“Never Returned from the War”. Phenomenon of Chronicization of the Combat Ego in Veterans of Combat Operations

<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Context and relevance. </strong>The large number of military conflicts in the modern world makes it relevant to study the psychological consequences of participation in hostilities in a variety of forms. <strong>Objective</strong>: identification and classification of the main forms of chronicization of the combat ego in combat veterans; development of general recommendations for psychological work with veterans experiencing a complex of chronicization of the combat ego; drawing the attention of researchers to the problem under consideration. <strong>Hypothesis.</strong> Psychological consequences of participation in combat actions are not only psychotraumatization, post-traumatic stress disorder and other stress-related disorders, but also maturation, psychological hardening, and acquisition of life wisdom by combatants. <strong>Methods and materials</strong>: study of scientific literature and publications of combatants. <strong>Results.</strong> The consequences of combat experience are presented in the form of psychological complexes — stable patterns of perception of oneself and the world, thoughts, motives, moods, and behavior united around a core need. The “never returned from the war” complex is revealed, which arises as a consequence of chronization of the combat ego in a participant in military events. The following forms of chronicization of the combat ego are distinguished: professional complex, adrenal complex, zombie complex, Rambo complex, and “soldier of fortune” complex. The structure of the chronicization complex of the combat ego is described. <strong>Conclusions.</strong> General recommendations for psychological assistance to veterans who “did not return from the war” are substantiated. It is necessary to support, and sometimes even initiate a veteran's appeal for specialized psychological assistance, to explain that veteran assistance centers are not “for the weak”, but for those who want to live for real, and not in a constant defense mode<strong>.</strong></p>