CORRELATIONS BETWEEN INTOLERANCE/TOLERANCE TO UNCERTAINTY AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING IN THE CONDITIONS OF MILITARY AGGRESSION

Abstract

The work purpose was to identify correlations between intolerance/tolerance to uncertainty as an internal psychological resource and psychological well-being in the conditions of military aggression that continues in Ukraine. Methods: S. Badner’s Scale of Tolerance – Intolerance of Ambiguity, psychological well-being was studied using C. Riff’s method. Results and conclusions. Intolerance to uncertainty is primarily a fear of the new, something not clearly defined; while tolerance is the ability to get pleasure from complex intellectual or life structures. For psychological well-being, it is not so important how much a person “does not like” uncertainty, it is important how much they know how to interact with it. The better people perceives uncertainty, the more open they are to development and have a better attitude towards themselves. The desire for something new can be a driving force for personal development, and self-confidence comes when overcoming difficult situations. High tolerance reduces the feeling of having a stable plan, that is, any change is perceived as a threat to achieving the goal. Respondents feel discomfort from novelty and uncertainty; we think that this is connected precisely with the situation of war, when people often do not know what will happen to them, their families and loved ones tomorrow, and even the most resistant to uncertainty person feels that there are too many uncertainties around. The subgroup of the study participants who experienced physical losses due to military actions showed a decrease in psychological well-being, especially in terms of self-esteem and self-perception, compared to the subgroup that has material losses. People who have experienced physical losses are very solid in their assessments of life goals and these assessments are extremely pessimistic, in addition, they have lower tolerance for uncertainty. Decreased intolerance in this subgroup can be explained by the fact that the death of loved ones or one’s own physical injury is perceived as the lowest point in life, after which everything else is not so scary, and therefore there is no need to worry about it; and a new, incomprehensible situation can be perceived as a “ray of hope.” The Personal Growth indicator had the highest and most stable scores in both groups; this means that the desire for self-development remains high regardless of external circumstances, which can later become the basis for overcoming the hardships of the war situation and post-traumatic personal growth.