FEATURES OF THE ABILITIES OF SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE OF FOREIGN STUDENTS

Abstract

It has been indicated that social intelligence is an important component of successful interpersonal communication and is formed in the process of socialization of a person that takes place in certain cultural and social conditions. In modern psychology there are few studies of other abilities of social intelligence of the representatives of different cultures, besides the studies of the features of expressing emotions in accordance with the norms that exist in different cultures, and their perception.

The authors of the presented work have analyzed the features of the abilities of social intelligence of students from India, Eastern Africa and the Middle East studying in Kharkiv. The study was conducted by the method of diagnosis of social intelligence of J. P. Guilford and M. O’Sullivan.

The authors have demonstrated the similarity of levels and structure of the abilities of social intelligence of foreign and domestic research participants. It has been found out that international students have somewhat less developed abilities to foresee the consequences of behavior in certain situations, logically conclude, generalize, distinguish common essential features in various nonverbal reactions of a person to understand the change of the values of such verbal reactions of a person depending on the context of the situation that caused them.

The highest level of social intelligence development was found out in students from the Middle East countries. We diagnosed the highest level of the ability to understand the inner motives of people in this group. There were also significant differences between men and women regarding the abilities of social intelligence in this group. The ability to foresee the consequences of the behavior of persons in a particular situation is best developed in students from West Africa, but they are worse than others understand the inner motives of the behavior of people. The lowest level of social intelligence, the worst developed ability to understand the changing values of such verbal reactions of a person depending on the context of the situation that caused them were diagnosed in students from India.

It is alleged that the existing differences in the development of abilities of social intelligence of the studied persons should not prevent their successful intercultural communication.