Who is attracted to work at Arctic station in Hornsund? Analysis of personality profiles of applicants

The first Arctic explorers underwent no formal selection procedure, and their personality traits were not diagnosed. Today, select in and select out procedures in systematic screening activities are common, although each country manages a polar station recruits according to its standards. The main g...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polish Polar Research
Main Authors: Agnieszka Skorupa, Magdalena Misiak, Dariusz Niedbała, Zofia Durczok
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Polish Academy of Sciences 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.24425/ppr.2024.150026
https://doaj.org/article/b1c77dc03fbf4ba5ba26c22f1c7834c0
Description
Summary:The first Arctic explorers underwent no formal selection procedure, and their personality traits were not diagnosed. Today, select in and select out procedures in systematic screening activities are common, although each country manages a polar station recruits according to its standards. The main goal of this article is to present the results of personality tests of work candidates at the Polish Polar Station Hornsund in Spitsbergen in 2019–2023. The applicants’ personality was diagnosed with the NEO Five-Factor Inventory examining the Big Five personality traits. Results indicated that candidates for work in the polar station were significantly lower in neuroticism, slightly lower in openness to experience and higher in conscientiousness than the general Polish population. Moreover, there was a significant discrepancy in neuroticism between winterers and those not selected for wintering. This result was not observed in the female group. Potential reasons for study outcomes will be discussed in the article.