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20PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCES
FEATURES OF APPLICATION OF THE PROGRAM OF DEVELOPMENT OF PERSONAL DETERMINANTS OF A CHOICE OF EFFECTIVE COPING STRATEGIES OF PARTICIPANTS OF OPERATION OF THE COMBINED FORCES AT A STAGE OF DECOMPRESSION
Yarmolchyk M.
Department of Aviation Psychology, National Aviation University,
Kyiv, Ukraine
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9917-0189
Semenenko L.
lecturer of the department offoreign languages National Defense University of Ukraine named after Ivan Chernyhovsky
Kyiv, Ukraine
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5628-3586
Abstract
Military psychologists use a number of techniques, methods and techniques when performing decompression measures. One of them is psychological training, which can be considered the core of educational experience, which provides the development of the necessary psychological skills, knowledge and abilities. During decompression it is necessary to cover a significant number of people at once, so the use of this method is relevant because it allows you to work with groups - already formed units that were in the combat zone and have their own socio-psychological climate. With the help of training the development of communicative competence, psychological interaction, resolution of hidden conflicts, reduction of psychological tension, processing of combat stress. The support of the group facilitates the experience of traumatic memories, removes the uniqueness of a particular case, helps to adapt to peaceful conditions
An important psychological aspect to pay attention to during decompression is the use of productive coping strategies to ensure effective psychological recovery. Conducting trainings allows to reveal potential possibilities of the person and to form adaptive strategies of coping behavior by means of the social and psychological mechanisms which are supported by functioning of group. Psychological training helps to overcome mental barriers and limitations.
Keywords: Coping strategy, personal, determinants, servicemen.
Introduction.
Given the specifics of the military, we propose to use during decompression training and formative training, which includes a number of exercises and techniques aimed at comprehensive coping with stress: cognitive, emotional, behavioral, socio-behavioral [2; p.16-21]. The program is based on the principle of phasing: each new meeting is a continuation of the previous one, and the content of each lesson is the basis of the next. It is advisable to use exercises that provide reflection on ways to overcome stress, the development of adaptive abilities and give practical skills of maintaining psycho-emotional homeostasis, relieving anxiety in stressful situations [3; p.45-56]. The content of the educational and formative training is represented by exercises and techniques that have been tested in the practice of domestic and foreign psychologists (O. Ev-tikhov, M. Kipnis, D. Kovpak, G. Monina, T. Tri-fonova) [16; 51;
The structural organization of classes is built with the preservation of all signs of training forms of work (principles of group functioning, focus on psychological assistance to group members in self-knowledge, spatial organization, verbal reflection, objectification of feelings and emotions, climate of psychological trust and proximity, etc.). The basic principles of ensuring the effective work of the training group are taken into account: activity, research position, awareness or ob-jectification, partnership communication.
Results.
The structure of the psychological program:
• development of emotional, volitional regulation;
• development of negative behavioral reactions;
• formation of productive coping strategies;
• development of skills of self-control and self-
efficacy;
• summary results and discussion of training results.
Each block includes a number of practical exercises and techniques that are effective and important in achieving a specific goal. A number of techniques have a preventive component of prevention of negative psychosomatic and physiological symptoms in servicemen, provide increase of psychological resistance to negative influences.
Classes should be held intermittently so that servicemen do not feel overloaded. The first lesson (beginning of the training) aims at a more detailed acquaintance and association of participants. Particular attention should be paid to this stage if the troops are from different units. It is important to exclude the moment of shame and fear of condemnation. The purpose of the work is clearly defined, the main directions of activity are explained, the expectations of the participants are stated. The first stage requires a separate lesson, because servicemen adapt more slowly after a long
stay in the combat zone, they need to get used to new people and conditions. Without adaptation, it is not possible to adjust to a peaceful environment, it is important to minimize feelings of distrust and create a positive atmosphere in the group. To do this, the exercise "Guide" will be useful, which helps to implement the conditions for establishing trust between the participants of the training; gives participants a sense of being in the positions of "leader" and "slave".
