Moral values of a future military pilot as the reliability of predicted professional psychological selection

Abstract. Aim. To identify one of the problems of professional psychological selection of applicants for training in a higher military flight school, to show the importance of moral values in the professional development of a military pilot and the impact of their presence or absence on the quality of the prediction as part of professional psychological selection. At present, the progress and constant modernisation of the Russian Air Force aircraft fleet places ever higher demands on the level of professionalism of a modern military pilot. In this context, there is a growing need for greater numbers of indicators diagnosed during professional psychological selection (PPS) that are later used to predict the success of military flight training and professional activity in general. That is primarily due to the fact that recently more and more attention has been paid to the role of the personality and its integrative function. However, at present, the existing flight crew PPS system does not provide a comprehensive diagnosis of a candidate’s personality.

Methods. Based on a theoretical analysis of the work conducted by researchers and practitioners of aviation psychology and various approaches to the study of the professional fitness of flight personnel, it was identified that the key element in the diagnosis of professional fitness is the personality with its integrative function and the whole set of professionally important qualities. The analysis of literature in aviation psychology shows that personal qualities determine motivation, focus and sustained interest in flight work, as well as the social type of behaviour and a person’s adaptation to specific conditions of flight activity and military service.

Results. A pilot’s professionalism begins with shaping the personality. Nowadays, the loss of spiritual guidelines has led to a dramatic simplification of moral values and patriotic spirit, and young people are more focused on consumerism. Selecting candidates for military aviation involves the use of a diverse set of diagnostic techniques that helps evaluate the most important psychological and personal qualities. However, the experience of application of personal questionnaires shows that they do not always represent a complete picture of an applicant’s motivation, personality orientation, self-awareness and basic values. The use of projective and hardware-based methods is minimised, the existing automated system for professional psychological selection (ASPPS) is insufficiently equipped with methods that diagnose personal qualities, the emphasis being placed on diagnosing cognitive processes. The century-old history of PPS shows a violation of the principle of personal integrity, which is

expressed in the bias towards psychophysiology. As a result, at present, the existing flight crew PPS does not provide a comprehensive diagnosis of a candidate’s personality.

Conclusions. In conclusion, it is noted that the key element in the diagnosis of professional aptitude is the  personality with all its PIQ and moral values. Growing numbers of diagnosed indicators in the personal block of the PIQ will enable a comprehensive diagnosis of a candidate, and thanks to a combination of survey and projective methods, it will help increase the reliability of the PPS prediction, provided that an applicant’s personality is treated holistically, based on the principles of an integrative approach to the person as an integral personality.

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