altruism

The problem of eff ective tactics of personal self-presentation in various situations of social interaction is becoming increasingly important. The phenomenon of perfectionism as a person's desire for perfection, exceptional achievements and admiration from others, is becoming increasingly common both in professional and personal spheres. Objective: to identify the relationship between perfectionist self-presentation and altruistic attitudes in diff erent periods of adulthood.

The research on helping behaviour in diffi cult situations is of relevance due to the increase in the diffi culty of situations of providing assistance. Another factor that makes the problem relevant is the decrease in the individual’s social activity aimed at helping others. The purpose of the study is to identify the correlation between the degree of orientations in diffi cult situations of providing assistance and the type of the personality’s attitude towards helping behaviour.

The author presents theoretical views and experimental results, which question M. Seligman's statement concerning the necessity of a person's attachment to something outer and bigger than herself in order to achieve meaning in life. In the frame of the author's theoretic conception, meaning is achieved with the help of realization of something inner, smaller and higher, not bigger and outer. Numerous positive correlations between the «meaning» and the «egoism» constructs are much stronger than between meaning and altruism.