Authors: Karayani А.G., Utlik E.P.
Citation: Karayani А.G., Utlik E.P. Psychophysiology of Combat Activities in the Arctic. Psychopedagogy in Law Enforcement. 2019. Vol. 24. No 3(78). Pp. 246-254. DOI: 10.24411/1999-6241-2019-13001.
Для цитирования: Караяни А.Г., Утлик Э.П. Психофизиология боевой деятельности в Арктике // Психопедагогика в правоохранительных органах. 2019. Т. 24. № 3(78). С. 246-254. DOI: 10.24411/1999-6241-2019-13001.
Download article: Psychophysiology of Combat Activities in the Arctic
Abstract
Introduction. The relevance of the problem is related to the fact that the Arctic has become the centre of economical and military concerns for many states and an important factor for future Russia and the whole world. To protect the national interests in this sphere the military servicemen must be able to efficiently perform in specific natural geographic and weather climatic conditions. The paper aims to reveal and examine the specific “Arctic” stress factors, estimate their influence on military servicemen combat activities, outline the ways of their special “Arctic” psychological training. Materials and Methods. The following methods were used: content-analysis of documents, scientific literature and Internet via the leading search systems such as Google, Rambler, Yandex. Indices of Doctor of Sciences and Candidate of Sciences dissertations were researched and the most world-known textbooks and course-books on Military Psychology and Psychophysiology, as well as guidance, instructions and field regulations were scrutinized. Results and Discussions. The importance of psychophysiological factors in performing combat tasks in the Arctic region is proved. The impact of cold on military servicemen performance is under study. The conditions causing military servicemen fatigue are examined. The authors reveal the peculiarities of military servicemen actions with lack of orienting points and perception disorders. The influence biorhythms’ malfunctioning has on military servicemen performance is shown. The fields of military servicemen “Arctic” psychological training are substantiated. Conclusions. Life activity in the Arctic region requires the special “Arctic” psychological training which enables the military servicemen to successfully adapt to the climate, have special adaptation, normalization of season and day and night biorhythms of military servicemen body functioning. Military servicemen must be ready to combat in conditions of extremely low temperatures, heavy physical loads and fatigue, lack of orienting points, navigation systems’ malfunctioning, poor quality of radio connection, unknown conditions, uncertainty, without opportunities to have an overall rest and suchlike.
Main Provisions:
1. In the 21st century the Arctic has become the centre of cross-national interests of many countries and simultaneously the region of high military threat. A number of countries are conducting an active “Arctic” military training based on the comprehension of psychophysiological specifics of combat in the Arctic region. In military confrontation the advantage will be held by the side who will manage the Arctic powerful nature more successfully, acquire the skills to efficiently survive, keep alive, healthy and maintain combat capacity, that is, will be able to cope with the Arctic stress factors.
2. The primary stress factors greatly influencing military servicemen combat activity in the Arctic are low temperatures which cause cold stress, high “psychophysiological cost” of combat activity connected with large physical loads and fatigue sustained by the military servicemen, difficult navigation and organization of combat activity with no combat orienting points and day and night and season biorhythms disorders. The degree of the Arctic stress factors is much higher than that of other stress factors in other regions of the world with low temperatures
3. To efficiently perform in the Arctic conditions it is necessary for the military servicemen to adapt to the climate and have special psychophysiological adaptation which includes purposeful adjustment of his thermoregulative, perceptive orientational, biorhythmical and energy systems. It is the special “Arctic” psychological training which is to facilitate military servicemen rapid acclimatization and psychophysiological adaptation to the conditions of combat activities in the Arctic.
(Fig. Dependence of the time of thermal comfort on the environmental temperature)
Keywords: combat activities in the Arctic; cold stress; psychophysiological mechanisms of thermo-regulation; difficult navigation; biorhythms’ disorders; fatigue.
Specialty: 19.00.02 Psychophysiology, 19.00.03 Psychology of Labour, Engineering Psychology, Ergonomics
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Submitted: 15.02.2019