Bulletin of National Defence University of Ukraine

  • Received 27.03.2026,
  • Revised 03.08.2026,
  • Accepted 25.08.2026
  • Published 31.08.2026
Download article Download article
Volume 21, No. 4, 2026
  • professional activity; wartime conditions; combat operations; empathy; conscience
  • https://doi.org/10.33099/2617-6858-26-21-4-42-51
  • Pages 42-51

This article presents a theoretical analysis of the psychological mechanisms underlying professional decision-making by psychologists under stressful conditions, particularly in the context of military operations and combat stress. The aim of the article was to identify the main psychological factors and mechanisms influencing the process of professional decision-making by psychologists in situations of heightened psychological strain, including crisis and combat conditions. The methodological basis of the study consisted of methods of theoretical analysis, generalisation and systematisation of contemporary scientific works on the issue of decision-making under stressful conditions. The results of contemporary studies on the influence of emotional, cognitive and personality factors on the decision-making process were analysed. The main groups of factors influencing a psychologist’s professional decision-making were identified: cognitive, emotional, moral and value-based, professional and situational. An original model of professional decision-making by psychologists under stressful conditions is proposed, which reflects the interaction between external stress factors (in particular, combat situations) and the specialist’s internal psychological mechanisms. A classification of the types of professional decisions made by psychologists in crisis situations (diagnostic, interventional, ethical, situationally operational and reflective-corrective) has been developed, enabling a systematic description of professional activity in the military sphere. Particular attention has been paid to the role of professional experience, empathy, conscience, reflection and the specialist’s sense of personal responsibility in the decision-making process under crisis and combat conditions. It was emphasised that the combination of analytical and intuitive thinking contributes to enhancing the effectiveness of a psychologist’s professional activity and to providing psychological support to military personnel. The practical significance of the findings lies in their potential application to improving the system of psychological support in wartime, and to developing programmes to enhance psychologists’ stress resilience and professional reliability

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