The article analyzes the results of the study of the content and structure of ideas about the psychological characteristics of young people. As a diagnostic tool a questionnaire was used, built on the method of free descriptions. When processing the obtained data, content analysis and a set of statistical methods were used. Ideas about the age limits of youth and the most characteristic qualities for young people were identified. Analysis and synthesis of the research results allowed us to obtain a psychological portrait of young people, which reflects the cultural and invariant characteristics of this socio-demographic group. It was shown that according to the research participants understanding of young people’s most characteristic qualities are the related to the field of goal setting and goal achievement, the field of subjectivity and the emotional sphere. The hierarchically organized structure of ideas about the psychological characteristics of young people is described.

age, youth, psychological qualities, cultural-invariant characteristics, social representations

1. Abul’khanova K. A. [Social thinking of an individual]. In: Sovremennaya psikhologiya: sostoyanie i perspektivy issledovanii: materialy yubileinoi nauchnoi konferentsii Instituta psikhologii RAN, 28–29 yanvarya 2002 g. Vyp. 3: Sotsial’nye predstavleniya i myshlenie lichnosti [Modern psychology: a condition and prospects of the research: Proceedings of the jubilee scientific conference Institute of Psychology RAS, January 28–29th, 2002. Iss. 3: Social representations and thinking of a person]. Moscow, Institute of Psychology of the RAS Publ., 2002, pp. 88–103.
2. Volchenkov V. S., Slepkova V. I. [Heterochrony of social and personal development in early adulthood]. In: Izvestiya Saratovskogo universiteta. Novaya seriya. Akmeologiya obrazovaniya. Psikhologiya razvitiya [Proceedings of Saratov University. New series. Acmeology of education. Developmental psychology], 2013, vol. 2, no. 4 (8), pp. 341–348.
3. Zaitseva Yu. B. [Stereotypes of mass consciousness about “elderly people”]. In: Teoreticheskaya i eksperimental’naya psikhologiya [Theoretical and Experimental Psychology], 2008, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 13–28.
4. Kotovsky V. V. Psikhologo-akmeologicheskie osobennosti predstavlenii o professional’nom uspekhe u studencheskoi molodezhi: avtoref. dis. … kand. psikhol. nauk [Psychological and acmeological features of ideas about university students’ professional success: abstract of PhD thesis in Psychological sciences]. Kostroma, 2015. 26 p.
5. Kramarenko N. S. [The ontogenetic aspect of the problem of actualization of a person from the position of the subjective approach]. In: Vestnik Moskovskogo gosudarstvennogo oblastnogo universiteta (elektronnyi zhurnal) [Bulletin of Moscow Region State University (e-journal)], 2015, no. 1. Available at: www.evestnik-mgou.ru (accessed: 13.03.2019)
6. Kuz’min V. V. Polovozrastnaya dinamika predstavlenii o sotsial’nom vremeni u molodezhi: avtoref. dis. … kand. psikhol. nauk [Gender and age dynamics of youth’s perceptions about social time: abstract of PhD thesis in Psychological sciences]. Moscow, 2017. 22 p.
7. Kurysheva O. V. [Age as a criterion for social comparison]. In: Vestnik Volgogradskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Seriya 7. Filosofiya [Bulletin of Volgograd State University. Series 7. Philosophy], 2013, no. 2 (20), pp. 108–114.
8. Kurysheva O. V. [Psychological characteristics of youth as age group]. In: Vestnik Volgogradskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Seriya 7. Filosofiya [Bulletin of Volgograd State University. Series 7. Philosophy], 2014, no. 1 (21), pp. 67–75.
9. Kurysheva O. V. [Socio-psychological investigation of young people’s age stereotypes]. In: Vestnik Volgogradskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Seriya 7. Filosofiya [Bulletin of Volgograd State University. Series 7. Philosophy], 2010, no. 2 (12), pp. 105–116.
10. Lemish V. V. [The image of the elderly and the old man in the views of adults 20–39 years]. In: Izvestiya Altaiskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta [Proceedings of Altai State University], 2015, no. 3–1 (87), pp. 64–69.
11. Markin V. N. [Identity in the categorical row: individual, subject, personality, selfhood (psycho-acmeological analysis)]. In: Mir psikhologii [World of psychology], 2007, no. 1 (49), pp. 45–54.
12. Myasishchev V. N. Psikhologiya otnoshenii [Psychology of relations]. Moscow, Institute of practical psychology Publ., Voronezh, MODEK Publ., 1995. 356 p.
13. Ozhegov S. I., Shvedova N. Yu. Tolkovyi slovar’ russkogo yazyka: 80 000 slov i frazeologicheskikh vyrazhenii [Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language: 80 000 words and phraseological expressions]. Moscow, 1999. 944 p.
14. Oreshina I. A. Vliyanie uchebnoi gruppy na soderzhanie sotsial’nykh predstavlenii molodezhi o mezhpolovykh otnosheniyakh: avtoref. dis. … kand. psikhol. nauk [The impact of the study group on the content of youth’s social representations about sexual relationships: abstract of PhD thesis in Psychological sciences]. Kursk, 2013. 27 p.
15. Rein A. A., ed. Psikhologiya cheloveka ot rozhdeniya do smerti [The psychology of man from birth to death]. St. Petersburg, PRAIM-EVROZNAK Publ., 2002. 656 p.
16. Chernobrovkina S. V. [Students’ middle age as a crisis of growing up]. In: Vestnik Omskogo universiteta. Seriya: Psikhologiya [Bulletin of Omsk University. Series: Psychology], 2014, no. 1, pp. 24–31.
17. Chernysheva N. S. [The image of a contemporary in students]. In: Psikhologicheskie issledovaniya: elektronnyi nauchnyi zhurnal [Psychological research: electronic scientific journal], 2011, no. 1 (15). Available at: http://psystudy.ru/num/2011n1-15/437-chernysheva15 (accessed: 23.12.2018).
18. Sankey M. E. Stereotypic beliefs about young people: nature, sources, and consequences: Submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Sydney, 2000. 336 p.