Psychological features of destructive experience of military conflict situation

Novikova N.; Slepko Y.

doi:10.14529/jpps240103

N. V. Novikova Donetsk State Pedagogical University, (25 Rudakova street, Gorlovka, Donetsk People's Republic, 284601, Russia) nrv.novikov2010@yandex.ru
Y. N. Slepko Yaroslavl State Pedagogical University named after K.D. Ushinsky (108/1 Respublikanskaia street, Yaroslavl, 15000, Russia) https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6768-4652 slepko@inbox.ru

DOI: https://doi.org/10.14529/jpps240103

Keywords: experience, levels of experience, type of experience, personality, psychological structure, military conflict

Abstract

Introduction. The article delves into the psychological characteristics of an individual’s experience in a situation of military conflict. The study is of utmost importance due to the profoundly negative impact that the extreme factors encountered in military conflict situations can have on an individual’s life and society. Aims: to identify the features of the structure of individual psychological characteristics that determine the nature of experiencing a military conflict situation. Materials and methods. The study was conducted between 2014 and 2022 at the Donetsk State Pedagogical University (Gorlovka). The sample consisted of 195 participants, including 170 females and 25 males, with an average age of 22 years. All subjects were residents of the Donetsk People's Republic and had lived in the extreme conditions of military conflict for an extended period. The study employed two groups of techniques to assess individual psychological characteristics and the characteristics of military conflict situations. Data analysis was conducted using the IBM SPSS Statistics 19 program, with the primary method being structural analysis. This approach allowed for the calculation of indices that reflect the structure of the system of individual psychological characteristics of a person, such as the indices of system coherence, system divergence, and system organization.
Results. The destructive nature of experiencing a situation of military conflict is most clearly manifested at the personal and activity levels. This is evident in the more complex structure of the individual psychological characteristics of subjects who have experienced military conflict situations destructively. This complexity is manifested in a specific combination of dispositional, motivational, life-meaning, and self-actualization attitudes of the individual. Conclusion. The specificity of experiencing a situation of military conflict at each level is determined by the qualitative features of the structure of individual psychological characteristics. These features significantly influence the nature of the experience, ultimately determining whether it is constructive or destructive in nature. It is advisable to use the results obtained when providing consultation, psychological support, and assistance to people in extreme conditions of military conflict.

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Author Biographies

N. V. Novikova , Donetsk State Pedagogical University, (25 Rudakova street, Gorlovka, Donetsk People's Republic, 284601, Russia)

Lecturer, Department of Psychology

Y. N. Slepko , Yaroslavl State Pedagogical University named after K.D. Ushinsky (108/1 Respublikanskaia street, Yaroslavl, 15000, Russia)

Doctor of Psychology, Associate Professor, Dean, Faculty of Pedagogy

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