ПСИХОЛОГІЧНІ ОСОБЛИВОСТІ АДАПТИВНОГО ПОТЕНЦІАЛУ ОСІБ, КОТРІ ПРАЦЮЮТЬ В ЕКСТРЕМАЛЬНИХ СИТУАЦІЯХ

Abstract

The performance of professional activities in extreme situations has a distinctive nature due to a range of risk factors, which can adversely affect mental health, the state of emotional and mental stability, as well as dramatically increase the level of emotional or professional burnout. Work under such circumstances requires the employee to possess a certain degree of some psychological characteristics so that he/she would not get harmed personally while performing it. In the modern world, the psychology of professional activity and a number of other applied sciences face the situation that stress has virtually invaded the daily life of individuals becoming one of the most common causes of a range of diseases and diverse disorders. Today, it is virtually impossible to determine the criteria of a profession or an occupation which is safe for an individual’s mental health since all of them are closely associated with some natural or technological risks which fill our lives. The primary goal of this research is to attempt and analyse what degree of adaptive capacity persons whose professional activity is closely associated with extreme situations have. The main thesis is that persons with different degrees of adaptive capacity possess certain psychological characteristics and individual features which do not only help them to go easily through the phase of adaptation to new, extreme conditions in which the task is performed but also considerably influence the degree of their satisfaction with the job associated with risks.It is stated that, undoubtedly, the degree of adaptive capacity is closely related to such factors as age, work experience, emotional-and-volitional sphere, motivational aspect of performing professional activities, etc. It was discovered that persons working as rescuers in the contemporary conditions of society demonstrate a low degree of adaptive capacity, which can actually have negative consequences both for the individual’s mental health (bad mood, lack of attention, irritation, negative and occasionally suicidal thoughts, and so on) and for the effective performance of professional activities. It is stressed that in order to develop their adaptive capacity, it is absolutely necessary for the persons whose professional activity is closely associated with extreme situations to work on the development of such personal qualities as psychic flexibility, sense of humour, ability to think critically and access adequately the risks which representatives of extreme professions face. Such a perspective on the development of personal qualities is required in the first place to maintain personal mental stability and balance in the modern world, which is a powerful stress factor for our mental health.