Theoretical and conceptual approaches to studying cognitive aspects of psychological readiness of the individual to counteract environmental and epidemic threats

Introduction. The problem of preserving a safe environment for human life and health and maintaining a stable medical and epidemiological situation today gives helping professionals the tasks of developing the individual's readiness to counteract environmental and epidemic threats. Aim: to analyze theoretical approaches to studying cognitive aspects of psychological readiness of the individual for counteracting environmental and epidemic threats as well as to determine the role and place of the cognitive aspect of individual readiness for counteracting environmental and epidemic threats. Results. The cognitive activity, which ensured cognitive stability in conditions of environmental and epidemic threats, was considered as a person's cognitive reserve. The cognitive reserve was shown to be a dynamic structure, which could develop throughout life by means of directed cognition-stimulating actions and which played a leading role in the stability and adaptability of the individual's cognitive mechanisms and cognitive-emotional reactions to events with catastrophic consequences. Conclusions. The cognitive component of psychological readiness is a core element of the personality and it is responsible for both the healthy development of human adaptive mechanisms and the processing of the changing information space. The life-long development of cognitive plasticity is the basis for cognitive stability and productivity of an individual in situations of affective stress caused by being in natural disaster zones, epidemic zones, combat operations zones, etc.