THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY AS A NECESSARY COMPONENT IN IT SPECIALISTS’ WORK

Abstract

The article provides a theoretical analysis of the concepts of “safety” and “psychological safety”. Various approaches to their interpretation by psychologists and psychotherapists are considered. It has been proven the psychological safety of IT specialists has its specificity and is characterized by the protection of the psyche from destructive external and internal influences, as well as conditions that do not violate the psychological integrity, adaptability, and development of individuals. The specificity of the professional activities of IT specialists is also characterized. In particular, working at night and adapting to different time zones create conditions for the organization of one’s own digital and temporal space, which encourages the development of burnout syndrome, detachment from reality, and leads to problems in family and social interactions. Isolation due to prolonged computer work, the need for constant adaptation to rapidly changing client needs, the duality of experience and the risks of being devalued by the environment lead to a violation of psychological safety. The psychological protection of IT-specialists is facilitated through the recognition and assistance in resolving the subject’s identified inner psychic conflict, which is carried out in the process on in-depth psychocorrection. Such an approach enables the tracking of the dominance of personal reactions to professional and life situations. This is characteristic of individuals burdened with fixations of repressed energy, dramatic situations, and vicissitudes of past life, caused by residual effects that over time manifest in the subject’s subjective perception of reality, which is masked from the subject by deviation from reality to please ad idealized Self. The importance of in-depth psychocorrection through the method of active social-psychological cognition is emphasized as a means of minimizing emotional losses and ensuring the psychological safety of IT specialists. It is emphasized that psychological safety is a key factor in personal development and professional growth, especially for IT professionals whose activities require a high level of cognitive activity and emotional stability.