EDUCATIONAL PROCESS DURING WARTIME. THE EXPERIENCE OF OVERCOMING STRESS BY STUDENTS OF THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN BEIRUT

Abstract

The article examines ways and methods of overcoming stress by students during the war. A
person's life is inextricably linked to the influence of many adverse factors, which are accompanied by the
emergence and development of negative emotions, strong experiences, as well as overstrain of physical
and mental functions. The most characteristic mental state that develops under the influence of extreme
life conditions is stress. The problem of stress is a scientific problem, scientists of various specialties
directed their efforts to solve it during the recent years. A person experiences especially strong stress
during wars that cause injury and death of relatives and friends, economic instability, and other difficult
situations. In such conditions, it is very difficult to continue studying, gain new knowledge, and fulfill
academic plans. This work examines how the ongoing political upheaval in Lebanon has affected the
atmosphere of a higher education institution that has played a crucial role in education and development
in the Middle East. Also, a timeline of the main events that took place on the campus of the American
University in Beirut between 1975 and 1991 was presented, and the results of a survey of a group of AUB
alumni living in the USA, in which they talked about emotional, social and academic life and various
mechanisms, to which they resorted, overcoming the stress caused by threatening living conditions. The
events in Ukraine after the beginning of the military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine
had a huge impact on our education system, now a number of questions are being raised about the
educational strategies that should be adopted for the education of children and youth. It was found that the
most important traits that helped Lebanese students, teachers and staff of the American University in
Beirut to survive the wartime are: optimism, sociability, patience, resourcefulness, steadfastness,
resilience, ability to control the situation, coolness to be able to make informed decisions. Sometimes it is very useful to use such protective mechanisms as rationalization (selective perception of the environment)
and intellectualization (elimination of emotions from events). For adaptive adjustment, it is necessary to
deal with such factors as emotional indecision, anger, isolation and nervousness. A very important factor
in overcoming the stress of war is faith in God, a close emotional connection with relatives and friends, as
well as communication with people who are good-natured.