PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF PROFESSIONAL GENESIS AND DEVELOPMENT OF MANAGERIAL COMPETENCE IN AIR FORCE OFFICERS

Abstract

The article presents a comprehensive scientific analysis of the psychological features of professional genesis among officers of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. A systematic study of psychological determinants of professional development, managerial competence formation, and patterns of professional consciousness transformation has been conducted. The methodological framework of the research is based on an integrative approach that combines various concepts of professional identity formation and considers professional development as a multi-level dynamic system. The historical, socioeconomic, information-technological, and personal dimensions of professional genesis are presented, which ensure continuous professional development and adaptation to changing socio-professional contexts. The conceptual foundations of the research are determined based on theoretical explorations of national psychological schools. The understanding of professional identity as a system-forming factor of professional reliability and psychological readiness to perform duties under extreme conditions is substantiated. The article characterizes sequential transformational stages of officers' professional development, particularly the tactical, operational, and strategic levels of institutional military education, as well as the stage of combat transformation of an officer's psyche associated with direct participation in combat operations. The development of an officer's subjective agency is analyzed as a fundamentally important dimension of professional genesis, which involves transformation from an executor to a subject of complex systemic decisions. Key characteristics of professional development are identified: conscious professional affiliation, socio-role identification, professional competence, and readiness to perform duties under extreme conditions. Conceptual models of professional development are proposed: adaptive (reproductive) and developmental (creative), which encompasses self-realization and permanent professional improvement. The significance of a creative approach to solving professional tasks, development of professional intuition, and innovative thinking is emphasized. Practical recommendations for psychological support of officers' professional genesis are formulated, based on a differentiated approach that considers the specifics of each stage of professional development. Key areas of psychological support are defined: development of psychological resilience, formation of stress resistance, enhancement of adaptive potential, and ensuring reliability of professional activity under extreme conditions.