The Existence of Life and Death for Higher Education Applicants: Results of Qualitative Analysis

Authors

  • Volodymyr Melnyk University of Lviv, vul. Universytetska, 1, 79000 Lviv, Ukraine & National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, vul. Volodymyrska, 54, 01030 Kyiv, Ukraine
  • Viacheslav Blikhar Institute of Management, Psychology and Security, Lviv State University of Internal Affairs, vul. Horodotska, 26, 79007 Lviv, Ukraine
  • Nataliya Kalka Institute of Management, Psychology and Security, Lviv State University of Internal Affairs, vul. Horodotska, 26, 79007 Lviv, Ukraine

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15503/jecs2025.2.109.123

Keywords:

existence, existence of life, existence of death, applicants for higher education, emotional experiences, existential experiences

Abstract

Aim. The purpose of the study is to determine the peculiarities of the existence of life and death of persons of youthful age during the crisis period of society, namely during the military actions in Ukraine.

Methods. The study was conducted by qualitative analysis of associative links to the word "life" and the word "death". The subjects had to find at least 5 association words for the word "life" and the word "death" and 1 image, picture or photo for the word "life" and the word "death".

 Results. The associative chain to the word "life" in the sample looks as follows: "joy" - "love" - "happiness" - "family" - "being" - " freedom"-"sun"-"health"-"peace". In the images associated with the word "life", the symbols of the sun, swing, balloons, butterfly, sea, man, nature, family, couple in love, friends, man, clock. The associative chain to the word "death" includes the following words: "end (finish)"-"pain"-"sadness"-"grief"-"war"-"fear"-"tears"-"darkness"-"tranquility"-"emptiness").

Conclusions. On the basis of qualitative analysis, we believe that the existence of life of higher education applicants is based on positive emotional experiences and the presence of deep feelings, which is an indicator of satisfaction of life. The social sphere (family, friends) and the motivational sphere (success and achievement) are an important component of the existence of young people's lives. The existence of the death of young people is focused on negative emotional experiences (sadness, fear, despair, disappointment), which are related to the losses and the reality of the war in which they are.

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Author Biographies

  • Volodymyr Melnyk , University of Lviv, vul. Universytetska, 1, 79000 Lviv, Ukraine & National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, vul. Volodymyrska, 54, 01030 Kyiv, Ukraine

     Doctor of Philosophy Sciences, Professor, Rector of the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv (Ukraine), author of over 300 scientific publications, including articles, monographs, chapters, etc., Honored Worker of Science and Technology of Ukraine, Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine

  • Viacheslav Blikhar, Institute of Management, Psychology and Security, Lviv State University of Internal Affairs, vul. Horodotska, 26, 79007 Lviv, Ukraine

    Doctor of Philosophy Sciences, Professor, Director of the Educational and Scientific Institute of Management, Psychology and Security of the Lviv State University of Internal Affairs, author of over 220 scientific publications, including articles, monographs, chapters, etc., member of the editorial board of the journal "Social and Legal Studios".

  • Nataliya Kalka , Institute of Management, Psychology and Security, Lviv State University of Internal Affairs, vul. Horodotska, 26, 79007 Lviv, Ukraine

    Master of Psychology, senior lecturer at the Department of Practical Psychology of the Educational and Scientific Institute of Management, Psychology and Security of the Lviv State University of Internal Affairs, author of over 50 scientific publications, including articles, monographs, chapters, etc., has experience as a teacher, supervisor, trainer, and polygraph examiner.

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Published

2025-06-27

Issue

Vol. 16 No. 1 (2025): Journal of Education Culture and Society

Section

ETHICS

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Volodymyr Melnyk , Viacheslav Blikhar, Nataliya Kalka

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How to Cite

Melnyk , V., Blikhar, V. ., & Kalka , N. . (2025). The Existence of Life and Death for Higher Education Applicants: Results of Qualitative Analysis. Journal of Education Culture and Society, 16(1), 109-123. https://doi.org/10.15503/jecs2025.2.109.123