Resilience as a component of military mental endurance: a theoretical overview of the problem

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V.N. Karazin Kharkiv national university

Resilience as a component of military mental endurance: a theoretical overview of the problem

Myloslavska O.V.,

candidate of psychological sciences, associate professor, associate professor at the department of applied psychology

Bohdanovskyi S.O.,

master of psychology

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the phenomenon of resilience. The problem of the features and structural components of resilience is considered and its relevance is substantiated. The article analyzes modern approaches to the definition of this concept and describes the problem of the correlation between «viability» and «resilience». The article presents a consideration of resilience in three dimensions: stability, compliance and resistance. It is noted that resilience is studied in terms of personality traits, defense mechanisms and coping behavior and can manifest itself in various forms: as a person's ability to overcome adversity; as a factor of stress resistance; and as a model of recovery - the ability to restore effective functioning after exposure to traumatic stress. The article considers resilience as a characteristic of the psyche that determines the ability to resist stress and show mental stability, allows preventing emotional burnout, anxiety and depression, and recovering from difficult life situations. The psychological components of resilience are identified. The neurophysiological features of the brain's response to a traumatic situation are described. The article points out the dependence of individual differences in stress resilience on biological predisposition modeled under the influence of stressful experience. It is noted that theories of resilience ultimately show that there are a number of alternative paths and scenarios for individuals who have survived or become victims of any disaster. The article analyzes the ability of human resilience to differentiate under the influence of many socio-psychological variables, which include interpersonal interaction, which allows accumulating experience of interactions and thereby increases the individual's readiness to function effectively in society, the ability to reflect; characteristics of proactive coping behavior; psychological wellbeing, tolerance to uncertainty. Attention is focused on the importance of empirical research of resilience in military personnel as a category of people who are constantly faced with life - threatening situations. Prospects for research in this area are outlined.

Key words: resilience, viability, coping behavior, post-traumatic growth, traumatic situation, stress, military personnel.

Анотація

Резильєнтність як складник психічної витривалості військових: теоретичний огляд проблеми

Робота присвячена вивченню феномену резильєнтності. Розглянуто проблему особливостей і структурних компонентів резильєнтності, також обґрунтовано актуальність. У статті проаналізовані сучасні підходи до визначення цього поняття й описана проблема співвідношення «життєздатності» й «резильєнтності». Розглянуто життєстійкість у трьох площинах: стабільності, відповідності й резистентності (опірності). Зазначено, що резильєнтність вивчається в площинах рис особистості, захисних механізмів і долаючої поведінки, може виявлятися в різних формах: як здатність людини долати незгоди; як фактор спротиву стресу; як зразок відновлення - здатність відновити ефективне функціонування після впливу травматичного стресу. Розглянуто резильєнтність як характеристику психіки, що визначає здатність чинити опір стресам і виявляти психічну стійкість, дає змогу запобігати емоційному вигоранню, тривожним і депресивним станам і відновлюватися після тяжких життєвих ситуацій. Визначено психологічні компоненти резильєнтності. Описано нейрофізіологічні особливості реагування мозку на травмувальну ситуацію. Указано на залежність індивідуальних відмінностей резильєнтності до стресу від біологічної схильності, що моделюється під впливом стресового досвіду. Зазначено, що теорії резильєнтності в кінцевому підсумку показують, що для осіб, які пережили або стали жертвами будь-яких лих, існує низка альтернативних шляхів і сценаріїв. Проаналізовано здатність резильєнтності людини диференціюватися під впливом безлічі соціально-психологічних змінних, до яких необхідно зарахувати міжособистісну взаємодію, яка дає змогу накопичувати досвід інтеракцій і тим самим підвищує готовність особистості до ефективного функціонування в суспільстві; здатність до рефлексії; характеристикипроактивно долаючої поведінки; психологічне благополуччя, толерантність до невизначеності. Закцентовано увагу на важливості емпіричного дослідження особливостей резильєнтності у військовослужбовців як категорії осіб, що постійно зіштовхується із загрозливими для життя ситуаціями. Окреслено перспективи досліджень у цьому напрямі.

Ключові слова: резильєнтність, життєздатність, долаюча поведінка, посттравматичне зростання, травмувальна ситуація, стрес, військовослужбовці.

Main part

The relevance of the study. The current circumstances in Ukraine are increasingly prompting the interest of leading scientists in the field of medical and psychological studies in the study of aspects of mental endurance of military personnel. Modern warfare imposes strict requirements not only on the strategy and equipment of combat, but also on the mental resource of the soldier. Undoubtedly, the human factor remains essential in achieving victory. Against this background, the problem of studying resilience as an important component of mental endurance is gaining special attention [6, p. 182; 31, p. 158], since it affects not only the quality of work performed but also human life in general.

The active study of the phenomenon of resilience of military personnel in our country began relatively recently, namely, with the beginning of the implementation of a set of military and special organizational and legal measures of the Ukrainian power structures (Joint Forces Operation).

