Psychological resources as a factor of practical psychologists' professional effectiveness

Abstract

The present study aims to provide a theoretical and empirical justification of the structure and role of psychological resources as an integrated factor of professional effectiveness among practical psychologists – specifically, emotional intelligence, cognitive strategies, resilience, and self-efficacy. The relevance of the research is determined by the need to ensure the stability of specialists under high levels of stress in the context of military aggression.
A theoretical analysis of the concept of resourcefulness was conducted, focusing on S. Hobfoll’s Conservation of Resources theory and A. Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory. The empirical study was conducted on a sample of practical psychologists (67 participants) using the following psychodiagnostic instruments: N. Hall’s Emotional Intelligence Test, the General Self-Efficacy Scale by R. Schwarzer and M. Jerusalem (adapted by I. Haletska), the “Thinking Styles” Questionnaire by R. Bramson and A. Harrison, S. Maddi’s Hardiness Test, O.M.Kokun’s Professional Hardiness Questionnaire, the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) by C. Maslach and S. Jackson, and a specially developed questionnaire. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were employed to determine interrelations.
Statistically significant positive correlations were found between all components of psychological resourcefulness and the integrated criteria of professional effectiveness. Emotional intelligence and resilience were identified as the strongest protective predictors of resistance to burnout syndrome, which aligns with the Conservation of Resources theory that defines resource loss as a key component in the development of stress. High self-efficacy and the use of deep cognitive strategies significantly increase a specialist’s adaptability to complex and atypical client cases. High EI correlates with the quality of counselling services, emphasising its central role in interpersonal interaction and empathic sensitivity.
The study confirms that the identified psychological resources are key internal factors ensuring not only high performance but also psychological stability and safety of practical psychologists. The findings justify the necessity of integrating the targeted development of EI, self-efficacy, and adaptive cognitive strategies into professional training and supervision programs.