Psychological adaptation of conscripts to military service conditions

The problem of psychological adaptation of conscripts to military service occupies an important place in the educational work with young soldiers. Today, we will only touch upon one aspect of this large problem, namely, how to take into account the peculiarities of adaptation of young people at the initial stage of military service.

The results of the conducted research show that the first two months of young men's stay in the army environment are characterized by particularly vivid manifestations of psychophysiological processes caused by the need to adapt to new living conditions. The problems can be arranged and commented on according to their significance in the first weeks of service.

1) A very high need to return to communication with family members, a longing that causes an inability to control the outward manifestation of this feeling. Thoughts about the home where the young man grew up and the feelings they evoke fill everything, becoming the predominant issue among other problems. Lack of interest in the surroundings, depression, and apathy are particularly evident in the first three days. During this period, young men tend to write letters home frequently, almost daily, and they experience distress when they do not receive responses. This problem is common even for those who started their service in close proximity to their homes and had the opportunity to communicate with their relatives when they visited the unit.

However, life shows that for 80 percent of young soldiers, this problem goes away after 30 to 40 days of their arrival at the unit. Other issues come to the fore.

2) The uncertainty and ambiguity of the future, which cause a state that is somewhat less severe than the one described, begin to fade into the background only by the end of the third week after arriving at the unit. This state is characterized by feelings of loneliness, an inexplicable fear, and a desire to have someone confident and knowledgeable by your side. It is also characterized by a fear of unfamiliar people, new routines, and rules, as well as a lack of knowledge about how to

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to act in a particular situation. It is this state of the conscript that is used by some junior commanders to suppress his civilian habits, such as increased self-esteem and strict obedience to the commander's will. This is the period when the main "tightening of the screws" takes place.

At the same time, some commanders may develop a sense of permissiveness due to the young soldier's unquestioning obedience, leading to unprofessional relationships. As a result, some new recruits actively seek support and establish good relationships with older soldiers and sergeants, striving to please them in every way.

However, over time, the severity of this factor diminishes, and all these "tightened screws" quickly "unwind" on their own, without achieving the intended effect, but sometimes causing disciplinary violations. Therefore, to prevent potential hazing incidents, it is necessary to organize a detailed introduction to the unit and commanders in a friendly manner on the first day of the recruits' arrival.

3) Uncertainty caused by the unknown content of the new social role, and the fear of being humiliated. The young man is very concerned about how he should behave in an unfamiliar environment, so that his moral standards, which are based on his sense of self-worth, are not compromised. This is most painful for young men whose social interactions were limited to a small circle of people (family and one or two close friends), where their status was high and based solely on the love of their loved ones, requiring no effort to maintain it. Interestingly, many of these young men are passionate readers of science fiction or fairy tales, devoting most of their free time to this activity. They tend to have little interest in sports, which often leads to their physical development lagging behind their peers. Young people from families where communication was purposefully limited to a specific circle also face significant difficulties in solving this problem. In such cases, assistance in adaptation can only be provided through well-structured information and educational campaigns.

The problem of the struggle to preserve the norms of communication and behavior that are natural for a young man and correspond to his social role "in the civilian world" is exacerbated by the following factor: the change in the young man's social environment.

4) The need to communicate with people who share the same worldview and intelligence. If this need cannot be met for any reason, after about a month, colleagues begin to take an interest in the young man's inability or unwillingness to communicate with them, as well as his apparent isolation. As a result, they often perceive him as "arrogant" and engage in bullying. Alternatively, after unsuccessful attempts to establish informal contact, they may resort to a boycott. All of this can lead to depression in a young soldier and, in the worst-case scenario, to revenge against their abusers, self-harm, desertion, and suicide. One way to address this situation is to fulfill their request for a transfer to another unit. Additionally, identifying the young soldier's social role within the informal structure of the unit and fostering self-confidence can help resolve communication issues.

The change in one's social and ethnic environment due to military conscription also poses another challenge.

5) The need for a local or national community. The formation of a local community is more intense the more contrasting the social and ethnic environment is compared to the home environment of the conscripts.

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The new social environment and its norms differ significantly from the previous environment in which the individual was formed, and the strength of the need to join such a community depends on this. The internal norms of these communities may sometimes differ from the individual beliefs and upbringing of their members. However, the strong need to compensate for social and ethnic losses can lead a young man to act against his own convictions in accordance with the norms of his community, causing emotional discomfort. This is particularly true for soldiers from the Caucasus in Russia. It seems that this factor plays a crucial role in the formation of corporate national micro-groups within military units.

6) Changes in the landscape, natural conditions, and material environment that are familiar to the individual. The explanation for the impact of this factor on the individual's psyche is that a person's psychological adaptation to new conditions is influenced to some extent by their physiological adaptation to the environment as perceived through their senses. This adaptation occurs more quickly in individuals who experience significant (within reasonable limits) physical exertion from the beginning of their service. These individuals are better equipped to cope with the challenges described above. There is even a category of individuals who exhibit a somewhat peculiar desire, as observed by an outside observer, to engage in physically demanding tasks. For such conscripts, the main stages of adaptation end earlier than for those who do not receive such a load for some reason. Physical activity intensifies the process of physiological adaptation to a new environment, which in turn facilitates the process of mental adaptation. However, it is important to note that there is also a reverse relationship. If the individual physical capabilities of the young man are not taken into account, and if he is subjected to harsh physical exertion and mental pressure, the risk of a mental breakdown increases significantly, leading to the abandonment of the workplace and a "runaway" mentality. In such cases, the fear of punishment for leaving the workplace is overshadowed by the need for psychological relief. The young man may feel the need to escape and detach himself from his surroundings. As a result, he may seek a place where he can be difficult to find and spend extended periods of time sleeping. The fear of punishment only returns after the individual has had a chance to rest. Depending on his rank, the young man either returns to his unit or chooses to go into hiding and may leave the unit.

7) Restriction of freedom of movement. This is due to both the natural conditions of the size of the premises and the area where the unit is located, as well as the need to coordinate all actions with a junior commander. The second reason is particularly painful. This requirement goes against the young man's heightened sense of self-esteem and desire for independence, especially from his peers. As long as the factors mentioned in the second and third points remain significant, this issue is not a major concern and does not manifest itself externally. The recruits diligently and punctually comply with the demands of their commanders. However, as the importance of these factors decreases, internal resistance increases, and within 40 to 60 days of arriving at the unit, this issue becomes second only to homesickness. If the command does not limit the number of places where soldiers are required to seek permission from their sergeants to reasonable limits, the steady increase in violations of these requirements will make it physically impossible for the commander to respond. This will create a perception of powerlessness among the subordinates, leading to an increased reliance on "self-determination."

8) Emotional hunger for new experiences. For the majority of conscripts, this problem only arises at the end of the third or beginning of the fourth week of service. Its significance gradually increases, overshadowing other issues. It is natural for anyone to have a desire to explore the world around them and gain new experiences. As the novelty of the military environment wears off, young soldiers will naturally seek new emotional experiences beyond the confines of the army. Starting from the third month of service, commanders have observed an increase in the number of unauthorized absences. Officially increasing the number of leave days outside the unit, excursions, or other activities that have a different impact on young people's emotions can help reduce the number of such violations.

It is clear that over time, the dynamics of the impact of these factors on the psychological adaptation of young men to the military environment may change, and in most cases, it does. Although this article has only highlighted some of the existing issues, we hope that it will help expand the methods of educational work with young military personnel, and that the recruits themselves will understand that everyone who steps into a barracks for the first time experiences similar feelings and emotions. Self-confidence does not come overnight...

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