RESILIENCE AS AN INTEGRAL CHARACTERISTIC OF PERSONALITY AMONG CADETS OF EMERCOM OF RUSSIA
Authors: Zemskova A. A. , Kravtsova N. A. 
Published: October 2019

Relevance. Resilience as an integrative resource of an individual, determining its psychological stability was studied among cadets of the Emercom of Russia to develop a psycho correctional program and increase the effectiveness of vocational training and health maintenance.

Intention. To develop a model of resilience based on the identification of associated personality manifestations among the cadets of EMERCOM of Russia.

Methodology. The study was conducted on the basis of the Far Eastern Fire and Rescue Academy a branch of the St. Petersburg University State Emergency Service Ministry of Emergency Situations among 150 cadets of the faculty of fire safety aged 19–21 years. Psychodiagnostic methods were used as well as psychophysiological rehabilitation complex “REACOR” for biofeedback training and UPFT 1/30 “Psychophysiologist”.

Results and their analysis. Parameters of life meaningfulness increase proportionally to resilience. The analysis of terminal values showed that cadets with low resilience sought freedom, financially secure life, pleasures, while cadets with high resilience opted for development, continuous physical and spiritual self improvement. Indicators of internal motivation according to K. Zamfir test were lower in cadets with low and medium resilience vs high resilience. External negative motivation in the group with lower resilience, on the contrary, was higher due to avoidance prevailing over external positive motivation. Adaptation to new or changing conditions is quite complicated for cadets with low resilience and can be disturbed depending on external circumstances. Low resilience was associated with pedantic, anxious, cyclothymic, excitable and dysthymic personality accentuations, medium resilience was associated with cyclothymic and demonstrative accentuations, and high – with hyperthymic and demonstrative accentuations. Cadets with low and medium resilience commonly used confrontational coping strategy. Cadets with low resilience showed increase in flight – avoidance strategies in contrast to those with medium and high resilience (p < 0.05). Low resilience indicates a decrease in tension, the predominance of parasympathetic activity, pronounced inertness and passivity when performing tactical and technical actions. Cadets with high resilience demonstrated improved attention . Average and maximum response time was shorter in cadets with high resilience compared to those with low and medium resilience (p < 0.01), which indicates an increased concentration, activity, and speed. Greater response time in cadets with low resilience probably indicates their passivity and inertness when completing tasks (p < 0.01). After the heat chamber, average and maximum visual motor response time was longer in the group with low and medium resilience (p < 0.05). The structure of resilience includes biological (psychophysiological), social and psychological components. The predictors of resilience are the meaningfulness of life, such coping behaviors as self control, acceptance of responsibility, flight avoidance; personal adaptive potential and its components behavioral regulation and communicative potential; rigid and emotive accentuations; external negative motivation; psychophysiological indicators – vagosympathetic balance (LF / HF), average reaction time.

Conclusion. An experimental study of the psychological factors of reactions to professional stressors among cadets made it possible to draw up a scheme of resilience as an integral characteristic of a personality, and to reveal its components.