Discussion
The development of self-perception and reflection aims to develop an understanding of their own experiences and feelings, acceptance of emotions. At this stage, it is important to emphasize that any emotion experienced by a serviceman is normal. Prolonged stay in stressful situations provokes various manifestations of the emotional sphere. Aggression, anger, fear, crying, panic, etc. - these are adequate reactions to stressful situations. It is important to learn to recognize your own emotions, the emotions of others, to determine the nature and intensity. To do this, an effective exercise "Scaling emotions".
The system of meditative and relaxing exercises is aimed at restoring the feeling of one's own body, normalizing the work of muscles. After a long stay in the combat zone, 90% of servicemen have physiological disorders. In particular, there are problems with the muscles of the back, due to the constant wearing of body armor, weapons and ammunition. In this case, there is a violation of respiration, it becomes superficial, the diaphragm is clamped. Such breathing is characteristic of a state of stress, often causes appropriate psychological reactions, because the body is not sufficiently saturated with oxygen. Normalization of respiration is the first stage of restoring psychological balance. A number of techniques and techniques are used for this. Stress management techniques include: deep breathing, muscle relaxation and cognitive exercises. Deep breathing is the easiest to master and practice, other techniques require longer training and more time to practice. Useful techniques that can be used alone or in combination. One of the leading techniques is abdominal breathing. Breathe slowly and deeply, using the abdominal muscles (NOT the chest muscles) to "let in and out." Even one deep breath, when inhaling, holding the air for 2-3 seconds and then exhaling slowly through the mouth (about 5 seconds) can stabilize the nerves and switch attention. They also use breathing meditations, which help to relax and stabilize the mental state quite quickly.
It is important to note that a number of techniques contain a list of issues related to physical condition, including muscles. However, servicemen often respond to them indirectly, not understanding their significance. Most subjects try to hide muscle cramps, physical pain, because they consider it a sign of weakness. The task of the psychologist is to explain the importance of working out the physical side, because without this it is impossible to work with the psychological sphere. At this stage, classes should be held in the fresh air, taking into account the terrain (should not be very open and densely planted with trees). Thus, there is also an adap-
tation to peaceful living conditions. Relaxation exercises are a bit more difficult. Typically, they consist of focusing on different muscle groups, tensing and relaxing the limbs to relax the whole body. A quick version that can be used during the task is to tense all the muscles at once, hold for 15 seconds or more, and then allow them to slowly relax, releasing this tension, feeling the warmth and heaviness, the feeling that appears after rest and voltage shaking. The version of deep muscle relaxation - we start with the legs and gradually rise up (or vice versa from head to toe), straining and then relaxing each part of the body (each muscle group in turn), while noticing how each muscle feels warmth after relaxation. Stretching techniques are also used. The essence is to stretch muscles and joints, scroll them and relieve tension.
When the military needs to be vigilant and respond to changes in the environment, only special relaxation techniques can be used that will not affect the task. It is advisable to teach them quick relaxation techniques so that they can use them automatically, without distractions. In such situations, deep relaxation techniques are impractical and dangerous.
A special place is occupied by cognitive exercises, which include the creation of positive imaginary images, which by redirecting attention, reduce the impact of environmental stressors. The military is encouraged to practice stress management techniques and discuss their use in combat and other stressful situations. During decompression, the following techniques were used in our experiment:
- positive self-suggestion, self-belief.
- visualization of your own relaxation.
- Grounding: Grounding techniques allow you to quickly change the focus of thoughts if they become distracted or blurred due to excessive stress, strong feelings of fear or anger. They can be used with deep breathing to restore relative calm and more focused thinking.
However, all military personnel should drink enough fluids (even if they don't want to), eat enough food, and try to rest / sleep as often as possible. The goal of this step is for everyone to learn at least two relaxation techniques (preferably more) that can be used when exercise is not possible. At the same time, one technique should provide a rapid reduction of excessive stress without interruption from the task, and the second technique should provide deep relaxation for restorative sleep, even in stressful situations.
because it is the basis for further work.
