DEFORMATION OF LEGAL CONSCIOUSNESS AS A FACTOR IN CORRUPT BEHAVIOR OF MILITARY PERSONNEL

Abstract

The article substantiates and empirically verifies the assumption that corrupt behavior among military personnel under martial law conditions is determined not only by institutional and legal control mechanisms but also by psychological changes within the structure of legal consciousness. In the theoretical framework, corruption is interpreted as a consequence of transformations in normative and value orientations, weakening of internal mechanisms of self-regulation, and a shift from adherence to legal norms toward situational expediency. It is argued that deformation of legal consciousness may manifest in the forms of legal nihilism, cynicism, conformist acceptance of norms, or their instrumental use, thereby creating internal legitimization of unlawful actions and reducing moral responsibility barriers. It is emphasized that within the military environment, characterized by strict hierarchy, high stress, limited resources, and concentrated authority, the risks of such deformations increase significantly. The empirical study was conducted among military personnel divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of experience in corruption-related practices. The “Attitude toward Law” questionnaire was employed, and comparative analysis of intergroup differences was performed. The findings indicate that military personnel with corruption experience demonstrate higher levels of legal realism and more pronounced legal nihilism, reflecting the pragmatization of legal thinking, instrumentalization of norms, and a tendency to diminish their regulatory significance. In contrast, the group without corruption experience exhibits higher levels of legal idealism and legal skepticism, suggesting the preservation of a normative-value model of legal consciousness combined with a rational-analytical evaluation of the legal system’s functioning. The results confirm that deformation of legal consciousness functions as a psychological factor increasing the likelihood of rationalizing and reproducing corrupt practices within the military environment and outline directions for preventive psychological interventions.