PERSONALITY TRAITS OF POLICE OFFICERS AS PSYCHOLOGICAL PRECONDITIONS OF ANTIFRAGILITY

Abstract

The article presents a theoretical and empirical analysis of the personality-based preconditions of police officers’ antifragility within the context of their professional activity. Antifragility is conceptualized not merely as the ability to maintain functioning under professional stress, but as the capacity to transform challenging experiences into a resource for personal and professional growth. The aim of the study was to empirically identify the personality predictors of police officers’ antifragility and to determine the role of basic personality traits in transforming professional stressors into developmental resources. The sample consisted of 128 police officers from various units of the National Police of Ukraine (75% men, 25% women) aged between 18 and 65 years. A total of 60.9% of respondents had experience working under conditions of increased professional risk. Personality traits were assessed using the Ten- Item Personality Inventory (TIPI-UKR). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (ρ). The empirical findings revealed statistically significant positive associations between antifragility and openness to experience, conscientiousness, and extraversion. The strongest correlation was observed with openness to experience, which may be interpreted as a key cognitive and meaning-related precondition for development under professional challenges. Conscientiousness was associated with behavioral self-regulation, responsibility, and structured activity, facilitating the productive use of stressful situations. Extraversion mediated the social dimension of antifragility by promoting active interaction and mobilization of social support. In contrast, agreeableness and emotional stability did not demonstrate statistically significant associations with antifragility, suggesting their comparatively limited role in transforming stress into developmental resources. The findings confirm that police officers’ antifragility has a distinct dispositional foundation and emerges at the intersection of cognitive flexibility, self-regulation, and social activity.