The article presents the theoretical basis and the essence of the System-Functional Model of the Personality Traits. This Model is based on the major theoretical propositions and constructs formulated in Russian psychology. The System-Functional Model of the organization of the personality traits, including two subsystems (motivational-semantic and regulatory-dynamic), eight components and sixteen variables which has been realized in the complex researches of sociability, persistence, inquisitiveness, self-organization (orderliness), responsibility, initiative, diligence, confidence, aggressiveness in various age, gender, professional, ethnic groups is described in detail. The system-functional model of the organization of the personality traits has been realized in the complex studies of sociability, persistence, inquisitiveness, self-organization (orderliness), responsibility, initiative, diligence, confidence, aggressiveness in various age, gender, professional, ethnic groups. The examples of concrete comparative empirical research are submitted and their basic results are analyzed.

The paper presents the results of a study of the types of tolerance in correlation with the features of intercultural adaptation of the international students from different parts of the world. A total of 329 respondents took part in the research, including 175 young men and 154 women from five parts of the world: Latin America, Asia, the Arab Countries, Africa, and the Central Asian region. All the respondents were students of the various departments of a multinational university. Using the factor and cluster analysis, we identified four types of tolerance among the international students: “Real tolerant”, “Tolerant in ethnic relations”, “Tolerant in social communications”, “Intolerant” students. The types of tolerance are related to the features of intercultural adaptation of the international students. The most significant difference is between the intercultural adaptation indicators of the “real tolerant” students and the students tolerant in social communication.

The paper presents the results of a study on the social representations about the Russian national cuisine in the modern Russian and international students. A total of 331 respondents took part in the research, including 246 Russian students and 75 international students of various departments of a multinational university. They completed a four-part interview on the Russian cuisine. The concept of “social representation” by S.Moscovici and the structural approach by J.-C.Abric were used. There are many similarities in the structure of social representations of Russian cuisine in Russian and the international students. The main difference is that the structure of social representations of the international students does not include the elements related to the history and traditions of Russian cuisine. Information about the traditions of Russian cuisine can be included in the program of Russian language study for help of intercultural communication and adaptation of international students.

The Big Five factors (the Five Factor Model, FFM; or the global factors of personality) is one of the contemporary versions of factor models of personality developed in the framework of trait theory. The Big Five personality traits are the most basic dimensions in the structure of human personality that determine the features of human thinking, feeling, and behavior. This model of personality suggests that all people, regardless of gender, age, or culture, share the same basic traits, but differ in the degree of their manifestation.

Trait theory is one of the major approaches to the study of human personality. In the framework of this approach, personality traits are defined as habitual patterns of behavior, thought, and emotion that are manifest in a wide range of situations. The most important features of traits are relative stability over time, different degrees of expression in different individuals, and influence on behavior.

One of the centers of ethnic and cross-cultural psychology in Russia is the department of social psychology of Moscow State University, under the leadership of Tatiana Stefanenko. Now Russian researchers conduct a significant amount of empirical research on ethnic and cross-cultural psychology, including such topics as ethnic identity, ethnic consciousness, ethnic stereotypes and prejudices, ethnic relations, cross-cultural adaptation, and communication. In recent decades, a large number of cross-cultural studies have been conducted at the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (PFUR). The team at the PFUR center for personality studies has conducted a number of basic and applied studies on ethnic characteristics and personality traits, cross-cultural communication and adaptation. These studies are mainly based on a holistic and functional approach to analysis of personality and behavior, developed by Alexander Krupnov.

The purpose of this paper is to consider personality traits as the factors of social perception determining the characteristics of ethnic stereotypes and prejudices in multinational university students. A total of 95 respondents took part in the research, including 36 young men and 59 young women. All the respondents were the 1-3 year Russian students of the multinational university. The self-confidence and aggression levels were measured by the Questionnaires developed by A. Krupnov in accordance with the System-Functional Model. The features of the ethnic stereotypes of Russian students were measured by the technique of the Semantic Differential. We used a modified version of the semantic differential called “Personal Differential”. Summing up the results of the study, it can be concluded that the characteristics of the ethnic stereotypes and prejudices of the Russian students are more associated with the degree of self-confidence they have, rather than aggressiveness.

The paper presents the results of a comparative study of the aggressiveness level in smoking and non-smoking female students. The System-Functional Model of Aggressiveness developed by A.I. Krupnov has been used in the study. The results confirm the hypothesis that smoking female students in general have a higher level of aggressiveness in comparison with the non-smokers, although the level of aggressiveness in both groups did not exceed the norm.

The paper presents the results of a study of the connection between the parameters of the communicative tolerance and the intercultural adaptation in the international students from a multinational university. A total of 337 respondents took part in the research, including 182 young men and 155 young women from five parts of the world: Latin America, Asia, Arab countries, Africa, the countries of the Central Asian region. The level of the communicative tolerance was measured with the technique “General communicative tolerance” by V.V.Boyko. The Questionnaire of the adaptation of the person to the new socio-cultural environment (APSCE) by L.V.Yankovsky, in T.G.Stefanenko and M.S.Panov’s modified version was used to define the features of the intercultural adaptation of the international students. The study revealed that the rates of the communicative tolerance, as a whole, are positively related to the efficiency of the intercultural adaptation of the international students in Russia.

The paper presents the results of a full-scale interview with Russian language teachers that teach Russian as a foreign language at the preparatory departments at multinational universities. The research findings identified the basic psychological and linguistic features that are typical for the Russian language acquisition by the students from different regions of the world (Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia, Arab countries).

