PSYCHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF RESPONDING TO THE THREAT OF HEALTH LOSS IN THE ERA OF A PANDEMIC

Abstract

The article deals with the problem of human behavior in a pandemic situation, in particular, the influence of locus control and types of attitude to the disease on the formation of constructive and non-constructive behavior patterns. The authors emphasize that the most complex social and epidemiological situation caused by the pandemic indicates the need to study personal constructs that will allow a person to respond competently and constructively even to a threat to life and health. Such personal characteristics, according to the authors, can be the categories of locus control and type of attitude to the disease. The paper presents the results of an empirical study of the psychological characteristics of the response to the threat of health loss in the era of the pandemic. The following diagnostic methods were used in the study: the type of attitude to the disease was revealed by means of the questionnaire “Type of attitude to the disease” (TOBOL). The locus control was diagnosed using the questionnaire “Level of subjective control” (USC) by J. Rotter in the adaptation by E.F. Bazhin, E.A. Golynkin and A.M. Etkind. USC diagnoses partial positions of internality and externality, and is focused on studying the level of subjective control in various fields of activity. According to the results of the study, it was revealed that the predominant types of attitude to the disease in the respondents who took part in the study are anxious, sensitive and neurasthenic, characterized by maladaptive variants. An insignificant number of subjects revealed an internal locus control, the external locus dominates. Based on the conducted research, it is concluded that the vast majority of the study participants are maladapted, confused and are not yet ready to develop behavioral strategies that allow them to maintain their health. Moreover, the study participants have a tendency to shift responsibility to external factors beyond their control.