OIDA International Journal of Sustainable Development
Open-access peer-reviewed journal
https://doi.org/10.64211/oidaijsd190315
The Psychological Image of Power in the Context of the Russo-Ukrainian War: Empirical Verification
Olha Palahnyuk
Department of Pedagogy and Psychology of Preschool and Special Education, Faculty of Pedagogy, Psychology and Social Work, Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University, 2 Kotsiubynskoho St., Chernivtsi, 58002, Ukraine.
Corresponding authour: o.palahnyuk@chnu.edu.ua
Volume 19, Issue 03, Pg. 219-242, 2026.
Abstract. Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine has actualized the need to understand the role of political power as a psychological phenomenon that performs not only institutional but also symbolic functions of stabilization, cohesion and mobilization in times of crisis. The psychological image of power is viewed as a multidimensional construct that is formed under the influence of trust, justice, social identity, value dispositions and moral reflection of citizens. The purpose of the study is to empirically verify the structure of the image of power in times of war, as well as to identify its latent components. The object of the study is the perceptions of Ukrainian citizens about the government in the face of an existential threat. The methodology includes factor analysis (principal component analysis with varimax rotation) and correlation analysis by Pearson’s coefficient (n = 1128, p < 0.01). Five key components have been identified: institutional trust (rational and charismatic), normative justice, social identity and cohesion, moral and ethical sensitivity, and value and ideological framework. Positive correlations between identity, cohesion, moral reflection, and trust are revealed. The practical significance of the results lies in the possibility of their application to strengthen the moral legitimacy of the government and increase social unity in times of war.
Keywords: citizens’ solidarity, external military-political aggression, institutional trust, justice, legitimization
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