PhD, Associate Professor E.L. Pozharskaya¹
Dr. Biol., Professor A.N. Kamnev²
PhD, Associate Professor S.V. Savenkova²
Associate Professor A.Yu. Shilin^2
1Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Moscow
²Moscow State University of Psychology & Education, Moscow

Objective of the study is to identify the characteristics of protective and coping behavior of employees of fitness institutions and strategies of behavior in conflict situations.
Methods and structure of the study. The experiment was conducted in 2023 on the basis of fitness clubs in Moscow, in which 57 fitness industry employees (fitness trainers) with work experience from 1 to 21 years took part.
The research used the following methods: Test-questionnaire of psychological defense mechanisms «Life Style Index LSI» by R. Plutchik. «Indicator of coping strategies» by D. Amirkhan, test «Strategies of Behavior in Conflict Situations» by Thomas-Kilmann.
Results and conclusions. The study showed that the correlation is statistically significant on the «Seeking Social Support» scale - rs = -0.443, which indicates that work experience affects the use of this coping strategy. The shorter the experience, the greater the need to use this strategy. Due to lack of self-confidence due to low work experience, the employee tries to find social support in order to reduce the level of conflict. Significant correlations were also obtained for such protective mechanisms as «Compensation», «Replacement» and «Reactive Education». Compensation rs = 0.273, replacement rs = 0.401 and reactive formation rs = 0.281. Based on the results obtained from the Thomas-Kilmann test, we can conclude that there is a relationship between work experience and such a behavior strategy in conflict as «Cooperation», this suggests that the longer the work experience, the more often employees resort to using this particular strategy.

Keywords: stress, psychological defenses, conflict, protective-coping behavior, fitness institutions, strategies for behavior in conflict, career.

References

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