Lecture
The psychology of safety as a branch of psychological knowledge. The specifics of the subject of research in the psychology of safety. The human being as a subject perceiving danger. The connection between the psychology of safety activity and other branches of psychological science. The concept and criteria of safety. Psychological safety of the individual: the essence and definition of the concept. The structure of the psychological safety of the individual, and the mechanism of its formation.
For a long time, the concept of safety was interpreted as the security of the state against external invasion, as the protection of national and territorial interests. When we speak of human safety, what is meant is the preservation of the stability of a person's everyday life, confidence in the future, and the absence of threats such as unemployment, disease, crime, repression, social conflicts, and environmental catastrophes.
Until the end of the twentieth century, in Russian psychological science, issues related to the psychology of safety mainly formed one of the sections of occupational psychology and were limited only to problems of labor in industry and agriculture. The Russian psychologist M. A. Kotik gives the following definition of the psychology of safety: "The psychology of safety is a branch of psychological science that studies the psychological causes of accidents arising in the course of labor and other types of activity, and the ways of using psychology to improve the safety of activity."'
The research of Russian psychologists (K. A. Abulkhanova-Slavskaya, G. M. Andreeva, V. A. Bodrov, A. V. Brushlinsky, V. G. Zazykin, G. M. Zarakovsky, E. P. Ilyin, E. A. Klimov, T. I. Kolesnikova, M. A. Kotik, V. A. Petrovsky, A. V. Petrovsky, K. K. Platonov, V. I. Slobodchikov, L. D. Chainova, V. D. Shadrikov, and others) is of great importance for the theory and practice of studying the psychological safety of a person as a subject of professional activity.
Having entered the third millennium, modern society has not only failed to relieve human beings of the need to make significant efforts to achieve safety, but has also placed their very existence under threat. Environmental and technological disasters, military conflicts, terrorism, crime, and much more make human life complex and dangerous. Therefore, human safety must be considered not only in professional activity but also under the specific conditions of the social environment. Today we can speak of the emergence of a new field — the psychology of safety — within which both theoretical research and practical programs for ensuring psychological safety in various social spheres are carried out. Based on this approach, the following definition of the branch of the psychology of safety can be given.
The psychology of safety is a branch of psychological science that studies the psychological aspect of human safety in various types of activity and under specific conditions of the social environment.
The objects of research in the psychology of safety are the various types of a person's objective and social activity that are associated with danger.
The subject of research in this field includes:
• mental states of a person that affect the safety of their activity and social interaction.
Mental processes form the basis of mental activity and represent a dynamic reflection of reality. Without them, the formation of knowledge and the acquisition of life experience would be impossible. A distinction is made between cognitive (sensations, perceptions, memory, etc.), emotional, and volitional mental processes.
Mental traits of personality — the essential individual characteristics inherent to it: temperament, abilities, orientation, and character. They form the basis of the intellectual, emotional, volitional, moral, and occupational qualities of the personality.
The mental state of a person — a relatively stable structural organization of all components of the psyche, performing the function of a person's active interaction with the external environment as represented by a specific situation. Mental states are diverse and determine the features of mental activity at a given moment. They can have a positive or negative effect on the course and effectiveness of all mental processes.
In the context of research in the psychology of safety, it is useful to single out particular mental states, taking which into account is important for organizing the prevention of injuries and accidents. These include: paroxysmal disturbances of consciousness, and psychogenic mood changes and states associated with the use of psychoactive substances (stimulants, tranquilizers, alcoholic beverages).
Excessive alcohol consumption reduces a person's working capacity and may even render them temporarily unable to work. When alcohol is consumed in small amounts, such an effect is not observed; however, even in these cases susceptibility to accidents increases. It has been established that the depression and exhaustion that follow a state of intoxication noticeably increase workers' risk of accidents.
Paroxysmal states — a group of disorders of various origins (organic brain diseases, epilepsy, fainting spells), characterized by a brief (from seconds to several minutes) loss of consciousness. In pronounced forms of these states, falls and convulsive movements of the body and limbs are observed. Paroxysmal interruptions in the functioning of consciousness are a frequent cause of disastrous consequences.
Psychogenic changes and affective states arise under the influence of acute emotional impacts. A decline in mood and apathy can last from several hours to one or two months. They are observed following the death of relatives and loved ones, or as a result of experiencing conflict situations. In this state, a person experiences indifference, lethargy, general stiffness, inhibition, difficulty in switching attention, and a slowing of the pace of thinking. A decline in mood is accompanied by impaired self-control and can become a cause of injury.
Under the influence of resentment, insult, or failure, affective states may develop (affect — an explosion of emotion). They are accompanied by abrupt movements, aggressive and destructive actions, or, conversely, "withdrawal into oneself." Individuals prone to affective states belong to the category of people with an increased risk of injury and should not be assigned to positions of high responsibility.
In an affective state, the following reactions are possible: conflict, dissatisfaction, breakdown behavior, anxiety, and fear (fright, horror, panic).
Conflict — a reaction that arises in a situation of choice between two contradictory factors acting simultaneously, when a person has to reckon either with the demands of production or with their own safety, for example a conflict between safety and convenience, safety and time, safety and pride, and so on. A person must be taught to choose the optimal option, since they often look for the easiest way out, which, unfortunately, in most cases does not ensure safety.
Dissatisfaction — a type of reaction manifested as a state of decline, aggressiveness, cruelty, and sometimes submission. For example, a person who is painfully trying to attract attention to themselves in some way resists any form of subordination or commits deliberate acts in order to defy their supervisor or to earn someone's approval.
Breakdown behavior — in the case of repeated failures or an emergency situation, a person may abandon certain goals of their own or deny needs that had previously been operative. In this case, they will also display reactions resembling resignation, passivity, and apathy, and in some cases a sharply pronounced affect in the form of a breakdown occurs.
Anxiety (anxious anticipation) — this is an emotional reaction to danger. A person finds it difficult to identify the object or causes of their state. A person in a state of anxiety is far more predisposed to committing an error or a dangerous act. Functionally, anxiety not only warns the subject of possible danger but also prompts them to search for and specify that danger, and to actively explore the surrounding reality with the aim of identifying the threatening object.
Fear — an emotion that arises in situations of threat to the biological or social existence of the individual and is directed at the source of a real or imagined danger. Functionally, fear serves as a warning of impending danger and prompts the search for ways to avoid it. Fear can be temporary, and adequate or inadequate to the degree of danger.
Fright — is sudden fear. Apprehension, in contrast, is always associated with an awareness of danger; it arises more slowly and lasts longer.
Horror — the most intense degree of the effect of fear and the suppression of reason by fear.
Panic — the next form of fear. It also has a negative effect on human activity. In this case, fear reaches the intensity of affect and is capable of imposing behavioral stereotypes (flight, stupor, defensive aggression).
The study and provision of human safety in the sphere of various interpersonal relationships and production activity, and in corresponding interaction with nature, is impossible without considering the psychology of the person as a subject who perceives danger. In doing so, it is important to take into account that:
The psychology of safety rests on the fundamental foundations of general, social, differential, and special psychology. It is also closely connected with occupational psychology, and with engineering, military, space, sports, legal, medical, and educational psychology.
The psychology of safety can be regarded as an independent branch of knowledge that has emerged from occupational psychology and has identified, among the diversity of mental phenomena, its own object and subject of research.
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