Features of social intelligence of students of Humanities and non-Humanities

The paper examines the theoretical concepts and approaches to the study of social intelligence. Based on a review of contemporary domestic and foreign studies we concluded that social intelligence can be described as an ability, as social competence and a personal trait. In our view, social intelligence is manifested in the ability to promote a sense of self, to predict the results of one's activities, to understand one's own behavior and the behavior of other people, to efficiently realize one's potential in various spheres of life. In our study, we aimed to analyze the characteristics of social intelligence of university students majoring in Humanities and non-Humanities. We hypothesized that there are significant differences in the manifestation of social intelligence of the students of the two groups. To test this assumption, we organized and carried out a study among 420 first year students of Tomsk State University. We determined the features of social intelligence on the basis of the Questionnaire of Choice Assessment in Conflict Situations (S. Shcherbakov and Z.M. Amineva). In the course of the empirical study our hypothesis was not confirmed. Non-humanities students showed average social intelligence of 91.3 ± 15.9 points, Humanities students - 92.4 ± 15.4 points. However, based on factor analysis and correlation analysis we revealed differences in the relations of indicators of social intelligence and individual psychological features of personality and self-consciousness of students of different specialties. Important was evidence that students in the Humanities, who developed strong reflection and trend of conscious planning of their own activities, as well as high focus on it, preferably oriented toward cooperation, avoiding compromise (as opposed to non-Humanities students) when dealing with complex and conflict situations. The results of the study can be applied in training specialists in different fields. The designed patterns will contribute to the development of different trainings and programs (including correction and adaptation) taking into account the specific characteristics of students of different disciplines.

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