Among domestic researchers, the following are engaged in the study of resilience issues: S. Bogdanov, S. Boyko, S. Vasyliev, E. Grishin, N. Husak, Y. Hontar, Z. Kireeva, S. Kravchuk, L. Korobka, O. Rudenko, G. Lazos, A. Maksy - menko, O. Khaminich, V. Chernobrovkin, V. Chernobrovkina, and others. In turn, among the foreign scientific community were (J. Bonnano, E. Werner, J. Davidson, K. Connor, S. Muddy, E. Masten, M. Rutter, R. Smith and others.

The study of the experience of foreign specialists in organizing measures for the psychological preparation of military personnel for activities in combat conditions indicates the leading role of the development of resilience in soldiers [31, p. 158].

The purpose of the article is to study resilience as a component of mental endurance of a serviceman

Research results. Resilience in modern psychological science is studied as a complex, dynamic and multifaceted phenomenon, and is defined by most foreign researchers as a person's ability to recover from adversity, to reject failure, to experience, adjust or even thrive in the face of misfortune, change or adversity [28].

Historically, this concept originated in physics, when resilience was explained as a property of matter that can restore its previous shape after deformation due to the pressure of other materials. Accordingly, we will emphasize a typical example of the definition of this concept by F. Loe - sel. In his understanding, resilience is the ability of a person or a social system to build a full-fledged existence despite difficult circumstances. Despite the elementary interpretation, the author believes that the concept of resilience is much broader. The main idea implies [7, p. 64]:

- a positive result that a person achieves in the face of stressors;

- preservation of basic personality traits during threatening situations;

- overall recovery from a traumatic situation and achievement of success over time.

It should be noted that a large number of scholars are inclined to this concept. That is, they consider resilience not only as the ability to restore the previous form (to reach the previous stable psychological state), but also the acquisition of proactive behavior, the restoration of functioning with an increase, the so-called post-traumatic growth (S. Lepore, T Revenson). This is also evidenced by the reflections of K. Bolton [18, p. 118], who points out that a resilient person can only be considered a person who, after traumatic events, demonstrates adaptive forms of behavior and continues to grow psychologically. Of course, the formation of the conceptualization of resilience is connected with the experience of

Israel, as the country aims to strengthen the resilience of the population to the war, which does not actually stop. And the scientific basis, which indicates the possibility of developing and practicing resilience [10, p. 77], reinforces the importance of studying this phenomenon.

In various studies, the psychological components of resilience are: optimism, self-esteem, personal competence, social competence, problem-solving skills, self-efficacy, social resources, insight, independence, creativity, sense of humor, self-control, psychological stability, family cohesion, spiritual influences, initiative, etc.

Today, scholars are taking a more comprehensive and meaningful approach to the study of resilience. We will highlight the interpretations in scientific works that are most relevant in our time.

G.M. Wagnild and H.M. Young [37, p. 165] define resilience as a personal characteristic of an individual that mitigates the effects of a stressor and contributes to successful adaptation.

S.S. Luthar, D. Cicchetti, B. Becker [26, p. 543] consider resilience through the prism of a dynamic process that encompasses successful adaptability in the context of threatening situations experienced by a person.

K.M. Connor, J.R. Davidson [21, p. 76; 37, p. 48] argue that the phenomenon of resilience embodies personal qualities that enable human growth in adverse situations.

G. Bonnano [19, p. 21] interprets this concept as a multidimensional and dynamic inherently complex of human characteristics.

R. Neman [32, p. 227]. Resilience is a person's ability to adapt to trauma, life's troubles and constant life stressors.

S. Fergus, M. Zimmerman [22, p. 399] point not only to the ability to adapt, but also to the successful reorganization of the personality, its growth and the acquisition of new constructive strategies for responding to stressful situations.

The American Psychological Association [32, p. 20] remains of the opinion that resilience is nothing more than a process of human adaptation in conditions of exhaustion, physical trauma and psychological post-trauma (subject to constant exposure to adverse conditions: problems in the family and in relationships with a partner, constant stress in the workplace, financial problems, natural disasters, wars, etc.)

K. Bolton [18, p. 118] interprets this concept as a mechanism of hypothetical protective factors that protect a person from maladjustment due to the influence of a stressor.

A. Masten [31, p. 308] has a dual view of this problem. On the one hand, she speaks of the ability of a dynamic system to successfully adapt to adverse conditions that disorganize and make it impossible for the person to fully function and develop, and on the other hand, as a complement, development under conditions of negative influence.

Thanks to the work of G. Lazos [7, p. 64] on the conceptualization of concepts and a review of modern resilience research, the differentiation of resiliency and resilience was emphasized, which is substantiated by A. Masten [31, p. 308]. The author notes that resilience is used in the context of describing a personality trait, and resilience as a broader concept that includes coping mechanisms, adaptive protection, personal hardening, full functioning, and the possibility of post-traumatic growth.

There is also a strong opinion that «resilience» is equated with «viability». [7, с. 64]. K. Man - napova [8, p. 150] emphasizes that resilience is included in the system of the concept of viability as a function by which a person can maintain stability. The basic functional component of viability is considered to be resilience.

In the work of the theoretical aspect of viability, L. Berezovska [1, p. 30] describes the term under the prism of the integral ability of a person to maintain his or her integrity, which allows to activate his or her potential for solving life's problems, and also allows human existence to meet the requirements of social existence and purpose.

