperidenticity (φ = 0.516, p ≤ 0.01), which is manifested in the desire for self-affirmation at any cost, rigidity, aи, tendencyи to conflict, reduced reflexivity, and the use of others to achieve Objectives. The data obtained confirm that assertiveness can be a manifestation of mature identity.
Discussion. The results confirm that assertiveness is closely related to the maturity of personal identity. The obtained data emphasize the need for purposeful work with the identity of young specialists in the field of education as the basis for the development of their assertive behavior. Special attention should be paid to representatives of groups of passive and persistent young teachers. 

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