Abstract:

The objective of this article is to identify and recognize the level and scope of disruptions caused to personal security by the COVID-19 virus, and assess its impact on the level of recognition of signals about threat, as well, identification of the dimensions of perceived threats in which disruptions in their reading may appear.

A systematic review of publications on the theory of threat and signal perceiving, and a diagnostic survey carried out using the CAWI (Computer-Assisted Web Interview) method were used. Three populations were considered - Polish, Ukrainian and Bulgarian citizens. The COVID-19 pandemic was used to search for universal dependencies and mechanisms related to the perception of threats in the conditions of loss of personal security.

The results show that threats assessment depends on individual cognitive processes, including an individual interpretation of threats, and differences exist between assessments and opinions regarding threats and security from the period of May to June, 2020, and those made at the beginning of the pandemic. In this paper the 10 dimensions of perceiving threats that may have impact on the objectivity of their recognition has been identified.

Quite large groups of people in each examined country felt their personal security was partially, or to a small extent, violated due to COVID-19. This is illustrated in the model of the threat dimension presented in the paper, where the sense of personal security stems from the individual perceiving of threats.

This article is a compilation of the results of years of research related to the effectiveness of the perceiving of threat signals in the following areas: economy, medical rescue, police, fire department and army operations. The results of empirical research on the perceiving of personal security in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, are essential addition of this topis.