Individual psychological characteristics of law enforcement officers affecting the psychological readiness for action in extreme conditions

Abstract

The article discusses individual psychological characteristics that determine the psychological readiness for action in extreme conditions. The authors define the concepts of «psychological readiness» and «extreme situations», as well as the features of extreme situations. The purpose of the study is to identify the individual psychological characteristics of law enforcement officers that affect the psychological readiness for action in extreme conditions, as well as their dependence on the duration of service. The practical significance of the study lies in the identification of psychological characteristics that affect the psychological readiness for activities in the event of a threat to life and health and, thus, the expansion of knowledge in the field of psychology of safety and human behavior in extreme and emergency situations. The study sample consisted of law enforcement officers who, in their professional activities, face situations of threat to life and health.
 The work reveals individual psychological characteristics of law enforcement officers operating in extreme conditions. According to the results of the study, it has been revealed that the duration of service is interconnected with the following individual psychological characteristics: friendliness, communicativeness, caution, activity level, demonstrativeness, aggressiveness.