Psychological Characteristics in the Digital Age Discussed in the "Journal Gazebo" of Modern Foreign Psychology

On October 14, a webinar featuring authors of the journal Modern Foreign Psychology (2026, Vol. 15, No. 2) took place as part of the "Journal Gazebo" series. This journal issue was dedicated to "Psychology in the Digital Age."

Victoria Viktorovna Ponomareva and Marina Ivanovna Rozenova gave a brief overview of various articles featured in the issue, covering topics such as doomscrolling, trends in digital psychodiagnostics, psychological and pedagogical impacts of AI technologies in educational practice, virtual reality, and the use of AI in psychotherapy and the rehabilitation of patients with hip replacements.

Marina Ivanovna then presented her paper on the application of AI in psychological and research practices. AI is utilized across various fields: supporting individuals with disabilities, promoting psychological health, managing trauma during and after disasters, assisting athletes, and supporting education (assessment, the relationship between personality traits and AI usage, learning, monitoring suicide risks, training emotional intelligence and social skills, and psychological rehabilitation). The speaker also highlighted the risks associated with AI. While modern AI models simulate empathy and dialogue, they cannot provide genuine emotional presence or reciprocity; disruptions in attachment formation negatively affect mentalization and may contribute to various mental disorders. Additional issues arising from AI include overreliance (uncritical acceptance), decision-making difficulties, ethical dilemmas, and heightened anxiety.

Natalia Ivanovna Skrylnikova presented the next paper, "Modern Approaches to Studying the Psychological Aspects of User Interaction with Generative AI." She outlined and detailed the primary approaches to studying the outcomes of human-AI interaction: structural-functional, informational, cognitive, personality-oriented, and institutional. This multifaceted framework makes it possible to investigate the characteristics of safe and productive human-AI interaction.

Tseveen Tsetsenbileg discussed the information and digital security of Mongolian youth. The urban population demonstrated high awareness but lacked concrete protective skills. In contrast, rural populations and individuals with lower levels of education showed widespread unawareness of digital environment risks. She emphasized the critical need to cultivate digital hygiene and critical thinking.

Vladislav Evgenyevich Petrov explained that personal security holds vital significance for combatants compared to the general population. Key areas for safeguarding the personal security of combatants in the digital realm include: psychological assessment, monitoring, and forecasting cyber threats and personal safety in digital spaces; enhancing digital literacy and ethics; examining psychological impacts on the individual; analyzing personality traits that protect against victim behavior; and evaluating the impact of destructive digital content on combatant rehabilitation.

Questions from webinar participants:

• To what extent has AI approached human personality, or is this not the primary goal of AI developers?
• Does clip thinking genuinely exist?
• Where will digitalization lead society (what are its negative consequences)?
• Is the use of virtual reality effective in the rehabilitation of combatants?
• Do AI-powered programs for supporting athletes exist?
• Can AI replace a professional human psychologist?

Tatyana Viktorovna Ermolova shared her reflections on the discussion, emphasizing the need to develop mechanisms to improve digital hygiene and critical thinking, noting that AI does not account for diverse cultural perspectives, and pointing out emerging trends related to the digital fatigue experienced by the modern generation.

Webinar video recording

Event materials:

1. Ermolova, T.V. (Ed.-in-Chief) (2026). Modern Foreign Psychology, 15(2). Moscow: MSUPE. https://psyjournals.ru/journals/jmfp/archive/2026_n2
2. Rozenova, M.I., Ognev, A.S., & Likhacheva, E.V. (2026). Artificial Intelligence in Research and Psychological Practices: International Experience of Application and Identified Risks. Modern Foreign Psychology, 15(2), 78–90. https://doi.org/10.17759/jmfp.2026150208
3. Skrylnikova, N.I., & Kholodnaya, M.A. (2026). Modern Approaches to the Study of Psychological Aspects of User Interaction with Generative Artificial Intelligence. Modern Foreign Psychology, 15(2), 17–26. https://doi.org/10.17759/jmfp.2026150202
4. Tsetsenbileg, Ts., & Khatanbold, O. (2026). Information and Digital Security in the Context of Mongolian Youth Awareness of Social Risks. Modern Foreign Psychology, 15(2), 91–101. https://doi.org/10.17759/jmfp.2026150209
5. Petrov, V.E. (2026). Personal Security of Combatants in the Digital World. Modern Foreign Psychology, 15(2), 68–77. https://doi.org/10.17759/jmfp.2026150207