UNDERSTANDING CRITICAL SITUATIONS IN DIFFERENT APPROACHES

Timoshchenko Anastasia S.

The modern world is characterized by uncertainty, political and economic instability, rapidly changing conditions, when subjects find themselves in difficult life situations and interpret events as critical. The understanding of critical situations in different approaches of psychology differs from each other. The purpose of the article is to consider the understanding of critical situations from different positions. The etymology of the concept of a critical situation is given, as the ability to judge, choose subjects, interpret the situation as normal or critical. The subjects perceive the situation as a moment of impossibility, when a collision occurs with obstacles in the realization of important life needs. The article examines critical situations from the point of view of cognitive psychology, decision-making psychology, psychology of extreme situations, stress psychology, crisis psychology, as well as a look at a critical situation from the point of view of the psychology of experience. The perception of subjects of stressful or crisis situations as critical is considered. And also a confrontation with a frustrating situation, as a violation of the normal rhythm of life and well-being of subjects at various levels, such as the conscious, intersubjective and deep level associated with a person’s semantic attitudes. The influence of external and internal conditions, different ways of perceiving critical situations by subjects with different types of choice of life path are considered.

Keywords:critical situation, stress, crisis, frustration, difficult life situation, type of choice of life path.