EMPIRICAL STUDIES OF MILITARY STUDENTS’ TOLERANCE TO STRESS IN OVERCOMING CRISIS, CONFLICTS, FRUSTRATIONS AND STRESSES

Abstract

The article reveals military students’ psychological characteristics manifested at overcoming stresses, conflicts, frustrations and crises during vocational training. Young years is the most interesting and difficult period in a person’s life. An individual’s identification in society is formed at this age. An appearing mature personality determines life goals, values, gender orientation. Incomplete identification is characteristic for people with internal conflicts, which worsen interpersonal communications, contribute to frustration, aggravates an experienced crisis and make searches for meanings more intensive. Interconnections between a crisis, a conflict, a meaning and a stress have not yet been investigated in psychology to the full degree. The article studies the qualities that should be developed in youth in order to have high tolerance to stress in overcoming obstacles, crises, stresses and noogenic neuroses (lack of meaning). The article purpose: to study second-year military students’ tolerance to stress when they overcome stresses, frustrations, crises or conflicts. The article objective: to study empirically correlations among young men’ gender identity, their tolerance to stress and the peculiarities of their defence mechanisms, used strategies for conflict overcoming, readiness to overcome frustration and life-meaning crises. The applied methods and techniques: theoretical analysis; systems approach; Psychological Stress Measure (PSM-25) (Lemyre-Tiesser-Fillion); Life Style Index (R. Plutchik, H. Kellerman and H. Conte); L.B.Shneider's method of gender identity studying; K. V. Karpinsky’s questionnaire on life-meaning crises; Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument; Stevan Hobfoll’s questionnaire on coping with stressful situations; Boyko-Vasserman questionnaire on social frustration; correlation analysis. Research results. Military students’ tolerance to stress contributes to their “adaptation” (0.35) to educational and professional conditions. The reasons for “meaningful crisis” (-0.55), “frustration” (-0.5), “conflict avoidance” (-0.37) are unsuccessful strategies used by military students for stress overcoming. “Life-meaning crisis” (0.39) and “frustration” (0.39) encourage military students to “avoid conflicts”, thus “assertiveness” (self-confidence) and (-0.43) “support” (-0 , 29) decrease, students “leave” conflicts (0.60), resort to “manipulations” (0.39). “Rivalry” in a conflict encourages military students to “antisocial actions” (0.34). The “caution” strategy is used by military students who are inclined to “cooperation” (0.33). The “contact” strategy is opposed to the “compromise” strategy (-0.28) in a conflict. Conclusions. The signs of formed identity for military students are self-acceptance, existing life goals, values, and the absence of internal conflicts, and also the developed ability to overcome stresses, conflicts, frustrations, crises. All critical situations are interconnected. A crisis and a frustration are the most similar. To overcome them, military students need to be taught such technique as “support” and to develop “assertiveness” (self-confidence).