Considering this concept, the authors consider resilience in three dimensions [8, p. 150]: stability, compliance and resistance. At the same time, the presence of a stressor is not mandatory, emphasizing a large ballast of life situations, namely, from the entry of a person into primary institutions to the realization of professional potential in general.

In turn, O. Khaminich points out that resilience is insensitive to the already identified mechanisms of resistance and its synonymy is not appropriate, since resilience has a wider range of life situations that are not only focused on situations of threat to human life. The problem of resilience, according to the scientist, should be studied as a phenomenon that defines a person in interaction with the world as a whole. And given the extensive experience of analytical work, O. Khaminich proposes to consider resilience in the context of adaptation and self-regulation of the individual as important components in overcoming stressful situations [12, p. 165].

Some authors consider resilience to be a characteristic of the psyche that determines the ability to resist stress and show mental stability, allows to prevent emotional burnout, anxiety and depression and recover from difficult life situations [32, p. 20].

Studies of the mechanism of influence of stressors on the human body have confirmed that stress damages the brain [6, p. 182; 34, p. 8]. Long-term exposure to life-threatening situations leads to an increase in hormonal secretion. It is because of hormonal activity that neuronal activity decreases, and the structure that helps a nerve cell transmit an electrical or chemical signal to another cell is disrupted. Thus, the brain tissue of those parts of the brain responsible for learning, memory and emotional functioning (limbic system) decreases [6, p. 182].

It has been proven that the full recovery of a serviceman includes neurophysiological and socio-psychological aspects. Therefore, the study of resilience as a broad concept is an extremely important factor in the decompression and general adaptation of a serviceman [6, p. 182].

The stress-vulnerabellite model proposed by Goh & Agius (2010) is based on a bio-psycho-social synthesis of the complex relationships between genetic predisposition, personality dimensions, and environmental influences [7, p. 64]. According to this model, individual differences in stress resilience stem from biological predisposition, which is modeled under the influence of stressful experiences from prenatal age, during childhood, adulthood, adulthood, and old age. And they already form the spheres of human psychological reactions such as cognitive, affective and behavioral [32, p. 20]. At the same time, scientists note that a low level of resilience does not necessarily affect the formation of psycho - pathological personality traits if it is not exposed to numerous stress factors. In addition, it has been found that the most relevant factors for the formation of adaptation disorders and post-traumatic stress disorders are the product of human activity, characterized by rape and torture (the military situation in general). At the same time, the opinion that the post-traumatic effect of a crisis event also depends on the subjective perception of the serviceman is not rejected [7, p. 64].

Thus, the importance of studying affective, cognitive and behavioral components in coping with stressful situations becomes clear.

A detailed review of the problem of resilience leads us to the conclusion that all theories of resilience ultimately show that there are a number of alternative paths and scenarios for survivors or victims of any disaster. Resilience can manifest itself in various forms: as a person's ability to overcome adversity; as a factor of resistance to stress; and as a model of recovery - the ability to resume effective functioning after exposure to traumatic stress [30].

In our study, we propose to consider personality resilience as an integral quality that includes the ability to perceive life events as challenges rather than threats; the ability to realize and harmoniously solve the problems of social existence; the ability to build a fulfilling life and manage both one's own internal and external resources in the difficult conditions of a disharmonious society and changes.

Human resilience is differentiated under the influence of many socio-psychological variables, which include interpersonal interaction, which allows accumulating experience of interactions and thereby increases the individual's readiness to function effectively in society, the ability to reflect; characteristics of proactive coping behavior; psychological well-being, tolerance to uncertainty [35].

Psychology has great opportunities in terms of studying human resilience, as it is able to identify systemic and, to some extent, invariant components of its structure, to reveal fundamental patterns and mechanisms of implementation. However, this potential is still underutilized by psychologists, resulting in a «gap» between the need to solve a specific practical problem and the lack of scientifically sound means suitable for this purpose [36].

From the above interpretations of resilience, it is clear that the promotion and development of this construct is extremely important for military personnel, as they are constantly faced with traumatic and life-threatening situations. And the tendency of the military to manifest suicidal ideation further strengthens our interest in this topic and emphasizes its social significance [29].

In accordance with the multilevel interpretation of resilience by scientists, we understand that support and psychological correction of maladjusted soldiers should include a broad aspect of approaches and phased psycho-rehabilitation interventions. Therefore, we consider it appropriate to use the pyramid of interventions, which takes into account the peculiarities of the psyche's response. Its meaning is that the more difficult a person experiences a threatening situation, the higher the level of intervention required for its recovery [4, p. 92].

Conclusions. Thus, a thorough and practical implementation of the above aspects will make it possible to study the peculiarities of functioning and mechanisms of resilience of military personnel, as well as to contribute to the formation and development of the latest psychotherapeutic measures-workshops to build the stress resistance of soldiers to sudden changes in the combat situation. Resilience plays an important role in the formation of post-traumatic growth and the manifestation of a person's overall mental stability. We consider it promising to study the peculiarities of resilience of military personnel with adaptive and maladaptive coping responses.

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