The Bulletin of National Defence University of Ukraine

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  • Vol. 21, No. 3, 2026

  • Phenomenological psychodiagnostics and testology: Advantages and disadvantages of methods in wartime conditions

  • Received 02.02.2026,
  • Revised 13.05.2026,
  • Accepted 12.06.2026
  • Published 24.06.2026
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Vol. 21, No. 3, 2026
  • interpretation; client-centred approach; psychological assessment; psychological trauma; quantitative methods
  • https://doi.org/10.33099/2617-6858-26-21-3-32-41
  • Pages 32-41

The relevance of this topic is driven by the growing need for high-quality psychodiagnostic support for military personnel and veterans who have experienced combat and related psychologically traumatic events. The aim of the study was to conduct a comparative analysis of phenomenological and testological approaches, identifying their advantages, limitations, and possibilities for integration within psychological support practice. The study employed theoretical-methodological, systemic, comparative, and SWOT analysis methods. The specific features of qualitative and quantitative methods for assessing an individual’s mental state in wartime conditions, as well as the peculiarities of interpreting psychodiagnostic results, were examined. It was established that the phenomenological approach provides a deep understanding of an individual’s subjective experience, allowing consideration of personal characteristics in experiencing combat, loss, fear, and post-traumatic changes; however, it is characterised by a high degree of subjectivity and difficulties in standardisation. The testological approach, in turn, is distinguished by its objectivity, standardisation, and capacity for rapid assessment of psycho-emotional status, which is particularly important within systems of psychological support for military personnel. At the same time, its application has certain limitations related to the insufficient consideration of the individual context in experiencing traumatic events: the standardised response format leaves little room for expressing the unique meanings individuals attribute to their experiences, while numerical scales are unable to capture the complexity of existential states, survivor guilt, moral injury, or loss of identity, all of which are characteristic of wartime experience. The study substantiates the appropriateness of integrating phenomenological psychodiagnostics and testology as complementary approaches, making it possible to combine the objectivity and standardisation of psychometric methods with a profound understanding of an individual’s subjective experience. The practical significance of the study lies in the potential application of its findings to improve psychodiagnostic support for military personnel and veterans, as well as in the professional training of military psychologists

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