TRANSFORMATION OF THE PRACTICAL PSYCHOLOGIST’S PROFESSIONAL IMAGE IN WARTIME

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to provide a comprehensive theoretical substantiation of the nature and dynamics of the paradigmatic transformation of the professional identity of practical psychologists in Ukraine under the conditions of the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war. The study focuses on a systemic analysis of the interrelationship between the profound changes in the core components of professional identity (internal role models, system of professional values, and structure of competencies) and the necessity to form a new professional image adequate to the extreme working conditions. The work aims to conceptualize the new archetype of a specialist crystallizing in response to the challenges of collective trauma and social crisis. The research methodology is based on the principles of the systemic, phenomenological, and socio-cultural approaches. The systemic approach allowed for modeling the professional image as an open, dynamic system adapting to the impact of destabilizing factors of wartime. The phenomenological approach was applied to analyze the internal, subjective experience of identity restructuring, focusing on how professionals themselves make sense of the change in their role and professional boundaries. The socio-cultural and historico-genetic approaches enabled the interpretation of this transformation as a logical collective response of the professional community to a radical change in the historical context. At the general scientific level, methods of theoretical modeling, conceptual analysis, and document analysis (publications by Ukrainian scholars from pre-war and wartime periods) were used. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the comprehensive conceptual understanding of the paradigmatic shift in the professional identity of Ukrainian practical psychologists caused by the war. For the first time within a single theoretical model, pre-war role archetypes (“Counseling Psychologist”, “Expert-Facilitator of Personal Development”) are systematized and contrasted with new ones formed under wartime conditions (“Crisis Psychologist / Psychological First Aid Specialist”, “Trauma Psychologist/Therapist”, “Community Resilience and Safety Coordinator”, “Trauma-Sensitive Professional”). The axiological transformation from individualistic values of personal development to the values of safety, operational efficiency, collective responsibility, and self-preservation ethics is identified. A clear outline of the radical change in the competency profile is provided, marking a shift from in-depth therapy to crisis intervention protocols. Conclusions. It is proven that the wartime context has caused not an evolutionary adaptation but a revolutionary restructuring of professional identity, which is systemic and likely irreversible. The formed hybrid archetype of a «psychologist-crisis responder» integrates operational, therapeutic, social, and reflexive components, shaping a new professional culture oriented toward working in conditions of constant uncertainty. Practical significance of the obtained results is as follows: 1) the theoretical conclusions form the basis for developing up-to-date training programs and standards for preparing psychologists to work in crisis conditions; 2) the identified new role models serve as an important reference point for organizing support and psychological protection for the specialists themselves; 3) the understanding of the transformed identity constitutes the foundation for forming an adequate state policy in the field of the nation’s mental health in the post-war period.