The objective of the research was to discuss the psychological predictors of managers' economic efficiency under 2014-2015 instability of the Russian economy (a case study of the Big Five personality traits, organization and communicative skills). The research engaged 310 managers working at the companies for a year or more. For diagnosing the personality factors, NEO FFI Five-factor questionnaire was used, while COS questionnaire of V.V. Sinyavsky and B.A. Fedorishin was applied for revealing the communicative and organizational inclinations. In order to determine the managers' professional efficiency, the performances against sales plans of shops led by them in 2014-2015 were used. Regression analysis results confirm the most important predictor of the managers' economic efficiency under study is the extent of organizational skills, and this predictor retains its significance both in a relatively calm and in a more unstable economic situation.

In the light of globalisation processes accompanied by an increase in interethnic tensions, the research on personality features that contribute to a more efficient functioning in the intercultural context has become fairly topical. The aim of the conducted research was to explore the relation between intercultural competence, personality features and the level of intellectual development of students (N=121, 45% male students) of a general education secondary school in Moscow. Bennett’s developmental model of intercultural sensitivity was used as the basis for studying intercultural competence, while the Scale of intercultural sensitivity was used as a diagnostic instrument. Personality features were defined in accordance with the Five Factor Model and diagnosed via the shorter version of the Five Factors questionnaire. The level of mental (intellectual) development was measured using the normative School test of intellectual development (STID-2). Based on research results, it has been established that personality features such as conscientiousness, extraversion and neuroticism are related to the indicators of intercultural competence in the examined students, whereby the intensity of the relations is by far higher in the group of students with the lower level of intellectual development. At the same time, the students whose level of intellectual development is higher are more inclined towards accepting cultural differences, while those with the lower level of intellectual development tend to absolutise them.

"How can psychology professors in the USA and other nations make their courses more international?" This question is addressed in this indispensable new sourcebook, co-authored by 73 contributors and editors from 21 countries.

The relevance of the research is conditioned by the necessity of studying the intercultural competence which is viewed as one of the means for preventing and solving the intercultural conflicts and not only as a social but also as a personal phenomenon. In connection to this, the research presented in this paper is aimed at revealing the correlation of particularities of intercultural competence and sensitivity with the Big Five factors. The leading method for diagnosing the intercultural sensitivity was the author adaptation of the technique "Intercultural sensitivity scale" of O.E. Khukhlaev and M.Yu. Chibisova as modified by Yu.A. Logashchenko that allows comprehensively viewing the intercultural competence on the basis of M. Bennet's Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity. This model gives an opportunity to reveal stages of the rise of intercultural competence such as minimization, absolutization, ambivalence and acceptance. As a result of surveying 388 students (65,5% of them being girls) from two major Russian universities, it has been found that most factors of the Big Five (apart from neuroticism) are associated with the extent of parameters of intercultural sensitivity, except minimization. The materials of the paper are of practical value for elaborating the programs of development and formation of the intercultural competence while taking into account the revealed specific character of personality factors and particularities of a polycultural educational space of today's universities.

The article is devoted to the study of intercultural competence (ICC) as a psychological phenomenon including the analysis of its models, factors, and profiles. The results of an empirical study in two major multinational Russian universities (388 students, of which 254 young women and 134 young men) are presented. The aim of the study was to identify the typological profiles of the ICC and their characteristics in relation to personality traits. ICC was studied based on the “Dynamic model of intercultural sensitivity” by M. Bennet. The author’s modification of the “Scale of intercultural sensitivity” by O.E. Khuhlaev and M.Y. Chibisova in the adaptation of Y.A. Lopashenko was used for the ICC diagnostics. Personality traits were considered in the framework of the Five-Factor Model (P. Costa and R. McCrae) and were measured by a short form of the “Five-Factor Questionnaire” in Russian adaptation by M.V. Bodunov and S.D. Biryukov. We identified four ICC profiles of students provisionally called “ethnocentrists”, “negativists”, “undecided (ambivalent)”, and “ethnorelativists”. It is shown that the profiles differ not only in the correlation between the severity of parameters of the ICC, but also in personality traits. The results can be used for the design of ICC development and formation programs, based on the identified psychological specifics of ICC profiles.

The Five-Factor Model (FFM) of personality traits is one of the most comprehensive personality models in modern psychology. The traits, or domains, of the model, provide an extensive framework, which allows researchers to analyse the correlation between the aspects of personality and various aspects of social behaviour. Academic achievement is a key factor in a subject’s success, and a more comprehensive understanding of its potential factors could improve educational programs and teaching strategies. Objectives: The purpose of this paper is to consider the correlations between the FFM (Big Five) personality traits and the academic achievement of university students in various fields of study.Design: This study has adopted a descriptive analytic approach by exploring previous research data. In the present empirical research, the Big Five factors were measured with the Russian NEO Five-Factor Inventory adaptation by S. Biryukov and M. Bodunov. Academic achievement was defined as the average value of the semester final grades. The Spearman correlation analysis was used for statistical analysis. The sample includes 207 first- and second-year university students in the Linguistics Department. Results: The analysis of the published data revealed that Western psychological studies show that consciousness and openness, two values in the model, are more closely connected with the peculiarities of the students’ academic achievement in different fields of study, but similar studies conducted in Russian universities do not fully confirm this data. Findings of our research proved that consciousness is more associated with greater academic achievement of Russian linguistics students in most fields of study compared to the other FFM traits, while other traits showed more specific correlations with particular fields of study. Conclusions: The data suggests that both environmental and internal psychological factors, such as motivation, intelligence, inclinations, abilities, etc. affect academic achievement. However, further research suggests that volitional and cognitive personality traits considered in the framework of various models of personality may have a great influence on academic achievement and should also be taken into consideration. Personality traits, especially consciousness and openness of the FFM, are significant factors of academic achievement. The associations between academic achievement and FFM traits are more prominent in those fields of study that include such features as their relative novelty, difficulty or interest for students (Second Foreign Language, Special Disciplines, and Psychology & Pedagogics).