Students’ Coping with Mental States Caused by Intrapersonal Conflict

Abstract

This paper conducts a comparative analysis of internal conflict’s intensity among students according to three parameters (loneliness, guilt, and resentment), taking into account digital technology use. The research was conducted in 2020 in Moscow (Russian Federation) among 98 university students, who were diagnosed with intrapersonal conflict. Interviewing methods and Gestalt therapy were used to reduce the intensity of internal conflicts. The level of three parameters among students at the beginning and at the end of the study was taken into account: loneliness, resentment, guilt. The number of students with a high level of loneliness decreased 25 times (p≤0.001) after therapy. The number of students with an average level of loneliness increased because students with a high level of loneliness moved into this category. The number of students with a maximum level of resentment decreased fivefold, and there was a 17-fold decrease in students with a high level of resentment (p≤0.001). There were no students with a maximum level of guilt after the consultation, while the number of students with a high level of guilt decreased only 0.5 times (p≤0.05) because students from the previous category moved to this one. The most popular activities among students were Internet use (100% of students), reading books (61 students, p≤0.05 compared to the Internet use), and watching TV (32 students, p≤0.01).