Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

‘‘The Greatest Teacher, Failure Is’’: Handling Failure In Military Parachute Training, David Bergman

Journal of Human Performance in Extreme Environments

The present study examined failure in an extreme setting within a military parachute training course used to better prepare individuals for combat. A grounded theory analysis of interviews and observations led to four interdependent reasons for failure, three mediating factors of how failure was perceived, and eight ways of coping in how individuals handled failure. Two overarching master themes were established of decision aversion where individuals tend to avoid making decisions regarding their own failure in order to minimize guilt and shame, and externalization where attribution is made primarily to causes outside the self in order to maintain a positive …

Human Adaptability For Deep Space Missions: An Exploratory Study, Paul T. Bartone, Robert R. Roland, Jocelyn V. Bartone, Gerald P. Krueger, Albert A. Sciarretta, Bjorn Helge Johnsen

Journal of Human Performance in Extreme Environments

The present qualitative study conducts in-depth interviews with astronauts and other subject matter experts in order to shed light on human adaptability in extreme environments. Deep space travel will entail a range of highly stressful conditions to which astronauts must adapt. Feelings of isolation will be increased, as the space traveler is farther from Earth for longer periods of time. Daily life will take place in small and confined areas, for durations extending into years. The dangers of the extreme environment of space are ever-present, and failure of critical equipment or components can lead to death. Astronauts will need to …

Coping During Conventional Submarine Missions: Evidence Of A Third Quarter Phenomenon?, Charles H. Van Wijk

Journal of Human Performance in Extreme Environments

The third quarter phenomenon refers to the decline in performance during the third quarter of missions in isolated, confined, and extreme environments, regardless of actual mission duration. This can be observed through changes in cognitive and interpersonal behavior, and an increase in reported negative experiences and undesirable mood states. This effect has been studied in polar and space missions, but there are no available reports on it during submarine missions. This study provides an additional analysis of previously published data that were collected during a conventional submarine patrol mission, to consider whether a stage-model of adaptation (in particular a third …

Coping With The Subterranean Environment: A Thematic Content Analysis Of The Narratives Of Cave Explorers, Raymond R. Macneil, Jelena Brcic

Journal of Human Performance in Extreme Environments

In addition to various physical obstacles, the cave environment presents numerous psychological stressors that challenge human explorers. Sources of psychological stress include logistic issues (e.g., limitations to access, communication, and the availability of equipment), a lack of normal sensory stimuli, isolation and confinement, high performance demands, and social conflict associated with team coordination and requirements for cooperation. Thus, the success and safety of caving expeditions depend on the ability of explorers to effectively cope with highly stressful conditions and task demands. This was the first study to investigate coping within the context of caving and cave exploration. Utilizing scoring criteria …

‘‘Covert Coping’’ In Extreme Environments: Insights From South African Submarines, Charles H. Van Wijk, Vittorio Dalla Cia

Journal of Human Performance in Extreme Environments

Submariners are a group of people who live and work in enclosed habitats. In this confined environment, they need to balance the emotional needs of individuals with the resources of the group, to ensure effective coping for all. This study explored the mechanisms of maintaining this balance.

Observations and a self-report measure (a modified Brief COPE) were used to describe the coping of submariners during deployment. Findings from the thematic analysis and self-report instrument are briefly described. An apparent contrast between the qualitative observations and quantitative data was noted, and when closely examined reveal two mechanisms whereby submariners managed their …

Stress And Coping As A Function Of Experience Level In Collegiate Flight Students, Jennifer Kirschner, John Young, Richard Fanjoy

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

Aviation as an industry requires a high degree of precision at all times. Large amounts of stress have been known to decrease performance to undesirable levels. While stress reactions and the coping skills used after encountering stressful situations differ from person to person, generalities can be made by comparing differences between groups. A large number of pilot applicants receive initial training within a university flight program each year. In order to better understand the perceived stress level and the coping skills used by these students, the current research project administered a perceived stress test and a coping skills inventory to …

Coping With Emotions During Reintegration: An Evaluation Of Service Members' Psychological Health, Christina Marie Marini

Open Access Theses

Upon returning home from deployment, service members are likely coping with strong emotions related to deployment stressors. In addition, service members and their intimate partners may be tasked with emotionally reconnecting with one another after an extended period of separation. Reintegration is therefore a critical, transitory time to evaluate associations between emotional coping strategies utilized by service members and their partners as predictors of service members' well-being. Previous research has indicated that service members' expression of emotions is positively related to their well-being post-deployment, whereas their avoidance is negatively related. These relationships were reevaluated in the current study. The current …

The Stress Coping Skills Of Undergraduate Collegiate Aviators, Jennifer Kirschner

Purdue Polytechnic Masters Theses

An important human factors research interest area is error reduction. Although pilots placed in highly stressful situations have an increased chance of making errors, they use coping skills to lower their stress level and reduce the likelihood of errors. Typically, coping skills are conceptually separated into three different types: active coping skills which attack and change the situation to make it inherently less stressful, emotionfocused coping skills which use discussion or thinking about the situation in a different way to diminish the negative emotional reaction associated with the stressful situation, and avoidant coping skills which allow one to mentally and/or …