TEENAGERS MILITARY IDENTITY FORMATION OF USING DIGITAL GAMES

Abstract

The influence of games and game culture on the psychological well-being and behavior of children and adolescents was a source of concern and interest in the early stages of the development of modern digital games in the late 1970s, and the study of their negative and positive effects remains relevant today. Digital games are now a ubiquitous part of life, so they have been explored for entertainment as an important part of personal development and social functioning, particularly in environments of high uncertainty, threat to life and psychological well-being, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic and the current Russian-Ukrainian war. It has been proven that the negative influence of digital games on the behavior of children and adolescents is constantly emphasized. However, many aspects of games go beyond the dichotomy of unquestionably useful or harmful, light or dark, but there is still the essence of games, which is especially evident in the formation of military identity - harmful in peacetime and necessary – in wartime, when every Ukrainian undergoes a transformation. civilian identity to military identity and the associated moral identity, formed in the context of overcoming moral trauma, as an integral component of military involvement. Military identity has been shown to be a social identity that is formed and integrated into self-esteem when civilian identity becomes less salient due to military inculturation. Continuity of military identity plays a key role in maintaining psychological well-being in the context of life transitions. This is because continuity is an important basis for maintaining stability, a sense of life and connections with other groups of members (for example, family, professional or community), so digital games turn an important role into this process, using as a means for entertainment and acquisition skills, most for effective adaptation to life in war conditions.