The Relationship Between the Tolerance for Uncertainty and Psychophysiological Qualities of Servicemen

Abstract

"The purpose of this study was to establish the relationship between the tolerance for uncertainty level and several psychophysiological and psychological qualities of military specialists for determining additional approaches to occupational selection. The study was conducted on a group of servicemen who performed special tasks and were capable of responding to terrorism – 49 men (main group) and 19 military doctors (control group) – men aged 25-34 years. Tolerance for uncertainty was studied based on the modified S. Badnder’s method. The level of manipulation score (MAC) was assessed by the adapted I.A. Romanova and O.O. Zhdanov questionnaire (estimated by the so-called ""MacScale""). Psycho-physiological parameters were determined using a special computer program. Statistical analysis of data was performed by descriptive and nonparametric statistics, as well as a cluster, stepwise discriminant, and correlation analysis. A personality trait “tolerance for uncertainty” was valuable for the occupational activity of servicemen performing special tasks. The such feature had 63.3% of servicemen in the studied group. The specificity of the occupational activity of military doctors was the quality of manipulation of people. Moreover, those who were the most tolerant of uncertainty had an inverse relationship with Machiavellianism, which indicates the existence of compensatory psychological mechanisms balancing and harmonizing service and personal relationships among micro-teams of servicemen. Servicemen with a lower level of tolerance for uncertainty had positive relationships with several psychophysiological functions (strength and mobility of nervous processes, quality of dynamic memorization), which confirms the idea of psychophysiological mechanisms to enhance tolerance for uncertainty by increasing the working capacity of these people. Such personal quality as tolerance for uncertainty is a valuable occupationally important feature that allows performing the selection of servicemen who are more efficient and reliable in the performance of official duties tasks. "