The process of emotional self-regulation also requires psychological intervention. After a long stay in conditions of psychological stress, constant psychological pressure, emotional regulation undergoes significant changes. Volitional qualities are a necessary component of personality. (According to E. Shorokhova): Will is the power of a person over himself: his feelings, passions; a person's ability to control himself, the ability to consciously regulate their activities; the ability to consciously and actively build your life. (According to A. Petrovsky and M. Yaroshevsky). Will is correlated with human consciousness as one of the forms of reflection of reality, the function (action, manifestation)
of which is the self-regulation of human activity in difficult living conditions. The most intense volitional efforts for self-preservation must be shown in extreme conditions. But under constant pressure, these processes weaken as the individual becomes exhausted. Sudden attacks of aggression, tantrums, anger are uncontrollable in most servicemen. Basic skills of volitional self-regulation that need to be developed (what we regulate at will):
oncentration - the amount of attention; concentration; distribution of attention - for example, by degrees of significance; stability of attention; ability to switch attention (without narrowing of consciousness).
- emotional stability - is the ability to identify and control: wall and asthenic emotions; fear and affect; perception of time intervals; own and others - behavioral reactions; the sequence of actions and the degree of their infallibility; identify and control, as well as adjust, if necessary, the correct perception of the environment;
- practical thinking - clarity; precision; consistency and breadth in the selection of features and connections of objects; solution of theoretical and practical problems; generalization and reflection of information, etc.
- control and manifestation of strong-willed qualities - persistence in overcoming obstacles on the way to achieving the goal; self-confidence; endurance; patience; self-mastery.
Art-therapeutic techniques are used for emotional relief and development of regulatory processes. It is worth noting that art therapy is also held as a separate event daily in the afternoon. Various techniques and types are used for relaxation, unloading: isotherapy (mandala creation, dream catcher making, spontaneous painting), hemispherical drawing, music therapy, clay therapy, dough therapy, sand therapy, phototherapy. The servicemen react jokingly at first, but these techniques give results immediately and after the first lesson there is an improvement in the psychological state, a decrease in stress, a feeling of relief and a sense of relief.That is why art therapy is allocated quite a lot of time, because Z. Freud and K. Jung wrote that art therapy is a way to develop creativity, harmonization and personal development. Thus, art, in various manifestations, helps to resolve problems and conflicts, both external and internal. Any creative activity helps to compensate or completely relieve psychological stress. Images, symbols that are contained in the subconscious and are a reflection of the experienced stress or traumatic event, with the help of art therapy are revealed and processed.
Elaboration of negative behavioral reactions is also carried out through the use of art-therapeutic techniques, in particular fairy tale therapy, the use of metaphorical cards, role-playing games, the technique of "hot chair". Writing a fairy tale is a rather complex psy-chotherapeutic process that requires detailed analysis, elaboration of each character. Fairy tale therapy works well in combination with metaphorical maps, when the story is built with the help of map images. The texts of fairy tales evoke an intense emotional resonance, and the images simultaneously appeal to the consciousness
and the subconscious, which gives special opportunities for communication. With the help of this method is the formation of the so-called "moral immunity" - the ability to counteract the negative emotional, mental influences coming from the environment.
Isotherapy is another method in the arsenal of art therapy that helps servicemen open up and relax. This technique allows you to go through the self-awareness of negative experiences to freedom of thought and feeling and complete liberation from the experience. Drawing helps to develop sensory-motor coordination, with which, in most military, problems. According to many scientists, the technique of drawing is involved in the coordination of interhemispheric interaction, as this process activates concrete-image thinking (right hemisphere) and abstract-logical (left hemisphere).
