Background. One of theoretical approaches towards developmental tasks in adolescence is the study of personal autonomy. The modern fast-paced world expects adolescents to be independent and proactive.

The Objective is to study the overall state of the issue and to highlight the mostly discussed theoretical approaches to personal autonomy, to provide the reader with the detailed review of the approaches to personal autonomy from the view-point of autonomy conflict resolution.

Design. The analysis of various approaches to personal autonomy identified developmental sources of autonomy within intra- and in interpersonal ways. The paper discusses theoretical approaches to adolescent’s personal autonomy that considers conflict as a mechanism of development. The paper presents a model of psychological readiness to resolve autonomy conflicts that may disclose how conflicts are triggered and how they could be resolved within intra- and in interpersonal way.

Results. An analysis of classical and modern research has shown that personal autonomy is appropriated by adolescents through their resolution of conflicts in various areas of the psychological space. Based on the provisions of a number of theoretical approaches, it has been revealed that the core matter of conflicts is the contradiction “external control vs one's own will” and the contradiction “dependence vs independence”. The author proposes studying personal autonomy by drawing insights form psychological readiness of autonomy conflicts resolution using locus of control scale and also through the measurement of actual conflicts of autonomy and assertion as conflict resolution style using existential experience.

The author's vision of the personal autonomy of adolescents is based on the study of psychological readiness to resolve autonomy conflicts at the dispositional level. Conflict as a mechanism of development is a developmental crisis stage where contradictions could be removed. Diversity of classical and modern studies show that the autonomy is developed in adolescents through the resolution of conflicts in different spheres of psychological space. The social cognitive domain theory of J.G.Smetana and the theory of psychological sovereignty (S.K.Nartova-Bochaver) are discussed in detail. According to the theories under consideration, personal autonomy reveals in adolescents to a different degree and at different levels. In some domains, they are more independent, while they do not manifest independence in other psychological domains.

Conclusion. The approach to adolescents’ personal autonomy as autonomy conflict resolution in different psychological domains is described. Autonomy conflict resolution can be controlled or prohibited by close relatives, e.g. parents. The model of psychological readiness of autonomy conflict resolution may disclose how autonomy conflicts are triggered by and be resolved within intra- and in interpersonal way. The contradictions may be removed through autonomy conflict resolution.

Background. The increase in drug use in the population of Russia and representatives of the youth in particular is a vital issue that is controlled and monitored by the federal state. The rapid rise in drug use in young citizens requires a systematic analysis of the causes, study of criteria and assessment of predisposition for drug use, and also the development of programs to prevent drug addiction in adolescents.

Objective. Determination of the psychological predisposition of young men to psychoactive substances using the personality profile of the Multidisciplinary Method of Personality Inventory (MMPI).

Research Progress. The research was conducted between 2008 and 2010 on the basis of secondary comprehensive schools, cadet corps, secondary professional educational institutions and universities in Rostov-on-Don and the Rostov region, Russia. The sample included 338 males from 15-16 to 22-23 years old, whose average age is 17-18 years. The evaluation of information reported by applicants on the fact of presence / absence of psychoactive substance samples was made based on the results of the psychophysiological test using a polygraph.

Research Results. The results of the MMPI test were statistically analyzed according to the nonparametric Mann-Whitney test, and to a single-factor analysis of variance. The research results show that the scores of the F-scale in the MMPI profile of young males who used psychoactive substances reveal a statistically significant increase (p = 0.008), compared to those who did not use psychoactive substances. The single-factor analysis of the F- MMPI scale did not show a statistically significant difference (p = 0.128).

Conclusion. The paper proposes to consider an increase in the F-scale in the MMPI profile as an indicator of individual predisposition to use psychoactive substances, but not to consider an increase in its indices as a cause that affects primary psychoactive substances in adolescence. The results obtained can be used by practical and clinical psychologists when working with adolescents and youths.

The paper is devoted to the analysis of spiritual determination of character development in adolescence. On the basis of the experimental research of spiritual sphere and the degree of a character harmony of today’s students, the author allocates the psychological laws of influencing the spiritual orientation for the process of character developments in adolescents. The experimental research has shown that spiritual orientation and character harmony are mutually influenced. However, the spiritual potential does not always positively correlate with character harmony as because the process of character harmonization does not appear linear, but cyclic with of rise and fall periods. The fall periods are accompanied by expressed disharmony of character and promotes social psychological personality maladjustment. Conditioned by steady spiritual orientation, spiritual self-development promotes character harmonization through overcoming personal spiritual crises. Continuous moral struggle against imperfection conditioned, the personality faces gradual character harmonization according to the spiritual ideal.

Spiritually and creative activity promotes activation of psychological mechanisms of character harmonization in adolescents. The basic directions of optimization of the education system is creating psychological conditions of spirituality and moral improvement, saturation of teaching and educational programs by spiritual and creative contents.

The paper discusses traditional and modern approaches to the study of the separation-individuation process in late adolescence, which is considered as the central developmental task (R. Havighurst) of this developmental stage. Within the family psychology the process of separation-individuation in late adolescence is recognized as normative family crisis. The results of mother and father roles research in the development of boys and girls individuation are described using the Russian and Ossetian culture conditions. Gender and culture characteristics of individuation are presented. Russian adolescents are more successful in individuation, compared with Ossetian adolescents. Russian students have more difficulties in individuation in mother relationship as compared with the father relation. In contrast, Ossetian students have more difficulties in individuation with father than with mother. The complementarity of father and mother roles for successful individuation of a child during adolescence is shown. The results presented basic and intermediate types of culture that reflects the dynamic development of contemporary Russian culture (the transition from one type of culture to another). Russian students are characterized as representatives of the modern culture type while Ossetian students are characterized as representatives of traditional culture type. The adolescent individuation features of the representatives of different culture type of presented. Summing up, there is connection between the type of culture (by J. Townsend) and individuation characteristics in adolescence: the modern culture type is combined with a more harmonious process of boy’s and girl’s individuation.