Self-knowledge of future officers as a condition for professional and psychological training in wartime conditions

The relevance of this study stems from the heightened demands placed on an officer’s ability to recognise their own psychological characteristics, assess their professional capabilities and limitations, reflect on their own experience, and identify directions for further professional development. The aim of the study was to provide a theoretical justification for the role of self-knowledge in the professional training of future officers and to empirically identify the characteristics of reflexivity, self-reflection and insight among cadets from various professional disciplines. The study was based on the use of theoretical and empirical methods: analysis, systematisation, comparison, generalisation and structural-logical analysis of academic sources. The empirical study involved 62 male cadets aged 21-25 specialising in “State Security”, “Psychology” and “Logistics Support”. A. Karpov’s methodology for assessing the level of reflexivity, along with the 12-item Self-Reflection and Insight Scale (SRIS-12), was used to evaluate these characteristics separately. The study found similar average scores for overall reflexivity among cadets specialising in “State Security” (115.2 points), “Psychology” (115.1) and “Logistics Support” (114.8), with a significant proportion of individuals exhibiting a low level of reflexivity. With regard to self-reflection and insight, the highest proportions of high levels were recorded among psychology cadets (45% in each case), whilst in the “State Security” and “Logistics Support” groups, the high level of self-reflection stood at 43% in each, and that of insight at 38% and 43% respectively. The differences identified are descriptive in nature and do not provide grounds for concluding that the specialism influences the development of self-knowledge. The importance of self-knowledge as a psychological prerequisite for the professional development of a future officer has been substantiated, and the characteristics of their reflexivity, self-reflection and insight among cadets of different specialisms have been empirically investigated. It has been established that the indicators of general reflexivity are similar across the groups studied, whilst there are certain differences in the levels of self-reflection and insight; this confirms the value of their comprehensive study within professional and psychological training. The results of the study can be used to improve professional and psychological training, psychological support and psychodiagnostic work with future officers, taking into account their reflective and self-reflective characteristics