It is worth noting that individual therapy and counseling are used at each stage of the program. One of the prerequisites for effective counseling is the comfort and convenience of the psychologist and the client. Here is what R. recommends. Kochunas: the room should not be too big, the walls should be painted or covered with wallpaper in calm tones. The office should have a table, comfortable chairs or armchairs. For relaxation, you can put a chair with a folding back or couch. Personal belongings (photos of relatives, cosmetics) and objects that can provoke negative memories and flashbacks in the subjects should not be kept in the workplace.
because respondents fear that the information will be passed on to commanders and superiors. It is advisable to use conversation and observation, if necessary, tests and techniques. In the beginning it is important to collect the anamnesis, to allocate personal features and properties to which it is necessary to pay attention and at group work. In individual work, respondents need to be given the opportunity to express all the accumulated experiences, so it is important to use techniques of active listening and attentive behavior.
The block "Formation of productive coping strategies" is the main one and consists of 6 classes. Each lesson is dedicated to the development of an appropriate productive and effective coping strategy. At this stage, the strengthening of personal resources is carried out in order to develop an effective strategy to combat stress or change the unproductive strategy to an adaptive one.
Conclusion
In general, it should be noted that the concept of coping strategies is little known among the military, so it will be useful to explain in detail the essence of coping, their importance in overcoming stress and the importance of choosing a productive strategy.
Each subsequent lesson begins with a reproduction of elements of the previous one in order to better master the material. It should be noted that servicemen are a specific sample, so their psychological characteristics should be taken into account.
Next, we move on to the main part of the lesson, which includes playing situations, performing practical exercises that require the use of appropriate coping strategy. In this case, the situation is quite neutral, domestic in nature. It is quite risky to act out situations on military issues, as traumatic memories in the form of
flashbacks are possible. At the same time, participants should be closely monitored, as some may need a break.
If at least one serviceman is tired, the group should be paused. Sufficient water should be available during the session. During the classes it is advisable to use video materials on the subject. At the end of the lesson you should summarize and leave time for questions and answers. As the groups are not large, it is possible to listen to the impressions of each of the participating servicemen.
After completing the main block of work, we conduct classes on the development of skills of self-control and self-efficacy. These are practical exercises to consolidate the material passed, training techniques that can be used independently, even while in a combat zone.
It is important to pay attention to the development and actualization of the psychological balance of servicemen with the help of body-oriented psychotherapy. When performing exercises aimed at relieving emotional stress, you can focus on the approach of E. Ja-cobson, which is based on the following principles:
1) in a certain sequence of exercises a person learns to relax muscles or group muscles in order to achieve physical relaxation;
2) periodic exercise promotes the development of a positive habit and psychological attitude to rest.
Thus, mastering physical relaxation reduces the impact of stressful situation on The body of servicemen, as they learn to control themselves better, use the mastered techniques even while in the combat zone.
future. This session provides feedback and support from other team members in the final stage; The group is a kind of catalyst that helps participants realize their own desires, needs, goals, behaviors, including pseudo-adaptive and maladaptive and reformat their strategies.
There are also additional art therapy classes in the evening, which are aimed at relaxation and voltage relief. In this case, such exercises allow servicemen to deal not only with recent injuries, but also those that are pushed into the subconscious. It is important not to limit the subjects and not to frame them, but adherence to the timing is mandatory.Participants should be involved in the organization of the group work space so that they can become involved in the work. However, it should be borne in mind that contraindications are the presence of muscle cramps, spasms. This point must be taken into account and worked out. That is why there is a division into groups, some are engaged in art therapy, others go to the pool, sauna, because physical relaxation is a leading aspect in recovery in general.
It should be noted that during group work, methods and exercises aimed at reflection of microsocial, organizational and activity stressors should be used; actions of commanders. Group processes in the military sample play an important role in the process of psychological recovery and can both accelerate and inhibit this process. Building and maintaining positive relationships is the foundation of effective communication and work. It is much easier to deal with difficult situations or stress if there is external support. The proposed
structure of classes reflects the personal and organizational and activity levels of formation of productive coping.
An important task of decompression measures is to activate the available personal resources of servicemen, which influence the formation of adaptive coping strategies.
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