The Relationship between the Content of Moral Ideals and Personality Characteristics of Adolescents

Introduction. One of the trends in adolescent self-identification and socialisation at the present stage is the reflection of values, conveyed in the virtual environment, in the content of their moral ideals. The development of progressive pedagogical models aimed at creating conditions for internalisation of moral values in the adolescent’s consciousness, and their implementation through educational practices, should take into account the relationship between the content of their moral ideals and personal characteristics. The aim of the study was to identify the nature of these links. Materials and methods. The survey was conducted using a range of methods, including: theoretical – the analysis of scholarly literature and regulatory documents; empirical – testing (the test “Attitudes towards moral norms of behaviour” by E.N. Proshitskaya and S.S. Grinshpun); survey methods (the questionnaire “My ideal” by M.I. Rozhkov and I.V. Ivanova; the methodology “Diagnostics of adolescents’ readiness for self-development” by I.V. Ivanova; and the methodology “Diagnostics of moral motivation” by A.I. Shemshurina). The collection of empirical data and the analysis of the research findings took place in May–July 2025 within the framework of the project No. 25-28-20461 supported by the Russian Science Foundation. The survey involved 1,065 adolescents from 21 schools of the cities Kaluga and Obninsk, and the villages of Korenevo, Romanovo, and Myatlevo. KEYWORDS Results. The key quantitative data are as follows: among the adolescents who chose close relatives as their role models, a low moral development level was observed – in no more than 9.30% of the respondents; moderate and high levels of moral motivation were recorded in 56.4% and 29.65% of the respondents, respectively. Among adolescents who were fixed on politicians for guidance in their self-development, the highest figures were recorded for the development level of their motivational sphere (70.0%), whilst they showed an average level of moral motivation (49.23%). Among the respondents who chose bloggers, TikTokers, streamers, meme creators, quadrobers and esports players as a moral reference, low scores were recorded in relation to the volitional sphere (32.81%) and the existential sphere (31.25%), as well as moral motivation (51.56%). Links were found between the content of adolescents’ moral ideals and their personality characteristics (the development level of personality spheres, moral motivation, and attitudes towards moral norms of behaviour). In particular, this is manifested in a direct relationship, characterised by the adolescents’ constructing a moral image based on qualities they value and which have already been developed in their personality; and in a reverse relationship, where the adolescents construct a moral image based on the qualities they value, but which are insufficiently developed in their personality. A comparative analysis of the derived data against the results of similar monitoring in 2019–2020, as well as other related studies by Russian and foreign researchers, made it possible to assess the potential risks in the process of adolescents’ forming moral ideals shaped by the reverse ratio based on a deficiency of values. Conclusion. The study confirmed the need to develop a scientifically grounded model of pedagogical support for adolescents’ existential choices, based on the existential approach to moral education. Its implementation in educational practice is supposed to help adolescents to consciously choose life values and goals and shape moral ideals based on interiorised moral values.