Interrelations between humor and resource-based thinking as the ground for autocreative processes

Background. The significance of studying resource-based thinking is due to its important role in the organization and successful implementation of various types of activities. The study of the relationship between humor and resourcefulness of thinking can provide the ways to find resources for a subject to more effectively resolve the difficulties arising in the course of his life activities. Objective. The study had its purpose to investigate the interrelation between humor style and resourcefulness of thinking. Study Participants. The study sample (N = 150) included senior psychology students (50 people), high school students profiled in social science, humanities, etc. (50 people), working people aged 30–45 years (50 people). Methods. “Martin's questionnaire of humor styles” and “Methodology for diagnosing the resource-based thinking” (for professions of a socionomic type) by Serafimovich, Medvedeva, Surina. The Pearson correlation coefficient and the Student's parametric t-test were used to process quantitative data. Results. The study revealed that a self-supporting style of humor is prevailing among students and adults, while minimally manifested among schoolchildren. Significant differences were found in the indicators of self-deprecating humor: they are significantly higher among students compared to adults. The study discovered some age-related specifics in the development of resource-based thinking: in adults, its general level as well as the motivational-goal component is significantly higher than in schoolchildren. It has been shown that self-supporting style of humor is positively correlated and self-deprecating style of humor is negatively correlated with almost all components of resource-based thinking. Besides, the self-supporting style of humor and the general level of resource-based thinking are positively interrelated, while aggressive and self-deprecating styles of humor are negatively related to the general level of resource-based thinking. Conclusions. For the first time, the relationship between humor and resourcefulness of thinking is shown as the ground for autocreative processes, i.e. processes of self-formation of new states. There exists a significant relationship between the prevailing style of humor and the level of resource-based thinking. A high level of resource-based thinking corresponds to the self-supporting style of humor, while its low level corresponds to the self-deprecating style of humor.